ASEAN chair urges Myanmar to free more prisoners

The Philippines, president of regional bloc ASEAN, is encouraging the release of more prisoners in Myanmar, including ousted former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and says the recent amnesty is a positive step towards inclusive national dialogue.

“We reaffirm our determination to assist Myanmar as an integral part of ASEAN to find a peaceful and lasting solution to the political crisis in the country,” the Philippines said in a statement Friday as president of the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. he said.

Aung San Suu Kyi has been detained since her elected government was ousted in a 2021 coup, and her welfare was discussed this week when Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow met with Myanmar’s new President Min Aung Hlaing.

Sihasak said Min Aung Hlaing, who led the 2021 coup, told him that Aung San Suu Kyi, 80, was “well cared for” and that “good things” were being taken into account for her.

Sihasak said he conveyed his concerns about the well-being of ASEAN.

Aung San Suu Kyi is serving a 27-year prison sentence after being convicted of a slew of crimes her allies say were politically motivated to keep her at bay, on charges they say were politically motivated, from sedition and corruption to election fraud and violating the state secrets law.

As part of the amnesty applied to thousands of prisoners on April 17, his sentence was commuted by one sixth; This includes his ally, Win Myint, the ousted former president and co-defendant in several cases.

Former military chief Min Aung Hlaing led the coup that ended a decade of temporary democracy in Myanmar and triggered mass protests and a civil war; This led to ASEAN intervention and the exclusion of the then ruling generals from the summits.

During his last inauguration, Min Aung Hlaing said his priority was peace and reconciliation in Myanmar and that he would seek to normalize relations with ASEAN, which Thailand has pledged to support.