BANGKOK—The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Tuesday expressed “grave concern” but ruled out sanctions against Burma (Myanmar) in the bloc’s first official reaction to the trial of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

In Rangoon (Yangon), Burma’s military regime appears to be rushing the trial, one of Suu Kyi’s lawyers said on the second day of proceedings seen as a pretext for the government to keep the Nobel laureate jailed through elections next year.

Of a total of 22 witnesses expected to testify, 21 are police officers.

The ASEAN bloc, which rarely speaks out on the domestic political issues of its 10 members, issued the statement through current chair Thailand five days after the charges against Suu Kyi were first filed. It called for the immediate release of the detained Nobel Peace laureate.

“Thailand, as the ASEAN chair, expresses grave concern about recent developments relating to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, given her fragile health,” said the statement.

“With the eyes of the international community on Myanmar at present, the honor and the credibility of the Government of the Union of Myanmar are at stake,” it added.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva later said the bloc—which has been widely criticized in the West for failing to take its most troublesome member to task—would not react with sanctions.

“This latest incident has triggered concern from the international community. We want the current situation to ease off, but as members of ASEAN, we have to work together constructively to solve this problem,” Abhisit said.

“We hope that Myanmar will consider ASEAN members as friends. The attitude of ASEAN members is unchanged, unlike those countries far away. We have no plan to follow their stance,” he said.

Individual ASEAN nations have issued much stronger statements, with the Philippines describing the charges against Suu Kyi as “trumped-up” and Indonesia calling them “arbitrary.”

ASEAN also called for proper medical treatment for Suu Kyi, who has recently been treated for dehydration and low blood pressure.

The statement urged Burma “to accord her humane treatment with dignity.” It said that “as a responsible member of ASEAN, (Burma) has the responsibility to protect and promote human rights.”

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Over by next week

Suu Kyi, her two female political aides and an American, John W. Yettaw, are being tried together for violating the conditions of her restriction order, which bans visitors without official permission. The offense is punishable by up to five years’ imprisonment.

Yettaw prompted the charges by swimming to her lakeside property and sneaking into her home for reasons that are still unclear.

One of Suu Kyi’s four lawyers, Nyan Win, earlier said the closed-door trial at the notorious Insein prison could last three months.

“Now it is very clear that they are trying to speed up the trial,” Nyan Win told reporters on Tuesday. “If it goes on at this rate, it could even be over by next week.”

The lawyer said he did not know why authorities might be speeding up the trial. Courts in Burma have rarely ruled in favor of Suu Kyi or any pro-democracy activists in numerous cases over the past two decades.

Prosecution witnesses

The trial has been seen as a pretext for the military junta to keep the opposition leader jailed through elections promised for next year.

Suu Kyi, in detention without trial for more than 13 or the past 19 years, had been scheduled to be freed May 27.

The witnesses so far presented by the prosecution recounted how they arrested Yettaw. “They said they watched him as he swam and at first they thought he was a thief,” Nyan Win said.

Hundreds of police in full riot gear, some armed with rifles, were deployed along all roads leading to the prison. About 100 Suu Kyi supporters were blocked by a ring of barbed wire around Insein.

Yettaw’s family has described him as a well-intentioned admirer of Suu Kyi who merely wanted to interview her, unaware of the problems his actions could trigger.