Myanmar military chief holds border talks in Thailand

Myanmar military chief Ye Win Oo held talks with Thai military chief Ukris Boontanondha in Bangkok on August 20, 2026, on his first foreign trip in the role, with Thailand saying the agenda focused on security along their 2,400-kilometre border.

Ukris greeted Ye Win Oo at a hotel in the Thai capital, where the two military delegations posed for media. The Thai military said the generals discussed joint action against illicit drugs and cyberscam networks, as well as military cooperation on counterterrorism, training, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

The Thai military said they also discussed cross-border haze, forest fires and river contamination. It said Ukris presented Ye Win Oo with air quality monitoring devices.

The visit is part of a broader thaw between Thailand and Myanmar's post-coup leadership. Myanmar's military ousted an elected government in 2021, detained Aung San Suu Kyi and sparked a civil war. After restricted elections around the start of 2026, Min Aung Hlaing, who led the coup as armed forces chief, became civilian president and handed the military leadership to Ye Win Oo.

Thailand is among neighbouring countries that have used the elections as a reason to reset relations with Myanmar because of shared border issues. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul hosted Min Aung Hlaing in Bangkok this month. Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow defended the decision, telling reporters: “It's not about legitimacy, it's about reality.”

Campaign group the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar criticised Thailand's approach this week, saying that “by embracing a warlord, Thailand has torched its credibility”. It said allowing a visit by Ye Win Oo was “adding to its ignominy”.

Ye Win Oo, a former spymaster for Myanmar's ruling junta, has been sanctioned by countries including the United States for his role in the coup. United Nations investigators said last week that the military he leads is escalating aerial attacks on civilian targets. The UN's Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar also said it documented a pattern of arbitrary detentions, torture and sexual violence by the military.

Myanmar's government called the UN publication “one-sided allegations against Myanmar's security forces based on unverifiable and inaccurate information”.