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The Sun
24-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Myanmar and Gaza issues take centre stage during ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meetings
KUALA LUMPUR: Southeast Asian foreign ministers, converging at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre for the 46th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings, focused on efforts to find a peaceful and inclusive resolution to Myanmar's crisis during today's meetings. Speaking to the media, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said the ASEAN foreign ministers have agreed to continue engaging with all stakeholders in Myanmar to find a viable long-term solution to the ongoing crisis in the country. 'As the Chair of ASEAN, we plan to visit and talk to (the government of) Myanmar because we have already met with people and different stakeholders,' he said after attending the Informal Consultation on the Implementation of the Five-Point Consensus participated by the previous, current and incoming ASEAN chairs, namely Laos, Malaysia and the Philippines, respectively. The informal consultation was followed by the Extended Informal Consultation on the Implementation of the Five-Point Consensus which were also attended by foreign ministers from other ASEAN member states. The February 2021 military coup that deposed democratically elected National League for Democracy (NLD) leader Aung San Suu Kyi further worsened the situation, prompting the regional grouping to exclude Myanmar government leaders from its summits and ministerial meetings. Nevertheless, Myanmar's senior officials have continued to attend preparatory meetings. Myanmar's delegation to the 46th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings in Malaysia's capital was led by its Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Aung Kyaw Moe. ASEAN adopted the Five-Point Consensus in 2021 to address the crisis in Myanmar following the coup, with the consensus calling for an immediate cessation of violence, inclusive dialogue among all parties, the appointment of a special envoy, humanitarian assistance and a visit by the envoy to Myanmar. In a related development, ASEAN foreign ministers lauded Malaysia's proactive role in addressing the Myanmar crisis and reviving efforts to implement the Five-Point Consensus. Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique A. Manalo said both the informal consultation and the extended informal consultation on Myanmar conducted today went smoothly. Meanwhile, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Assistant Secretary General for Political and Negotiation Affairs Dr Abdel Aziz Hamad Aluwaisheg lambasted the ongoing Israeli blockade of humanitarian aid to Gaza, describing the actions of the Zionist regime as a 'war crime'. The GCC, comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, was founded in 1981 to foster political and economic cooperation among Gulf nations. The 46th ASEAN Summit is being held under Malaysia's 2025 chairmanship themed 'Inclusivity and Sustainability'. This year also marks the country's fifth time at the helm of the regional bloc following its previous chairmanships in 1977, 1997, 2005, and 2015. In addition to the ASEAN-level meetings, the summit will also feature two important inter-regional platforms, the 2nd ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit and the ASEAN-GCC-China Summit – signalling growing engagement between Southeast Asia and its strategic partners in the Gulf and China. The ASEAN Summit and its related meetings are expected to address a wide range of pressing regional and global issues, with the situation in Myanmar remaining a critical topic of concern for ASEAN member states.
The Sun
24-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Myanmar and Gaza issues take centre stage
KUALA LUMPUR: Southeast Asian foreign ministers, converging at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre for the 46th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings, focused on efforts to find a peaceful and inclusive resolution to Myanmar's crisis during today's meetings. Speaking to the media, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said the ASEAN foreign ministers have agreed to continue engaging with all stakeholders in Myanmar to find a viable long-term solution to the ongoing crisis in the country. 