Key facts
- Myanmar's military government rejected ASEAN's call for Aung San Suu Kyi's unconditional release.
- The government dismissed the need for ASEAN's special envoy.
- Myanmar stated Suu Kyi's release would be handled according to law.
- ASEAN reiterated its call for Suu Kyi's unconditional release and for its envoy to meet her.
- The military-backed government has been banned from top-level ASEAN meetings since 2021.
Myanmar's military-backed government has rejected the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) renewed call for the unconditional release of detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The government also dismissed the need for the bloc's special envoy, signaling continued defiance of international pressure.
In a statement, Myanmar's foreign ministry said that while sentences have been commuted on humanitarian grounds, a full release would only occur in accordance with the law. The government indicated it would continue working with the current ASEAN special envoy, Philippine Foreign Minister Maria Theresa Lazaro, but does not see the need for future engagement when Singapore assumes the chair in 2027.
President Min Aung Hlaing, who seized power in 2021, has been seeking political legitimacy and has previously dismissed ASEAN's peace plan for the country. The government allowed a representative from the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit the 81-year-old Suu Kyi, who is serving her sentence under house arrest on charges her supporters deem politically motivated. Critics, however, dismissed recent elections as a sham designed to consolidate military control.