Thailand’s foreign minister in his meeting with Myanmar’s new president raised concerns over Aung San Suu Kyi, who remains in detention despite a mass amnesty to most political prisoners.
Sihasak Phuangketkeow said Min Aung Hlaing informed him the 80-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner was being "well looked after", after he relayed concerns about her welfare from the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).
Suu Kyi, who is Myanmar’s last civilian leader, had been serving a 27-year sentence since the military overthrew her government in a 2021 coup and tried her on various charges, widely rejected as politically motivated. However, her sentence was reduced by one-sixth last week as part of a mass amnesty to thousands of prisoners.
More than 4500 prisoners, including ousted president Win Myint, have been freed. The reduction of Suu Kyi’s sentence and release of Mr Win raised hopes for the release of the Nobel laureate to house arrest, but there has been no update.
"Many Asean countries are worried about Aung San Suu Kyi and her well-being, and he [Min Aung Hlaing] said they are considering good things, so this could be a good thing," Mr Sihasak said after meeting the new president.
Former military chief Hlaing’s coup ended a decade of tentative democracy and sparked chaos and a civil war, prompting an intervention by Asean and its exclusion of the then ruling generals from its summits. Mr 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.
Mr Sihasak met Mr Hlaing to discuss Naypyidaw's possible return to the association, but insisted that their concerns on ending violence, border cooperation, and other issues still stand.
Mr 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’s state television carried news of Mr Sihasak's meeting with Mr Hlaing in the capital Naypyitaw, but made no mention of concerns raised about Suu Kyi.
It comes as Suu Kyi’s son raised grave concerns about her mother’s declining health during old age in prison and even asked for proof of life. The Nobel laureate has not been seen since her marathon trials concluded in December 2022.