Key facts
- The ASEAN envoy's visit to Myanmar begins Wednesday.
- The mission will include a trip to Shan State and engagements in Naypyitaw.
- Myanmar's military government has not confirmed the trip and previously stated no need for a special envoy.
The Philippines, as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), announced that the bloc's special envoy on Myanmar will lead a humanitarian mission to the country starting Wednesday. The two-day visit by Philippine Foreign Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro will include travel to Shan State and meetings in the capital, Naypyitaw. Details of these engagements were not provided. Myanmar's army-backed government has not confirmed the trip, having previously stated in August that a special envoy was no longer needed. Lazaro has previously sought access to detained Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. The country has been embroiled in a civil war since the 2021 military coup, resulting in an estimated 100,000 deaths and over 3.5 million displaced people. Myanmar's top leadership is barred from ASEAN meetings due to non-compliance with a peace plan, though some member states have hosted coup leader Min Aung Hlaing, who was elected president in April and is seeking re-engagement with ASEAN.