ASEAN Diplomats Meet Myanmar Foreign Minister for First Time Since Coup

Diplomats from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) held an informal meeting with Myanmar Foreign Minister Tin Maung Swe in Bangkok on July 12. This marked the first in-person engagement between the regional bloc and Myanmar's top diplomat since the 2021 military coup.

During the talks, Tin Maung Swe stated that detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi is in good health and described her as a "sister" and "relative" who will be cared for. Despite these assurances, her exact whereabouts remain unknown, and Myanmar has declined requests for a meeting between the ASEAN special envoy and Suu Kyi. Philippine Foreign Minister Maria Theresa Lazaro and Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow pressed for direct access to the 81-year-old to verify these health claims.

Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and other regional leaders urged Myanmar to show demonstrable progress on the Five-Point Consensus peace plan, calling for a permanent end to violence and the release of political detainees. Lazaro, who serves as the ASEAN special envoy to Myanmar, announced plans to lead a humanitarian mission to the country in the second half of the year.

The engagement drew criticism from the Myanmar National Unity Government and various ethnic minority groups, who argue that meeting with the junta's representative without concessions weakens ASEAN's leverage and reinforces the military regime during an ongoing civil war that has killed approximately 100,000 people.