'As the Chair of ASEAN, we plan to visit and talk to (the government of) Myanmar because we have already met with people and different stakeholders,' he said after attending the Informal Consultation on the Implementation of the Five-Point Consensus participated by the previous, current and incoming ASEAN chairs, namely Laos, Malaysia and the Philippines, respectively. The informal consultation was followed by the Extended Informal Consultation on the Implementation of the Five-Point Consensus which were also attended by foreign ministers from other ASEAN member states. The February 2021 military coup that deposed democratically elected National League for Democracy (NLD) leader Aung San Suu Kyi further worsened the situation, prompting the regional grouping to exclude Myanmar government leaders from its summits and ministerial meetings. Nevertheless, Myanmar's senior officials have continued to attend preparatory meetings. Myanmar's delegation to the 46th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings in Malaysia's capital was led by its Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Aung Kyaw Moe. ASEAN adopted the Five-Point Consensus in 2021 to address the crisis in Myanmar following the coup, with the consensus calling for an immediate cessation of violence, inclusive dialogue among all parties, the appointment of a special envoy, humanitarian assistance and a visit by the envoy to Myanmar. In a related development, ASEAN foreign ministers lauded Malaysia's proactive role in addressing the Myanmar crisis and reviving efforts to implement the Five-Point Consensus. Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique A. Manalo said both the informal consultation and the extended informal consultation on Myanmar conducted today went smoothly. Meanwhile, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Assistant Secretary General for Political and Negotiation Affairs Dr Abdel Aziz Hamad Aluwaisheg lambasted the ongoing Israeli blockade of humanitarian aid to Gaza, describing the actions of the Zionist regime as a 'war crime'. The GCC, comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, was founded in 1981 to foster political and economic cooperation among Gulf nations. The 46th ASEAN Summit is being held under Malaysia's 2025 chairmanship themed 'Inclusivity and Sustainability'. This year also marks the country's fifth time at the helm of the regional bloc following its previous chairmanships in 1977, 1997, 2005, and 2015. In addition to the ASEAN-level meetings, the summit will also feature two important inter-regional platforms, the 2nd ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit and the ASEAN-GCC-China Summit – signalling growing engagement between Southeast Asia and its strategic partners in the Gulf and China. The ASEAN Summit and its related meetings are expected to address a wide range of pressing regional and global issues, with the situation in Myanmar remaining a critical topic of concern for ASEAN member states.
Barnama
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Barnama
Myanmar And Gaza Issues Take Centre Stage During ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meetings
KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 (Bernama) -- Southeast Asian foreign ministers, converging at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre for the 46th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings, focused on efforts to find a peaceful and inclusive resolution to Myanmar's crisis during today's meetings. Speaking to the media, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said the ASEAN foreign ministers have agreed to continue engaging with all stakeholders in Myanmar to find a viable long-term solution to the ongoing crisis in the country. 'As the Chair of ASEAN, we plan to visit and talk to (the government of) Myanmar because we have already met with people and different stakeholders,' he said after attending the Informal Consultation on the Implementation of the Five-Point Consensus participated by the previous, current and incoming ASEAN chairs, namely Laos, Malaysia and the Philippines, respectively. The informal consultation was followed by the Extended Informal Consultation on the Implementation of the Five-Point Consensus which were also attended by foreign ministers from other ASEAN member states. The February 2021 military coup that deposed democratically elected National League for Democracy (NLD) leader Aung San Suu Kyi further worsened the situation, prompting the regional grouping to exclude Myanmar government leaders from its summits and ministerial meetings. Nevertheless, Myanmar's senior officials have continued to attend preparatory meetings. Myanmar's delegation to the 46th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings in Malaysia's capital was led by its Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Aung Kyaw Moe. ASEAN adopted the Five-Point Consensus in 2021 to address the crisis in Myanmar following the coup, with the consensus calling for an immediate cessation of violence, inclusive dialogue among all parties, the appointment of a special envoy, humanitarian assistance and a visit by the envoy to Myanmar. In a related development, ASEAN foreign ministers lauded Malaysia's proactive role in addressing the Myanmar crisis and reviving efforts to implement the Five-Point Consensus.
