Reuters · Nation Thailand
Myanmar pushes back on ASEAN envoy and Suu Kyi release demand
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Myanmar’s military-backed government has rejected the continued role of an ASEAN special envoy and resisted the regional bloc’s call for the unconditional release of detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi .
Key facts
- The position was set out in a Foreign Ministry statement issued at the weekend, days after President Min Aung Hlaing made a landmark visit to Thailand
- Myanmar’s relationship with ASEAN has deteriorated sharply since the military seized power in early 2021, removing the elected civilian administration led by Suu Kyi.
- Myanmar’s senior political leadership has subsequently been excluded from ASEAN’s highest-level meetings because of its failure to implement the bloc’s Five-Point Consensus, a peace framework agreed with Min Aung Hlaing in 2021.
- The takeover triggered nationwide unrest and a civil war that has killed an estimated 100,000 people and displaced millions, according to the Reuters report.
Summary
The position was set out in a Foreign Ministry statement issued at the weekend, days after President Min Aung Hlaing made a landmark visit to Thailand. Bangkok is seeking Myanmar’s full re-engagement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations while maintaining that regional concerns over the conflict must still be addressed.
Myanmar argued that political developments following an election held in December and January meant that the ASEAN chair no longer needed to appoint a special envoy for the country.