Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai met Aung San Suu Kyi in Nay Pyi Taw last Sunday and subsequently informed Asean of his discussions with the jailed former leader of Myanmar, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
Mr Don on Tuesday told the 56th Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) in Jakarta that his talks with the Nobel laureate in the Myanmar capital went well, said Kanchana Patarachoke, the ministry’s spokeswoman.
Mr Don said she appeared to be in good health, both physically and mentally.
He also told the Asean meeting that Ms Suu Kyi had during that Sunday meeting with him expressed her support for any effort to defuse conflicts in Myanmar through dialogue.
She also expressed her concern over what she described as the violent conflicts in her country and the internal economic impact from the raging unrest, Ms Kanchana said, relaying Mr Don’s remarks.
Mr Don also told the meeting he believes it is important to separate political conflicts from those involving the use of weapons, when trying to defuse the simmering tensions in Myanmar.
Asean can also initiate talks of its own with the ultimate goal of ending the political conflicts and restoring peace in Myanmar, he reportedly said.
Prior to his meeting with Ms Suu Kyi, which took place while he was visiting Myanmar for other reasons and lasted for over an hour, Mr Don was granted permission to meet her from both the State Administration Council and Ms Suu Kyi, said Ms Kanchana.
Meanwhile, the Myanmar Now online news portal reported that Mr Don’s meeting with Ms Suu Kyi marked the first confirmed encounter between a high-ranking official from Asean and the lady herself since she was arrested during the military coup over two years ago. “She was in good health and it was a good meeting” Mr Don said. “She encouraged more dialogue,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the Asean foreign ministers meeting in the Indonesian capital.