Aung San Suu Kyi is seen at a school in Kawhmu, Yangon, on Jul 18, 2019. (File photo: Reuters/Ann Wang)

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

The top diplomats of the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations met in person with their Myanmar counterpart on Sunday for the first time since the coup, in an effort to kick-start a five-year-old peace initiative that has failed to end a civil war gripping the country.

12 Jul 2026, 13:22 · CNA · Join

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BANGKOK: Foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) were told on Sunday (Jul 12) by their Myanmar counterpart that detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi is in good health and would be looked after, ASEAN's special envoy to Myanmar said.

Ms Maria Theresa Lazaro, the Philippine foreign minister, has been seeking access to Ms Aung San Suu Kyi, 81, who has been detained since her elected government was ousted in a 2021 military coup.

"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," Ms Lazaro told a press conference.

Ms Aung San Suu Kyi is serving a 27-year sentence, recently commuted by one-third, on a series of charges that her allies said were fabricated to keep her out of politics, including incitement, corruption, election fraud and violations of the state secrets law. She has denied wrongdoing.

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Ms Aung San Suu Kyi's whereabouts are unknown, but Ms Lazaro earlier said she had been transferred to a "designated location", without elaborating.

Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said his Myanmar counterpart, Mr Tin Maung Swe, had faced questions during Sunday's informal meeting in Bangkok about the status of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

"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," he said, referring to her using a Myanmar honorific.

FAILED PEACE EFFORT

The top diplomats of the 11-member ASEAN bloc met in person with their Myanmar counterpart on Sunday for the first time since the coup, in an effort to kick-start a five-year-old peace initiative that has failed to end a civil war gripping the country.

Singapore's Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan was among the ministers who attended the informal meeting in Bangkok.

"Myanmar remains an integral part of ASEAN, and Singapore hopes to see a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Myanmar," Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement following the meeting.

It said that Singapore is "disappointed with the limited progress made" in the implementation of a "five-point consensus" peace plan agreed with the ASEAN bloc.

Singapore also "stressed the importance of constructive dialogue amongst all of Myanmar’s key stakeholders to achieve a peaceful and durable resolution of the crisis", MFA added.

The Myanmar conflict has killed an estimated 100,000 people and displaced several million more.

Myanmar's leadership has been banned from top-level ASEAN meetings since the military seized power because they failed to implement the five-point consensus peace plan agreed with the bloc.

The country has since April been led by a nominally civilian government following an election earlier this year. Former military chief Min Aung Hlaing is now president and has sought to normalise relations with ASEAN.

At the meeting, the ASEAN foreign ministers reaffirmed the five-point consensus plan and gave their "full support" for the ASEAN chair's special envoy on Myanmar being allowed to meet all parties concerned, said MFA.

The ministers also called for "concrete and measurable steps" towards implementing the peace plan, "including the permanent cessation of violence, release of all political prisoners as well as safe and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid across Myanmar".

MFA added that Dr Balakrishnan had separate engagements with Mr Tin Maung Swe and other stakeholders as part of Singapore's efforts to engage key Myanmar stakeholders as the incoming ASEAN chair.

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