Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing Makes First Official Visit To Thailand Since Coup

BANGKOK (GNP): Myanmar’s military leader Min Aung Hlaing has arrived in Thailand for his first official visit since he launched the 2021 coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government, a trip that marks a significant step in breaking his diplomatic isolation.

The coup triggered a civil war that has since killed thousands of people and severely damaged Myanmar’s economy. Min Aung Hlaing, already under sanctions over his role in the 2017 mass expulsion of Rohingya Muslims, has been treated as an international pariah in the years since, barred from Western countries and accused of crimes against humanity.

He was declared president in April after stepping down as military commander, following an election widely criticised as neither free nor fair, in which major opposition parties were barred from participating and voting did not take place at all across large areas of the country controlled by armed insurgent groups, leaving the military’s own party dominant in the new parliament.

Min Aung Hlaing has also been excluded from meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations over his refusal to implement a five-point consensus he and other member states signed in 2021, which called on Myanmar’s military to de-escalate violence and begin negotiations with opposition groups.

Several Asean states, including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore, have pushed for further concessions from the military before restoring full diplomatic contact, citing the continuing humanitarian crisis and civil war. Thailand, by contrast, has pursued what it describes as calibrated re-engagement with Myanmar’s regime, arguing that the two countries’ shared 2,400-kilometre border makes high-level dialogue necessary to manage issues such as transnational crime.

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That engagement has advanced quickly this week, with Min Aung Hlaing receiving a red-carpet welcome from Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul that includes an official dinner, meetings with the leaders of both houses of the Thai parliament, and his presiding over a Thailand-Myanmar business forum aimed at strengthening economic ties between the two countries.

Thailand’s approach follows a similar pattern set by Myanmar’s two largest neighbours, China and India, both of which recognised the new government and invited Min Aung Hlaing for official visits shortly after he assumed the presidency. China’s continued support for Myanmar’s military has been particularly significant, helping the regime regain territory previously lost to armed opposition forces.

Thailand’s decision to grant Min Aung Hlaing such a high-profile visit, given its status as a democracy and founding member of Asean, has drawn criticism from rights groups. Campaign organisation Justice for Myanmar said Thailand’s continued diplomatic engagement lends false legitimacy to the junta, arguing that the visit reflects a policy of re-engagement that will prolong the suffering of Myanmar’s people rather than help resolve it.