Pressure is mounting on Myanmar’s military government as the United States and ASEAN call for the unconditional release of detained former leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and other political prisoners.
The calls followed a recent visit by the International Committee of the Red Cross to Suu Kyi, marking one of the first known humanitarian contacts with the 81-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner since her detention after the 2021 military coup.
In separate statements, the U.S. State Department and ASEAN welcomed the visit, urging authorities in Myanmar to allow continued humanitarian access, including medical support, for detainees.
The ASEAN chair said it was hopeful the visit would lead to regular access for those held since the military takeover and repeated calls for “Aung San Suu Kyi’s complete and unconditional release”.
The US State Department also called for her “immediate and unconditional release” and urged Myanmar’s military leaders to engage in dialogue to end the conflict that followed the coup.
ASEAN reaffirmed the role of its special envoy in pursuing peace efforts through the bloc’s Five-Point Consensus, while calling for access to meet all sides involved in the crisis.
Myanmar has remained politically unstable since the military removed the elected government led by Suu Kyi in February 2021, triggering widespread conflict and opposition to military rule.
