Myanmar junta denies ASEAN envoy request to meet Aung San Suu Kyi

Myanmar's military-backed government has rejected a request from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) special envoy to meet with detained former civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Background

The 81-year-old Nobel laureate has been in custody since February 1, 2021, when the army seized power from her National League for Democracy-led government. Suu Kyi was originally sentenced to a total of 33 years in prison in late 2022 on a range of charges, including incitement, corruption, election fraud, and violation of Myanmar's Official Secrets Act.

Transfer to House Arrest

In late May, as part of an international public relations campaign, the authorities announced that they had moved Suu Kyi from prison to a "designated residence," where she will serve out the rest of her sentence. Her sentence was also reduced by one-sixth, leaving her with 18 years and nine months to serve.

ASEAN's Position

The Philippines, the bloc's current chair, expressed cautious optimism about the decision to transfer Suu Kyi to house arrest. It also expressed "hopes" that the authorities would permit the special envoy, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro, "brief access" to the detained leader in order to fulfill her role of engaging "all stakeholders and parties to create an environment conducive to inclusive national dialogue."

Military's Response

However, a spokesperson for President Min Aung Hlaing's office stated that the ousted leader would not be permitted to meet with any foreign officials.

"Aung San Suu Kyi has been prosecuted under the law and is serving sentences," Khaing Khaing Soe told reporters in Naypyidaw on Tuesday, as per the AFP news agency. "Therefore she is not allowed to meet with international representatives." She added that "only after her sentence" might she be granted permission.

ASEAN's Five-Point Consensus

ASEAN has blocked Myanmar's military from sending representatives to its summits since late 2021 due to its lack of implementation of the Five-Point Consensus, the bloc's roadmap for managing the conflict. Formulated at an emergency meeting in Jakarta in April 2021, the consensus:

• Appointed a special envoy to Myanmar
• Called for an immediate cessation of violence
• Called for inclusive dialogue involving "all parties" to the conflict

Political Context

Aung San Suu Kyi's reported transfer to house arrest came shortly after coup leader Min Aung Hlaing was appointed president by the military-dominated parliament, following a controversial and widely boycotted multi-phase election dominated by the military's proxy party.

This "transition" from direct to civilianized military rule has been described by most independent observers as part of a campaign intended to normalize the government's relationships with foreign countries – and ASEAN in particular.

Divisions Within ASEAN

Some ASEAN member states, particularly Thailand, have argued the virtues of engagement and have led a push for the bloc to welcome Myanmar back into the "ASEAN family." However, other ASEAN nations, including the Philippines, remain more resistant to normalization.

Whether access to Aung San Suu Kyi will now become a potential sticking point in the push toward re-engagement remains to be seen.

Philippine Response

Speaking yesterday in response to the denial, a spokesperson for the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs reiterated that Manila welcomed the transfer of Suu Kyi to house arrest, and the amnesty granted to around 4,500 prisoners around the same time.

"As Myanmar takes steps in a positive direction, we reiterate the importance of releasing all other prisoners, particularly the elderly and infirm, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi," the spokesperson said, according to the Philippine News Agency. "Such actions are essential to advancing meaningful political dialogue as envisioned in the [Five-Point Consensus]."