Myanmar tells ASEAN detained Aung San Suu Kyi will be looked after, special envoy says

Myanmar's detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi is in good health and will be looked after, according to the country's foreign minister. The assurance was conveyed to the Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN's special envoy on Sunday during a meeting with ASEAN foreign ministers.

Maria Theresa Lazaro, the Philippine foreign minister and ASEAN's special envoy, stated that Myanmar's foreign minister described Suu Kyi as a "sister" and assured she would be cared for. Lazaro has been seeking access to the 81-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who has been detained since the military seized power in a 2021 coup.

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My recollection of the statement of the Myanmar foreign minister on Aung San Suu Kyi is that she's in good health and that the premise of how he said this is that she is a relative, she's a sister and therefore we will take care of her.

Suu Kyi is currently serving a 27-year sentence on charges her supporters claim are politically motivated. She has denied any wrongdoing. The meeting in Bangkok marked the first in-person gathering of ASEAN foreign ministers with their Myanmar counterpart since the coup, aimed at reviving a stalled peace initiative.

The conflict in Myanmar has resulted in an estimated 100,000 deaths and displaced millions. Myanmar's military government has been excluded from top-level ASEAN meetings for failing to adhere to a five-point peace plan. Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow noted that ASEAN expressed a desire for their special envoy to meet Suu Kyi directly to verify the claims about her well-being.

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We also made our comment that if the ASEAN special envoy could be given the opportunity to meet with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, that would be even better so that we can be able to verify the claims that the foreign minister made.