Myanmar’s foreign minister told ASEAN counterparts on July 12 that detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi is in good health and being cared for, during the bloc’s first in-person meeting with Myanmar officials since the 2021 military coup [1, 2, 3, 4]. The minister described Suu Kyi as "a sister" and assured that she will be looked after, according to ASEAN’s special envoy to Myanmar, Maria Theresa Lazaro, who conveyed the comments at a press conference [1, 2, 3, 4]. Lazaro said, "My recollection of the statement of the Myanmar foreign minister on Aung San Suu Kyi is that she's in good health and that the premise of how he said this is that she is a relative, she's a sister and therefore we will take care of her" [2].
Aung San Suu Kyi, 81, has been detained since the 2021 military coup that ousted her elected government [2, 3, 4]. She is serving a 27-year prison sentence, recently commuted by one-third, on charges including incitement, corruption, election fraud, and violations of state secrets law [2, 3]. Suu Kyi denies wrongdoing and her allies say the charges are fabricated to bar her from politics [2, 3]. Her exact location remains unknown, though she has reportedly been moved to a designated facility [2].
The July 12 meeting marked the first time since the coup that Myanmar’s foreign minister met ASEAN foreign ministers in person, as Myanmar had been banned from top-level ASEAN meetings over failure to implement the bloc’s five-point consensus peace plan [2, 3, 4]. Since April 2026, Myanmar has had a nominally civilian government led by President Min Aung Hlaing, following an election earlier in the year, as it seeks to normalize relations with ASEAN [2].
Thailand’s Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said Myanmar’s foreign minister faced questions about Suu Kyi’s status during the informal meeting. He added that providing the ASEAN special envoy access to meet Suu Kyi would help verify the government’s claims about her wellbeing. "We also made our comment that if the ASEAN special envoy could be given the opportunity to meet with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, that would be even better so that we can be able to verify the claims that the foreign minister made," Sihasak said [2].
Maria Theresa Lazaro has been seeking access to meet Suu Kyi to confirm her condition [2, 3, 4]. The conflict following the coup has caused over 100,000 deaths and displaced several million people in Myanmar [2].
