MANILA, Philippines — About 134 former and incumbent lawmakers appealed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., as chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) this year, to facilitate the release of political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi.
Suu Kyi, who turned 81 on June 19, had been detained since Feb. 1, 2021 by the Mynmar junta.
The legislators from 11 countries, including Reps. Leila de Lima and Arlene Bag-ao, and former representative Emmi de Jesus, wrote an open letter to Marcos and his fellow Asean leaders to demand the release of Suu Kyi and all political prisoners held by the Myanmar junta.
"We convey our deepest respect and appreciation for your leadership as Asean Chair and for Asean’s continued efforts to advance regional peace, democracy, and sustainable resolution to the crisis in Myanmar," the group said in its June 19 letter to Marcos.
The Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights, together with parliamentarians from Australia, the European Union, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom wrote to Marcos in his capacity as Asean chairman "to formally call for the unconditional and immediate release" of Suu Kyi and fellow political prisoners.
"These are not new demands — they mirror the commitments already undertaken by the Myanmar military under Asean’s own Five-Point Consensus (5PC)," the lawmakers said.
The 5PC peace plan consists of immediate cessation of violence, constructive dialogue, designation of an Asean special envoy, humanitarian assistance, and visit of the special envoy.
Marcos had designated Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro as Asean Special Envoy to Myanmar. She was tasked to facilitate a peaceful solution to the Myanmar political crisis.
The Human Rights Watch reported in 2022 that Myanmar security forces have killed more than 1,700 people, including at least 130 children, and arbitrarily arrested about 13,000 others. The junta also displaced over 550,000 people in its operations in ethnic minority areas.
The APHR welcomed Lazaro's recent stated intention to meet with Myanmar’s political and ethnic resistance organizations.
