Min Aung Hlaing meets Thai PM in Bangkok

Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing met Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul in Bangkok on Thursday, his first visit to Thailand as civilian leader as he seeks wider diplomatic acceptance for Myanmar.

Anutin said the talks at Government House were a chance to “push cooperation” between the neighbours. He said Thailand fully supports Myanmar's participation in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Min Aung Hlaing said his government was working towards democracy and stability in Myanmar and was prioritising the restoration of normal relations with ASEAN. Thailand and Myanmar also signed a memorandum of understanding on labour cooperation.

The former junta chief led the 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 became Myanmar's president in April after elections that democracy watchdogs and Western nations called a sham intended to improve the junta's image.

ASEAN has excluded Myanmar's leadership from high-level summits since the coup, though Myanmar's foreign minister attended an informal meeting with regional counterparts in Bangkok last month. Min Aung Hlaing has also visited India, China and Laos since taking on a civilian role.

Suu Kyi, who remains under house arrest, was allowed to meet a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross on Monday. AFP described it as the first time she had been seen meeting a foreign official since her ouster.

Rights campaigners have criticised Thailand's reception for Min Aung Hlaing. He has been sanctioned by several Western nations and is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.

Thailand has been trying to improve relations with Myanmar both bilaterally and through ASEAN. Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said on Monday that Thailand believed Myanmar and Cambodia could do more to combat scam networks, and that the issue would be raised during the visit.