Myanmar Junta refuses ASEAN's request to meet Suu Kyi

Myanmar's military junta has turned down the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) special envoy's request to meet ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, media reports said.

Myanmar's military junta has turned down the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) special envoy's request to meet ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, media reports said. This comes as ASEAN's special envoy to Myanmar Erywan Yusof has been trying to visit Myanmar as part of a deal made between the military regime and the regional bloc to resolve the issues post-February 1 coup, The Irrawaddy reported.

On Thursday, the regime's Foreign Ministry said that it will be difficult to accommodate requests that go beyond existing laws, meaning that a meeting with Suu Kyi is impossible. "In this respect, the special envoy and international community need to show some understanding about the situation," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The statement added that Myanmar has demonstrated flexibility in every possible way to facilitate the visit and that the special envoy should use his first trip to meet with relevant parties and to build trust and confidence between the special envoy and Myanmar.

According to the local reports, the junta is yet to offer an official reason for not letting the special envoy meet Suu Kyi, however, its spokesperson told the media that it was "because she is facing some charges." Suu Kyi, who was detained following the February 1 military coup, faces several other charges, including violating the Official Secrets Act and illegally importing walkie-talkies.

On Friday, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and the European Union extended their support to the ASEAN special envoy for Myanmar ahead of his trip to the junta-run country. The declaration, also inked by New Zealand, Norway, South Korea and Timor Leste, said the signatories endorsed ASEAN's efforts to "chart a course out of the current crisis in Myanmar."

"We welcome the prospective visit to Myanmar by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brunei," they said. The nations called on Myanmar to engage constructively with the ASEAN Special Envoy to also implement other aspects of the Five-Point Consensus swiftly and completely.

The visit is part of the Five Point Consensus struck by ASEAN with the junta's leader, Min Aung Hlaing, in April. The allies pledged the support of the Bruneian diplomat's attempts to facilitate its implementation, including an immediate end to violence, dialogue among all parties, and humanitarian access. They said they were "concerned about the dire situation in Myanmar, its growing toll on the people of Myanmar, and its worsening implications for regional stability."

The military seized power in Myanmar on February 1, imprisoning the nation's de facto ruler Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint and prompting mass protests demanding a return to civilian rule. (ANI)

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