Aung San Suu Kyi is 'indispensable' to democracy in Burma, says Manila

Aung San Suu Kyi is "indispensable" to the restoration of democracy in her country, the Philippine Minister of Foreign Affairs said on Sunday, after the new conviction of the former Burmese leader by a court of the junta.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner, under house arrest since the February 1, 2021 military coup, was found guilty on January 10 of three counts and sentenced to four years in prison. Since then, the junta court has brought five new corruption charges against Ms. Suu Kyi, 76, in addition to a large number of cases brought against her.

While several Western countries, including the United States and Norway, have criticized the latest sentencing, Southeast Asian leaders have remained largely silent. Philippine Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin broke that silence on Sunday, tweeting that he had adopted “as his own” a statement by his Norwegian counterpart Anniken Huitfeldt criticizing the sentencing.

said Teodoro Locsin, adding that the Burmese armed forces “have nothing to fear”.

Teodoro Locsin also defended the recent visit to Burma by Cambodian strongman Hun Sen, the first by a foreign leader since the coup, while the region is divided on the treatment of the Burmese case.

Critics say the visit of Hun Sen, whose country holds the rotating ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) presidency, risks legitimizing the junta and undermining efforts to isolate the generals.

But for Teodoro Locsin, Hun Sen has made “progress” and “deserves full support”.

ASEAN had agreed in April on a "five-point consensus" aimed at restoring dialogue, and accepted by the junta but had little follow-up

More than 1,400 civilians have been killed by security forces since the coup, according to a local NGO, and the military is cracking down on dissent.

In October, ASEAN took the highly unusual step of excluding junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing from a summit, in response to the refusal of an ASEAN envoy to meet with Aung Suu Kyi.

Hun Sen was able to meet the head of the junta during his visit, and he insisted that this trip could have a positive impact.