Myanmar says ASEAN’s call for Suu Kyi release is interference

Myanmar’s military government declined an appeal from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to release ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi without conditions. The group’s requests to meet with the Nobel Peace Prize winner and free other detainees were deemed interference in the nation’s judicial proceedings, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Any potential release will be conducted in line with existing laws, the statement warned. The announcement follows the coup leader who became president, Min Aung Hlaing, visiting Thailand after years of regional isolation for Myanmar after a military takeover in 2021. In the past month, Myanmar’s foreign minister held informal talks with ASEAN members, the first such in-person meeting at that level since the coup occurred.