YANGON — Myanmar’s military-backed government said an ASEAN special envoy is no longer necessary, pushing back against the regional bloc days after its leader’s landmark visit to Thailand aimed at restoring full engagement, officials said.
The foreign ministry’s statement followed an Aug. 7 ASEAN release urging the current envoy, the Philippine foreign minister to meet detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi and calling for her unconditional release. Yangon said the envoy’s role is redundant after an election held around the turn of the year, which returned a military-backed party to power amid a boycott by major opposition figures. The government added that while it has commuted Suu Kyi’s sentences on humanitarian grounds, any full release will follow domestic law.
Relations between Myanmar and the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations have been fraught since the 2021 coup that ousted Suu Kyi’s elected government, triggering a civil war that rights groups estimate has killed about 100,000 people and displaced millions. ASEAN previously barred Myanmar’s leadership from top-level meetings over failure to implement a five-point consensus peace plan.
Thailand, which hosted talks last week between junta leader Min Aung Hlaing and Thai officials, said it seeks peace and regional stability and supports efforts toward Myanmar’s re-engagement with ASEAN. But Myanmar’s pro-military parliament last month formally rejected ASEAN’s plan as interference and urged the bloc to reassess its stance.
ASEAN’s Aug. 7 statement also noted a recent meeting between Suu Kyi and an International Committee of the Red Cross official, the first known contact with a foreign representative since her detention. The bloc reiterated calls for her unconditional release and for access to other political prisoners. Yangon countered that decisions on releases must comply with national law, underscoring persistent gaps between ASEAN’s diplomatic pressure and Myanmar’s military rulers.