Myanmar leader receives red-carpet welcome in Thailand on first official visit since coup

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - BANGKOK — Myanmar’s junta chief turned president Min Aung Hlaing received a red-carpet welcome in Thailand on Thursday, part of efforts by Bangkok to push for reengagement between its war-torn neighbor.

This is his first official visit to Thailand since ousting Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government in 2021 coup, which ignited a civil war that killed thousands and wrecked the country's economy.

The retired general is subject of a raft of Western sanctions over his involvement in the mass expulsion of Muslim Rohingyas in 2017, has been an international pariah, barred from western countries and accused of crimes against humanity.

Min Aung Hlaing has sought international ‌legitimacy ‌since becoming Myanmar’s president in April, which followed an election dominated by an army-backed party in the ​absence of any viable opposition.

At an arrival ceremony in Bangkok, a military band played national anthems of both countries before Min Aung Hlaing, dressed in a dark business suit, walked a red carpet with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to inspect an honor ⁠guard.

Thailand is pursuing “calibrated reengagement” in the hope that its neighbor will implement a ⁠stalled peace plan led by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which has barred Myanmar’s leaders from its summits.

At a meeting between officials of Myanmar and Thailand on Thursday, Min Aung Hlaing pledged to pursue peace and ​improve ties with ASEAN.

“Myanmar is on the path of ⁠democracy and heading towards a better future,” he said.

Min Aung Hlaing was declared president in April and left his position as military commander, following an election which was widely condemned for being neither free nor fair.

The main opposition parties were barred from taking part, and there was no voting at all in large areas of Myanmar controlled by armed insurgents, ensuring that the military's own party now dominates the new parliament.

Some Asean states, in particular Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore, want to see more concessions made by the military in Myanmar to ease the humanitarian crisis there and end the civil war before full diplomatic contact can be restored.

However, Thailand says because it shares a 2,400 km border with Myanmar, they need to be talking to each other at the highest levels of government to address issues like transnational crime.

That diplomatic engagement by Thailand is moving quickly this week. Min Aung Hlaing is being given a red-carpet welcome by the Thai prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul, and will be attending an official dinner, meeting the leaders of both houses of the Thai parliament, and presiding over a Thai-Myanmar business forum to boost the economic ties between the two countries.

Thailand's decision closely follows what Myanmar's two largest neighbors, China and India, have done after the election. Both have recognised the new government and invited Min Aung Hlaing for official visits soon after he became president. China's support for the embattled military regime in Myanmar has been critical, helping it turn the tide on the battlefield and recapture some of the territory it had lost to armed opposition groups.

But the decision by Thailand, a democracy and a founder member of Asean, to give Min Aung Hlaing such a high-profile visit is attracting a lot of criticism.

"The Thai government continues to lend the junta false legitimacy through its ongoing diplomatic engagements," said the campaigning group Justice for Myanmar.

"Min Aung Hlaing's visit reflects Thailand's failed policy of 'calibrated re-engagement' with the military junta, which will only prolong the ongoing suffering of the people of Myanmar."