July 6, 2022
PHNOM PENH – Foreign minister and ASEAN special envoy on Myanmar Prak Sokhonn was unable to meet with former civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi due to unspecified “judicial procedures” cited by the ruling State Administration Council (SAC).
On a positive note, the Myanmar Task Force on ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance strongly welcomed Prime Minister Hun Sen’s willingness to dispatch vaccination teams to the crisis-hit country to administer Covid-19 vaccines to its population.
In a July 4 press release, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said Sokhonn had met with SAC chairman Senior General Min Aung Hlaing to discuss Myanmar’s progress in implementing the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus (5PC), including the provision of assistance to its people as well as peace talks with opposition stakeholders.
Sokhonn reiterated ASEAN’s call for a total cessation of violence and requested that the SAC support a safe, timely and impartial delivery of humanitarian assistance to the nation’s hard-to-reach areas.
“[Sokhonn] was informed that due to the condition of her health, Daw Su Su Lwin was unable to meet the special envoy,” the statement said, referring to former Myanmar First Lady and founding member of the now-dissolved National League for Democracy (NLD) previously led by Suu Kyi.
It added that Suu Kyi was also unavailable, with the SAC citing judicial procedures.
Sokhonn also met with Uko Ko Hlaing, the SAC-appointed Minister for International Cooperation and chairman of the Myanmar Task Force on ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance.
“The special envoy conveyed the willingness of [Hun Sen] to dispatch Cambodia’s volunteer health personnel to help administer vaccines in [hard-to-reach] areas, which was strongly welcomed by the Myanmar Task Force,” the statement said.