Thailand's Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai has said that he has met Aung Suu Kyi during a visit to Myanmar.

First meeting in two years

Reuters reported that Don said on July 12 he met the ousted Myanmar leader during a visit to the country.

Don gave the comment on the sidelines of the Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting (FMM) which is being held in Jakarta,  Indonesia.

This would make Don the first Asean leader outside of Myanmar to meet with the 78 year-old Suu Kyi since she was deposed by a military junta in 2021.

The coup against Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy government came just after the NLD had been re-elected by a landslide.

She, and other NLD leaders, have been detained since then, has been sentenced to a total of 33 years imprisonment.

Allowing Asean representatives to meet with deposed leaders is a central part of Asean's Five Point Consensus (5PC), a guideline for Myanmar to end conflict in the country and move back towards democratic government.

Thus far, Myanmar's military leadership has not cooperated with the 5PC despite having initially agreed to it.

In "good health"

Reuters reported that Don did not specify where and when he had met with Suu Kyi, but that she was in "good health".

A spokesperson from Thailand's foreign ministry however told the press that the meeting was held on July 9, and had lasted over an hour.

The spokesperson added that Suu Kyi was in "good health both physically and mentally", and that Don had briefed Asean on the meeting.

Myanmar has been a state of violent internal conflict since the coup two years ago, with many young people engaging in protests and joining resistance groups to participate in armed struggle against the junta.

The junta has, in turn, resorted to lethal force such as airstrikes to maintain control.

The National Unity Government, (NUG), has spoken to anti-junta paper The Irrawaddy, questioning the timing of the meeting, as well as whether the meeting actually took place.

“Given the close ties between the junta and the Thai government, we are doubtful about the appropriateness of the meeting, assuming it actually happened,”

Re-engagement

Myanmar is not currently attending the Asean FMM, as the junta has been barred from attending Asean conferences at a ministerial level.

The country has been invited to send non-political figures, such as civil servants, to these events instead but has so far failed to do so.

But the outgoing government of Prayuth Chan-o-cha, itself a product of a military coup, has pushed for Asean to re-engage with the country.

It recently held talks with the junta in June 2023, and invited other Asean countries to "fully re-engage" Myanmar's military leadership, according to Reuters.

But other Asean leaders have not warmed to the idea of re-engagement, wanting more progress to be made on the 5PC first.

Grave concern

Singapore's MFA released a statement during the Asean FMM, with Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan saying he has "underscored Singapore’s grave concern with the escalation of violence two and a half years after the coup in Myanmar". 

He specifically cited airstrikes with civilian casualties and the destruction of public facilities, and called for the end of violence and the "swift" implementation of the 5PC.

This included allowing the Asean Chair's Special Envoy on Myanmar to have access to "all Myanmar stakeholders", including Aung San Suu Kyi.

"Singapore will continue to support ASEAN Chair Indonesia’s efforts to stop the violence, facilitate humanitarian assistance, and encourage inclusive national dialogue in Myanmar, in line with the Five-Point Consensus."

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