The Philippines called on Myanmar on Wednesday to allow the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) special envoy to meet with detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi, pressing for greater transparency after authorities allowed her to serve the remainder of her sentence under house arrest.
“We view these developments as vital steps in a sequence of confidence-building measures necessary for long-term national stability in Myanmar,” the Philippines, serving as this year’s chair of ASEAN, said in a statement.
- The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said Myanmar should allow Aung San Suu Kyi to communicate with her family to “demonstrate genuine commitment to national reconciliation.”
- Access for ASEAN’s special envoy would support engagement with all stakeholders and advance inclusive national dialogue, it said.
- The Philippines also said that the developments should be used to build momentum for political dialogue and reconciliation in Myanmar under the ASEAN peace framework known as the Five-Point Consensus.
- Aung San Suu Kyi has been in detention since her elected government was toppled in a 2021 coup.
- She has been serving a 27-year sentence after being convicted of multiple offences based on charges her allies said were politically motivated.
- Her sentence was commuted by one-sixth as part of an amnesty last month for thousands of prisoners, which also saw the release of her ally, former President Win Myint.
