By Fatma Younis
Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro arrived in Myanmar on Wednesday to oversee the distribution of humanitarian aid as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Special Envoy on Myanmar.
Aid Distribution Details
Lazaro will lead an ASEAN Monitoring Team mission to deliver 50-kilogram bags of rice, personal hygiene kits and other essential items to more than 11,000 households in Kayin State, Southern Shan State and Northern Shan State through November.
Myanmar's Diplomatic Context
Myanmar's military-backed government, led by President Min Aung Hlaing, is seeking to improve strained relations with neighbors and gain political legitimacy abroad after the army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, triggering a civil war that has displaced millions. ASEAN has rebuked Myanmar since the coup and barred Min Aung Hlaing from summit meetings for failing to comply with a 2021 peace plan.
ASEAN Summit and Regional Dynamics
ASEAN will hold its annual summit in mid-November in Manila. Min Aung Hlaing has recently visited Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia in efforts to end diplomatic isolation, while Western nations maintain sanctions and treat Myanmar as a pariah state.
Aung San Suu Kyi Situation
Suu Kyi, 81, is serving an 18-year prison sentence on charges her supporters consider bogus. She was allowed her first telephone call in over five years with her son Kim Aris on Thursday, received two books from Britain's King Charles III on Monday, was moved to house arrest at an undisclosed location in April, and was visited by a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross in August.
