The Philippines urged Myanmar on Wednesday to allow an ASEAN envoy Suu Kyi meeting, pressing for access to detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi after her transfer to house arrest.
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said the move would support engagement with all stakeholders and advance inclusive national dialogue under the Association of Southeast Asian Nations peace process.
The Philippines, this year’s ASEAN chair, said ASEAN should build on Myanmar’s recent steps to advance political dialogue and reconciliation under the bloc’s Five-Point Consensus.
“We view these developments as vital steps in a sequence of confidence-building measures necessary for long-term national stability in Myanmar,” the department said in a statement.
Manila also called on Myanmar to allow Aung San Suu Kyi to communicate with her family, saying the step would show a genuine commitment to national reconciliation.
Myanmar’s military has held Aung San Suu Kyi since overthrowing the country’s elected government in February 2021. She is serving a 27-year sentence after courts convicted her on multiple charges that her allies described as politically motivated.
Authorities reduced her sentence by one-sixth last month under an amnesty for thousands of prisoners. The same amnesty also led to the release of former Myanmar President Win Myint.
