The Thai government pushed back on Wednesday against criticism that hosting Myanmar’s president, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, could damage the country’s international standing, saying direct talks between the two nations are necessary to address problems along their shared border.
Government spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek told reporters that Thailand wants Myanmar to gradually resume a larger role in ASEAN, adding that lasting cooperation between neighboring countries depends on their leaders talking to each other directly. She said peace in Myanmar would benefit communities living along the Thai border, and that countries without a shared frontier with Myanmar may not fully grasp why Thailand has to maintain that relationship regardless of politics.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has invited Min Aung Hlaing to Thailand for an official visit, with Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow confirming the two leaders are expected to meet in Bangkok on August 6 and 7, according to several news sources. The foreign minister said the meeting follows candid discussions among Southeast Asian foreign ministers in Manila about how to bring Myanmar back into regular ASEAN engagement.
Min Aung Hlaing seized power in a 2021 coup that ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, and he has led the country continuously since, first as head of the military junta and now as president. He won that title in April after a parliamentary vote widely criticized by rights groups and Western governments, who described the process as tightly controlled by the military and its allied party. He is subject to Western sanctions and has faced international scrutiny over the military’s crackdown on political opposition.
His only previous visit to Thailand came in April last year, when he traveled to Bangkok for a regional summit and met then-Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra. That trip drew protests outside the venue, with demonstrators objecting to his presence in the Thai capital.
According to Ratchada, the upcoming talks are expected to cover a wide range of issues affecting both countries, including efforts to restore peace inside Myanmar, cross-border drug trafficking, online scam operations based near the Thai-Myanmar border, and shared environmental problems such as open burning and river pollution. She said Myanmar’s government has acknowledged Thailand’s concerns about pollution drifting across the border and has asked for Thai technical help on managing open burning and other environmental issues.
Ratchada also pointed to an informal meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers hosted by Thailand, which Myanmar’s foreign minister attended, as evidence of Bangkok’s ongoing effort to keep diplomatic channels open. She said Myanmar has expressed appreciation for Thailand’s role in helping it re-engage with the wider region.
Thailand’s push to normalize relations with Myanmar comes as the two countries continue to grapple with the fallout from Myanmar’s civil war, which has pushed refugees toward the border and fueled a boom in online scam compounds operating out of Myanmar territory. Thai authorities have repeatedly flagged both issues as direct threats to public safety and the economy.
The scam center problem remains far from solved despite a major multinational crackdown that began last year. A Thailand-based human rights group, the Civil Society Network for Human Trafficking Victim Assistance, said in June that more than 5,300 people were still held in scam compounds near the Thai-Myanmar border, many of them foreign nationals trafficked into forced labor by criminal networks operating out of areas controlled by an armed militia. The group said several of those compounds have yet to be dismantled or reached by rescue operations, according to several news sources. The crisis has strained Thailand’s resources on its side of the border, where officials have handled waves of rescued workers awaiting repatriation to their home countries.
The government’s decision to move ahead with the visit despite the diplomatic sensitivities suggests Thailand is prioritizing practical cooperation on border security and cross-border crime over concerns about the optics of engaging with a leader still facing international criticism over the military’s record in Myanmar.
