Myanmar¡¯s military-backed government rejected the latest call by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for the unconditional release of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, saying demands to do so are interfering with the country¡¯s judicial process.
The bloc¡¯s calls for access to the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and the release of other detainees ¡°carry implications for the relevant judicial process and the fundamental principles of the rule of law in a sovereign state,¡± the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Saturday. Any release will only be carried out in accordance with the law, it said.
The statement comes days after coup leader-turned-president Min Aung Hlaing visited Thailand, following years of regional ostracism for Myanmar in the aftermath of the military power seizure in 2021. Last month, Myanmar¡¯s foreign minister met ASEAN counterparts in an informal gathering that was the first in-person engagement at that level since the coup.
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