Myanmar leader to meet Thai PM August 6-7 in Bangkok

Myanmar's leader Min Aung Hlaing will meet with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul in Bangkok on August 6 and 7, a Thai foreign ministry spokesperson told AFP on Tuesday. Sihasak Phuangketkeow confirmed the meeting after "frank" discussions with Southeast Asian foreign ministers in Manila about how to bring Myanmar back into the diplomatic fold. Myanmar remains a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), but has been officially excluded from the bloc's key meetings since the military seized power in 2021, overthrowing the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Thailand, which shares a long border with the war-torn nation and hosts millions of Myanmar refugees, has been a leading proponent of bringing the pariah state back into the fold, a move that has exposed deep divisions among ASEAN members. Speaking to AFP on Tuesday, Sihasak said the upcoming visit by Min Aung Hlaing, who became president after the coup, was part of a "dual-track approach." "We have important bilateral common interests to deal with, cross-border crimes, scams, or drug issues," he said, adding that the approach did not mean abandoning ASEAN's long-standing five-point peace plan. However, he also said that during a recent meeting in Bangkok with Myanmar's Foreign Minister U Than Swe, he urged ASEAN partners to consider "how to measure progress." "Would it be a measure of progress if the Myanmar government allowed the ASEAN special envoy to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi? For example, would it be progress if some of the violence along the Thai-Myanmar border decreased?" "Our main point is that we need to be realistic," he said. "This is not going to happen overnight. Some progress will come gradually." He also said that the tightly controlled elections that saw coup leader Min Aung Hlaing appointed president were expected to open the way for new dialogues with ethnic armed groups and democratic opposition. "Whether we can help facilitate meetings with those ethnic groups on the Thai border side," he added. "This is a foundation." Earlier in the day, Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro admitted that the current annual rotating system had "not been effective" and that ASEAN was considering appointing a long-term permanent envoy for Myanmar. (Translated by Ko Toe from AFP's "Myanmar leader to meet Thai PM August 6-7 in Bangkok")