ASEAN Chair’s Special Envoy Concludes First Working Visit to Myanmar

The Special Envoy of the ASEAN Chair on Myanmar, H.E. Prak Sokhonn, said his first working visit to Myanmar did not achieve the expected goals, but got some constructive outcomes.

In a press conference upon his arrival at Phnom Penh International Airport this morning after concluding the three-day working visit, H.E. Prak Sokhonn, also Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia, said during his stay in Myanmar, he paid a courtesy call on H.E. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Chairman of the State Administration Council of Myanmar, to discuss about the progress in implementing the ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus (5-PC), following the visit of Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen’s visit to the country in early January this year, and the two leaders’ recent virtual talks.

As most ASEAN leaders wanted the Special Envoy to meet Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, H.E. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing responded simply that the meeting would be possible in future visit of the Special Envoy as currently, she and other arrested politicians are under the court procedures, and according to the Myanmar law, they cannot meet with outsiders.

H.E. Prak Sokhonn also had separate meetings with H.E. U Wunna Maung Lwin, Union Minister for Foreign Affairs, U Ko Ko Hlaing, Union Minister for International Cooperation and Chairman of the Task Force on ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance, and Lt. Gen. Yar Pyae, Union Minister for the Ministry of the Office of the Union Government, and Chairman of the National Solidarity and Peace-making Committee.

H.E. Prak Sokhonn briefed Myanmar leaders on three key initiatives: the ASEAN Troika mechanism, which consists of Brunei (former ASEAN chair), Cambodia (current ASEAN chair) and Indonesia (next ASEAN chair) and the ASEAN Secretary-General, to coordinate and monitor the implementation of the 5-PC, the formation of the “Friends of Myanmar” group to support the work of ASEAN and Myanmar, and the creation of a humanitarian assistance corridor.

Beside, H.E. Prak Sokhonn met with a Myanmar politician who had been imprisoned for many years, and used work with both Myanmar’s NLD Party and the military regime, but failed to meet former First Lady of Myanmar who is a senior member of the NLD and close to Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi as she was tested positive for COVID-19.

The Special Envoy was accompanied by H.E. Cham Prasidh, Senior Minister, Minister of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation, H.E. Dato Lim Jok Hoi, Secretary-General of ASEAN, Mr. Lee Yam Ming, Executive Director of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre), and a number of senior government officials as well as staffs from the ASEAN Secretariat (ASEC) and AHA Centre.

Source: Agency Kampuchea Press