Myanmar Rejects ASEAN Envoy’s Request to See Aung San Suu Kyi

Aung San Suu Kyi. Source: Wikipedia

The diplomatic tug-of-war over Myanmar continues. This week, the Philippines—acting in its capacity as the current ASEAN chair—renewed its push to free detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The move comes right after the Myanmar junta turned down a request from the Philippines' special envoy, Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro, to meet with Suu Kyi. The reason given by the junta? Suu Kyi is busy serving her sentence, making a meeting impossible.

The Philippine government isn't backing down, though. They’ve made it clear that while they appreciate small steps—like the recent release of 4,500 prisoners and moving Suu Kyi to house arrest—it’s not enough. To truly fix the political crisis and get a real dialogue going, the DFA insists that all political prisoners need to be set free. It’s a tense situation, as ASEAN continues to struggle to get the Myanmar military to comply with its long-standing Five-Point Consensus peace plan.