MANILA, Oct 28 (Reuters) – The Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN’s special envoy on Myanmar will lead a humanitarian mission to the country starting on Wednesday, ASEAN chair the Philippines said.
• The two-day visit by Ma. Theresa Lazaro, the Philippine foreign secretary, will include a trip to Myanmar’s Shan State and engagements in the capital Naypyitaw
• No details were provided on the engagements
• Myanmar’s army-backed government has yet to confirm the trip. In August it said there was no longer a need for a special envoy
• Lazaro has previously requested access to Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been detained since she was toppled from power in a 2021 military coup
• The country is locked in a civil war that followed the coup, with an estimated 100,000 people killed and more than 3.5 million displaced
• Myanmar’s top leadership remains barred from attending top ASEAN meetings due to a lack of compliance with an ASEAN-led peace plan
• Some ASEAN members, however, have recently welcomed coup leader Min Aung Hlaing for official visits, including Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos
• Min Aung Hlaing was elected president in April after a lopsided election dominated by an army-backed party and is seeking re-engagement with ASEAN
(Reporting by Karen Lema; Editing by Martin Petty)
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