PH asks Myanmar for 'brief access' to Suu Kyi amid transfer to house arrest

The Philippines has asked Myanmar to allow Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro “brief access” to Aung San Suu Kyi following reports that she has been transferred to house arrest.

In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said this would allow Lazaro – as special envoy of the Philippines as Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) chair – to fulfill her role to “engage with all stakeholders and parties to create an environment conducive to inclusive national dialogue.”

The agency also welcomed reports that Suu Kyi, 80, has been moved to house arrest and her sentence partially reduced “alongside the broad amnesty granted to over 1,500 political prisoners in observance of the Full Moon Day of Kason.”

“We view these developments as vital steps in a sequence of confidence-building measures necessary for long-term national stability in Myanmar,” the DFA said.

It added: “To further build international confidence, we encourage Myanmar to provide greater transparency regarding this transfer by allowing Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to communicate with her family, which would demonstrate a genuine commitment to national reconciliation.”

Last week, Myanmar’s state media reported that the detained former leader is to be moved to house arrest, more than five years after the military ousted the civilian government she led and jailed the Nobel laureate.

Suu Kyi has been detained by the junta since and her whereabouts have been unclear following a deadly civil war that was triggered by a February 2021 coup.

According to Reuters, state-run MRTV reported that the remaining portion of Suu Kyi’s sentence “has been commuted to be served at a designated residence.”

The DFA said the recent developments “offer a good momentum for Myanmar to show further concrete efforts towards the full and effective implementation of the Five-Point Consensus (5PC).”

A peace plan adopted by ASEAN leaders in 2021, the 5PC urged for the immediate cessation of violence, constructive dialogue, and a conducive environment to bring humanitarian assistance to Myanmar.

The latest developments will also “enable them to be part of solutions for national peace and national reconciliation that are Myanmar-owned and Myanmar-led,” the DFA added. — JMA, GMA News