Myanmar considering ‘good things’ for detained Aung San Suu Kyi, Thailand says

By Panu Wongcha-um

BANGKOK, April 22 (Reuters) – Myanmar’s new president is considering “good things” for detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Thailand’s foreign minister said on Wednesday, as the country seeks to normalise ties with regional bloc ASEAN after five years on the sidelines. 

The status of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been detained since her government was toppled in a 2021 coup, was discussed at a meeting between Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing, the junta chief-turned-president, and Thailand’s top diplomat Sihasak Phuangketkeow.

Sihasak said Min Aung Hlaing informed him Aung San Suu Kyi, 80, was being “well looked after”, after he relayed concerns about her welfare from the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.  

“Many ASEAN countries are worried about Aung San Suu Kyi and her wellbeing, and he said they are considering good things, so this could be a good thing,” Sihasak said, adding Min Aung Hlaing did not elaborate. 

Aung San Suu Kyi, the hugely popular daughter of Myanmar independence hero Aung San, has been serving a 27-year sentence for a litany of offences her allies said were politically motivated to keep her at bay, ranging from incitement and corruption to election fraud and violating a state secrets law.

It is unclear where she is being held. 

Her sentence was last week commuted by one-sixth as part of an amnesty for thousands of prisoners that included the release of her ally, Win Myint, the ousted former president and co-defendant in many of her trials.  

‘WE WANT TO HELP,’ THAI MINISTER SAYS

Former military chief Min Aung Hlaing led the coup that ended a decade of tentative democracy in Myanmar and sparked chaos and a civil war, prompting an intervention by ASEAN and its exclusion of the then ruling generals from its summits. 

Min Aung Hlaing was recently chosen as president by parliament, formalising his grip on power after an election that was dominated by an army-backed party in the absence of viable opposition. 

Few countries have endorsed Myanmar’s election or the new military-backed government, with some western nations dismissing the process as a sham designed to entrench the army’s control under the guise of civilian rule. 

During his recent inauguration, Min Aung Hlaing said his priority was peace and reconciliation in Myanmar and he would seek to improve international relations. 

Sihasak said Thailand was ready to support Myanmar in its efforts to end a raging civil war and seek a détente with ASEAN.  

“They’re trying to show that they’re moving towards a better direction,” he said in video remarks shared by the Thai government.

“These things are essential. Because we want them to return to ASEAN. We want to help them but we can’t help them if they cannot help themselves.”

Myanmar state television carried news of Sihasak’s meeting with Min Aung Hlaing in the capital Naypyitaw but made no mention of Aung San Suu Kyi.

(Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat and Panu Wongcha-um; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by David Stanway and Toby Chopra)