Myanmar rebuffs Asean call to free Aung San Suu Kyi, questions need for envoy

The military-backed government of Myanmar has refused to comply with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean)’s latest plea for the immediate release of former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who remains under house arrest, and has also downplayed the necessity of the organization’s special envoy for Myanmar. President Min Aung Hlaing, who previously ousted Suu Kyi’s civilian government in 2021, has been striving to gain political legitimacy since the coup and restore ties with Asean.

The Asean had proposed a peace plan in April 2021 to halt hostilities and begin talks among conflicting parties, with the special envoy to facilitate the process. However, Min Aung Hlaing has been barred from attending high-level gatherings due to his refusal to adhere to the peace plan. In an apparent attempt to appease critics, the government granted a representative from the International Committee of the Red Cross limited access to Suu Kyi last week, marking her first known contact with an independent external humanitarian organization since her detention five years ago.

Suu Kyi is currently serving her sentence under house arrest in Naypyidaw, on charges that supporters and rights groups deem politically motivated. The chair of Asean, the Philippines, welcomed Suu Kyi’s limited visit as a step towards dialogue and reconciliation on Friday, while simultaneously urging broader access to political prisoners and reiterating its call for Suu Kyi’s “complete and unconditional release”.

In response to Asean’s call, Myanmar’s foreign ministry argued on Saturday that while her sentences have been commuted on humanitarian grounds, a full and unconditional release will only occur in accordance with the law. The statement also affirmed that the government will maintain cooperation with the current Asean special envoy, Philippine Foreign Minister Maria Theresa Lazaro, but does not deem it necessary to continue the partnership once Singapore assumes the presidency of Asean on January 1, 2027.

Prior to becoming president following recent elections, Min Aung Hlaing dismissed Asean’s peace plan, claiming that some member states have discriminated against Myanmar and that the response would be case-by-case. Critics dismissed the December and January elections as a sham designed to solidify the military's control over power while ostensibly restoring civilian rule.