Jakarta. The Indonesian government welcomes Myanmar ex-leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s move from prison to house arrest as a “positive gesture” in the conflict-ridden nation.

Foreign Minister Sugiono revealed Jakarta’s approval of the transfer when speaking to his ASEAN counterparts in Cebu on Thursday. Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar’s junta chief-turned-president, had recently allowed Suu Kyi to serve her remaining sentence at the designated residence, about five years after the military toppled the civilian government.

“The release of political prisoners and the reported transfer of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to house arrest show a positive gesture and progress toward a positive trajectory,” Sugiono said, as seen in a transcript of Indonesia’s national statement at the Cebu meeting.

Jakarta also described the new government’s efforts in “engaging all relevant parties and stakeholders” as a “positive development”. 

Sugiono went on to say that Indonesia wants to see the new administration engaging with ASEAN nations to restore stability, de-escalate violence, and ensure humanitarian aid flows.

The meeting was not available for press coverage. In the publicly broadcast opening session, Filipina Foreign Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro said that she would brief her counterparts “on the situation in Myanmar and the implementation of the five-point consensus”. 

Lazaro is currently ASEAN’s envoy for Myanmar. Manila has requested Myanmar to grant Lazaro “brief access” to Suu Kyi after the transfer, according to media reports.

Myanmar had recently voted Min Aung Hlaing, who led the 2021 military takeover, as its next president in a heavily criticized election. ASEAN members reached a five-point consensus in a Jakarta meeting as their collective response not long after the coup erupted. This is a peace plan that mainly calls for a “constructive dialogue” for a peaceful solution, although the bloc had repeatedly expressed concerns over its sluggish implementation.

Suu Kyi, who was the de facto leader between 2016 and 2021, is also getting a trim to her punishment. The Nobel laureate was sentenced to 33 years. Her prison time was later dropped to 27 years, and then by a sixth as part of an amnesty that freed her ally, Win Myint.  

Representing Myanmar at the Cebu talks is its permanent secretary of the foreign ministry U Hau Khan Sum.

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