Myanmar leader visits Thailand in bid to bolster international legitimacy

What the report says

Myanmar’s military-backed leader, Min Aung Hlaing, travelled to Bangkok on Thursday for his first official visit to Thailand since the 2021 coup, in a trip Al Jazeera said was aimed at improving his government’s standing abroad. He met Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul at Government House, where the two sides also signed memorandums of understanding and later appeared at a Thailand-Myanmar business forum.

According to Al Jazeera, Min Aung Hlaing used the visit to present his government as focused on ending Myanmar’s civil war and restoring stability. He said the country was moving toward democracy and urged investors to consider opportunities in sectors including energy, agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare and technology. He is also seeking Myanmar’s readmission to ASEAN after the bloc barred his administration for failing to carry out a 2021 peace plan.

The trip comes as Myanmar remains engulfed in conflict that began after the coup and has killed more than 100,000 people, according to monitoring group ACLED cited by Al Jazeera. Thailand, which shares a long border with Myanmar and is one of its major foreign investors, has called for a more measured approach to engagement.

The visit drew criticism from activists and demonstrators in Bangkok, who argued it gave legitimacy to Min Aung Hlaing and the ruling generals. Western governments have sanctioned him and his associates, while the article also noted that Aung San Suu Kyi remains under house arrest.