Myanmar junta chief set for first Thailand visit as civilian leader

AFP

Myanmar’s junta chief Min Aung Hlaing is expected in Thailand on Thursday, making his first trip there since becoming civilian leader as he seeks a return to the diplomatic fold for his pariah state.

The former general led a 2021 military coup that ousted democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi, triggering a civil war estimated to have killed more than 100,000 people on all sides.

He was installed as Myanmar’s president in April following stage-managed elections that democracy watchdogs and Western nations called a sham intended to launder the junta’s image.

Neighbouring Thailand has since been leading an effort to normalise relations with Myanmar, both bilaterally and through the 11-nation Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The bloc has excluded Myanmar’s leadership from high-level summits since the putsch, but its foreign minister attended an informal meeting with his regional counterparts last month in Thailand.

And Min Aung Hlaing has been on a diplomatic drive since swapping his military uniform for civilian dress, visiting India, key ally China, and ASEAN member Laos in turn.