ASEAN envoy Maria Theresa Lazaro to visit Myanmar on October 28 and 29, Thai minister says
Thailand’s foreign minister says Lazaro’s planned visit to Naypyidaw will precede ASEAN meetings, but her itinerary and possible access to Aung San Suu Kyi remain unclear.
ASEAN special envoy Maria Theresa Lazaro is scheduled to visit Naypyidaw, Myanmar, on October 28 and 29, Thailand’s foreign minister said on Tuesday, according to AFP. The visit would give Lazaro a chance to report to ASEAN ministers before a leaders’ summit as the bloc seeks progress on its response to Myanmar’s conflict.
Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said the itinerary was still being worked out. Neither AFP nor Reuters reported an indication that Lazaro would meet Aung San Suu Kyi, the former Myanmar leader detained since the military coup in 2021. Lazaro is also the Philippines’ foreign secretary.
Why the visit matters to ASEAN
Sihasak said the trip was timed so Lazaro could report to ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Manila before the ASEAN Summit. ‘We hope that there’ll be good progress and some progress for her to report on,’ he said at a joint appearance with his Malaysian counterpart, according to AFP. His comments set out the purpose of the visit, while the meetings Lazaro will hold have yet to be specified.
ASEAN has excluded Myanmar from high-level meetings over what the bloc regards as a lack of meaningful progress on its Five-Point Consensus, AFP reported. Agreed after the 2021 coup, the plan calls for an end to violence and dialogue among the parties, with a special envoy facilitating mediation. It also provides for humanitarian assistance and an envoy visit to meet all parties concerned.
In July, Lazaro said she intended to visit Myanmar this year to seek broader access for humanitarian assistance, according to AFP. That aim gives the scheduled trip significance beyond the diplomatic meetings that follow it: access for aid is one of the commitments in ASEAN’s consensus, but the announced itinerary does not yet establish which people or places she can reach.
Access to Aung San Suu Kyi remains unclear
The Philippines sought brief access for its envoy to Aung San Suu Kyi earlier this year and was rebuffed, AFP reported. In August, she met a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross, described by AFP as her first publicised meeting with a foreign official since her ouster. The Philippines subsequently renewed its request for access and called for her complete and unconditional release.
Sihasak said Lazaro was travelling in her capacity as ASEAN’s special envoy. The planned October 28–29 visit is the next step in that role; whether it includes a meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi will depend on an itinerary that Sihasak said was still being finalised.
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Sources and context
- ASEAN envoy to visit Myanmar on Wednesday: Thai FMChannel NewsAsia (AFP report; Source: AFP/ec)
- Lazaro as ASEAN envoy to visit Myanmar Wednesday —Thai FMGMA News Online (Reuters republication; By Reuters)
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.