The Independent
30-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Myanmar puts Aung Sang Suu Kyi's house on auction for fourth time but finds no buyers
Myanmar 's authorities have once again put ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi 's lakeside mansion up for auction – marking the fourth time it has failed to attract any bidders. Ms Suu Kyi's colonial-styled private villa near Yangon 's scenic Inya lake is a historic landmark. Located on University Avenue, the two-storey house spread across 1.9 acres (7,700sqm), is where she spent nearly 15 years under house arrest and became a global icon of non-violent resistance, for which she earned the Nobel Peace Prize. On Tuesday, a court-appointed auctioneer emerged from the rusty gates of the mansion to start the bidding with starting price of 270 billion kyats (£102m) – a value that has reduced with each attempt to sell it off, falling from the initial £113.6m court-ordered asking price last year. The auctioneer raised the bids three times as per protocol but received no offers, before declaring, 'We hereby announce that the auction is not successful'. The auction was conducted in front of journalists and police outside the Yangon mansion, which once served as an unofficial headquarters for Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party. Ms Suu Kyi remains in solitary confinement with her whereabouts unknown at the hands of ruling military junta since February 2021, the day when her democratically elected government was overthrown in a military coup. She was detained along with dozens of other leaders and activists, and a court later handed her a combined 27-year sentence after convicting her on a string of criminal charges that her supporters say were fabricated to discredit her. The property was given decades ago by the government to Ms Suu Kyi's mother, Khin Kyi, after her husband, independence hero General Aung San, was assassinated in July 1947. However, the property has remained in the midst of political and legal dispute after her estranged elder brother Aung San Oo mounted a legal challenge for a share in it. He successfully petitioned the court in 2019 to authorise the sale of the property and to claim an equal share of the proceeds. Despite several attempts to auction the property, the house has struggled to find a buyer, partly due to its political significance and the broader instability in Myanmar following the 2021 military coup. The junta has remained silent on the matter, but the repeated auctions are seen by some as a desperate attempt to erase Ms Suu Kyi's legacy, especially as she remains imprisoned following a series of convictions widely viewed as politically motivated. The auction was also challenged by the shadow government formed in Myanmar after the 2021 military coup that is coordinating opposition to the military government. Duwa Lashi La, acting president of the National Unity Government, declared that the property is a cultural heritage site and prohibited its sale or destruction. The house, which Ms Suu Kyi used for political work, saw a series of landmark visits from foreign leaders, including leaders such as Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, as well as former UN secretary-general general Ban Ki-moon. The first attempt to auction the house failed in March 2024 followed by a second in August in the same year. The third auction bid happened in February 2025 before the latest again failed.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Myanmar auction fails again to attract bidders for the historic home of ousted leader Suu Kyi
BANGKOK (AP) — A fourth attempt by Myanmar's authorities to sell by the home of imprisoned former leader Aung San Suu Kyi by auction failed Tuesday when there were no bidders for the property, where she famously was held under house arrest for almost 15 years, a legal official said. It was not immediately clear if the floor price — the equivalent of tens of millions of dollars — was simply too high or whether warnings by opponents of Myanmar's military government not to buy the house substantially dampened demand. The 1.9-acre (7,700 square meter) family property on Inye Lake in Yangon, the country's largest city, is viewed by many in Myanmar as a historic landmark because of its close association with Suu Kyi's long nonviolent struggle against military rule for which she won the Nobel Peace Prize. A legal official familiar with the case, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information, said there had been no bidders at the court-ordered auction held in front of the gates of the property, which once served as an unofficial headquarters for Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party. The auction followed a bitter decades-long legal dispute between Suu Kyi and her estranged older brother, Aung San Oo, who sought an equal division of the property. Proceeds from the sale were supposed to be split between her and him. Suu Kyi's lawyers had challenged the auction order. The floor price on Tuesday was set at 270 billion kyats, which is more than $128 million at official rates, or about $62 million at black-market rates, which better reflects the real value of Myanmar's currency. It had been reduced from its previous floor price of 297 billion kyats, about $141 million at the official exchange rate, for the last failed auction in February last year. Opponents of army rule have publicly discouraged the sale, seeing it as part of the persecution of Suu Kyi, who was arrested in February 2021 when the military seized power from her elected government. They say the property — where Suu Kyi hosted U.S. President Barack Obama, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and others — is a cultural heritage that must not be sold, demolished or redeveloped. Many business people with the wherewithal to make multi-million dollar purchases are widely seen as cronies of the ruling military. However, buying the property would make them targets of forces opposed to army rule. Several business figures and bureaucrats have been assassinated by opponents of military rule during Myanmar's civil war, which has pitted the army against resistance forces comprising pro-democracy fighters and ethnic minority guerrilla groups. The property and its two-story colonial-style building was given decades ago by the government to Suu Kyi's mother, Khin Kyi, after her husband, independence hero Gen. Aung San, was assassinated in July 1947. Suu Kyi, 79, remained there after her 2010 release from house arrest until moving in 2012 to the capital, Naypyitaw, to serve in parliament. She became the nation's leader after a 2015 general election. She is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence after a series of cases brought by the military. Her lawyers have not been allowed to meet with her since they last saw her since December 2022. According to legal procedures, the court will continue to handle the auction process, but the details are not yet available.
