Myanmar's ex-junta chief Min Aung Hlaing is expected in Thailand on Thursday, making his first trip there since becoming a civilian leader. He aims to return Myanmar, a pariah state, to the diplomatic fold. 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.
Min Aung Hlaing was installed as Myanmar's president in April following stage-managed elections that democracy watchdogs and Western nations called a sham. Thailand has been leading an effort to normalize relations with Myanmar, both bilaterally and through the 11-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The bloc has excluded Myanmar's leadership from high-level summits since the coup, but its foreign minister attended an informal meeting with regional counterparts last month in Thailand. Min Aung Hlaing has been on a diplomatic drive since swapping his military uniform for civilian dress, visiting India, China, and Laos.
In the run-up to his Bangkok trip, Suu Kyi, who remains under house arrest, was allowed to meet a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross on Monday, her first publicized meeting with a foreign official since her ouster. Analysts say Thailand has cause to pursue restored ties, as fighting between Myanmar's military and rebel factions has spilled over the long border with Thailand.
Thailand also deals with the presence of cyberscam networks and illicit drugs traffickers in Myanmar's volatile borderlands. Thailand's Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow told reporters on Monday that Thailand believed Myanmar could 'do a lot more' to combat scam networks, and the issue would be raised during Min Aung Hlaing's visit.
Min Aung Hlaing is set to be welcomed by an honour guard at Bangkok's Government House on Thursday and then meet one-on-one with Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. The Myanmar leader will also attend a business forum and state dinner, with the two sides expected to sign a memorandum of understanding on labour cooperation.
