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The military government has promised repeatedly to return
Myanmar to democracy but has given no timeframe for when an
election will happen.
Hun Sen, who stepped down as Cambodia's prime minister last year
after nearly four decades in charge, on Tuesday said he had
asked junta leader Min Aung Hlaing if he could speak to detained
Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, whose elected government the
military deposed in a 2021 coup.
Hun Sen said Min Aung Hlaing would give his request "high
consideration".
Junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun said Hun Sen was an experienced
leader who had an interest in Myanmar. He made no direct mention
of the proposal to speak to Suu Kyi
"We have promised to hold a multi-party democratic election. We
are currently preparing and implementing the necessary measures
for that," Zaw Min Tun said on Wednesday, according to state
media.
"From our side, we will refrain from any actions or things that
may delay or disturb the process."
Myanmar was plunged into chaos by the 2021 coup, with Suu Kyi
among hundreds arrested, prompting demonstrations that were
violently suppressed by security forces.
A protest movement gradually morphed into a grassroots armed
resistance that has combined with established ethnic minority
armies in Myanmar's borderlands, creating the most significant
challenge for the military in decades.
Suu Kyi, whose exact whereabouts are unclear, has been sentenced
to 27 years in prison for a multitude of offences her allies say
she did not commit.
The junta plans to have an election if there is peace and
stability but may not be able to hold it nationwide, Min Aung
Hlaing said in March, insisting the military was holding power
only temporarily.
(Reporting by Reuters staff; Writing by Devjyot Ghoshal; Editing
by Martin Petty)
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