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Aung San Suu Kyi will be looked after, Myanmar envoy tells Asean
ASEAN ministers sought direct access to Suu Kyi after Myanmar said the detained leader was in good health and would be looked after.
On Sunday, diplomats from the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations met their Myanmar counterpart in Bangkok, marking the first in-person discussion since the 2021 coup to revive a stalled peace initiative.
Myanmar's leadership has been barred from top-level ASEAN meetings due to their failure to implement the "five-point consensus" peace plan, which aimed to end the civil war that has killed an estimated 100,000 people.
During the meeting, Myanmar's foreign minister claimed detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi is in "good health," though her whereabouts remain unknown beyond a "designated location" following her transfer earlier this year.
Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow pressed for the ASEAN special envoy to meet with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi directly, stating such access would allow the bloc to verify the minister's health claims.
As ASEAN chair, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro called for clearer crisis communication protocols, citing the region's vulnerability to external shocks that disrupt energy and supply chains.