JAKARTA, 6 May 2026—As ASEAN leaders convene in Cebu for the 48th ASEAN Summit, ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and urges the bloc to add its voice to growing global demands.
The UN Secretary-General, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk, and governments including the United States, the European Union, Japan, and France have all called for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi. The junta’s transfer of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate from Naypyidaw Prison to an undisclosed location under house arrest on April 30—four days before the summit opened—has done nothing to satisfy that demand. APHR views this as a calculated attempt to deflect pressure and generate diplomatic goodwill amid heightened international scrutiny.
APHR also supports the ‘Proof of Life’ campaign, and underscores the urgent need to verify Aung San Suu Kyi’s health and well-being. Kim Aris, leading champion of the campaign, has had no direct contact with his mother since February 1, 2021. No independent observer has been permitted to verify the health or welfare of the 80-year old former leader.
Moreover, APHR welcomes the Philippines’ call, as ASEAN Chair, to meet with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and urges ASEAN to elevate that call into a unified bloc position. The Five-Point Consensus requires the junta to engage in genuine dialogue with all stakeholders. Yet in five years since its adoption, the ASEAN Special Envoy to Myanmar has never once been permitted to meet the leader of the party that won Myanmar’s last free election.
APHR calls on ASEAN leaders to:
– Demand Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s immediate and unconditional release, not merely in words but through concrete, coordinated pressure on the junta to act;
– Ensure her family is granted immediate access and independent observers are permitted to verify her condition without delay; and
– Reaffirm that any political process excluding Myanmar’s democratically elected representatives lacks legitimacy and must not be recognized by ASEAN.
For media inquiries, please email:
Elsa Jade | elsa.jade@aseanmp.org
Myanmar & Crisis Response – Program Coordinator
Neal Roxas | neal@aseanmp.org
Media & Communications Officer
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