Myanmar junta says Suu Kyi spoke ‘freely’ with Thai minister in Naypyidaw prison
Bangkok, July 14 (EFE).- The Myanmar military junta has claimed that ousted politician Aung San Suu Kyi spoke “freely” with the Thai foreign minister during their meeting over the weekend in a Naypyidaw prison.
Don Pramudwinai met ousted Suu Kyi in the prison where she is serving her sentence in the capital of Myanmar.
Myanmar military government spokesperson Zaw Min Tun issued a brief statement about the meeting, published in the state-run newspaper “Global New Light of Myanmar” on Friday.
The spokesperson said Don Pramudwinai arrived in Myanmar on July 9 and met Aung San Suu Kyi for about an hour and a half.
“It was a meeting between them freely. the Thai foreign minister could openly talk about the topics he wanted to discuss,” the spokesperson said.
“As it was a bilateral and free meeting, we do not know the detailed conversations between them. Aung San Suu Kyi is in good health.”
The Thai minister informed his colleagues at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) meeting of Foreign Ministers in Jakarta about his talks with Suu Kyi.
Don said the deposed leader expressed her support for a “dialogue” and expressed concern about the impact suffered by the Myanmar people and the economy over the past two years following the military coup.
Some analysts have pointed out that the visit reflected the division within Asean, as the bloc has been trying since 2021 to arrange a meeting between its representative and Suu Kyi, which the military junta has repeatedly refused.
However, Asean ministers described the meeting as a “positive development” in a joint statement sent on Thursday.
Since the uprising, Myanmar has sentenced Suu Kyi to 33 years in prison for multiple crimes, including corruption, violating laws against the pandemic, or violating the official secrets law, among others – charges the leader’s representatives describe as fabricated.
The instability in Myanmar, a country plunged into a deep crisis due to the military uprising, was one of the central issues of the Asean ministerial meeting in Jakarta.
Asean says it trusts the road map agreed in April 2021 between the leaders of the bloc and the head of the military junta, Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, with five points of consensus, including the end of violence against civilians and inclusive dialogue, among others.
However, little progress has since been made to fulfill the pact and, contrary to its intent, the strife has intensified and spread throughout the country.
At least 3,780 people have died from the violent repression carried out by the security forces, and more than 19,400 remain in detention, as per Association for the Assistance of Political Prisoners. EFE
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