Myanmar's Min Aung Hlaing to Visit Thailand in August

Myanmar's Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing will make an official visit to Thailand in early August, ASEAN sources said on Monday, in what would be his second trip to an ASEAN member since he took the presidency in April. Gen Min Aung Hlaing went to Laos earlier this month in his first official visit to a fellow member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations after he became leader of Myanmar's military-backed government following a general election held in December and January. The sources did not provide the detailed schedule of his visit to Thailand, a key ASEAN member that has been working to get Myanmar to fully re-engage with the regional bloc after it excluded the country from annual ASEAN summits following the Feb 1, 2021 coup. ASEAN in October 2021 decided not to allow Gen Min Aung Hlaing, then junta chief, to the annual summit due to lack of progress in the implementation of the so-called five-point consensus drawn up by ASEAN leaders following the coup, including an immediate halt to violence. During an informal meeting on Sunday of ASEAN foreign ministers including Myanmar's Tin Maung Swe in Bangkok, Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow urged Myanmar to take concrete actions to implement the consensus. Mr Sihasak held talks with Tin Maung Swe on the sidelines of the meeting, and the two sides reaffirmed their close ties as neighbouring countries, according to the Foreign Ministry. Border security, trade and Myanmar's internal situation were among the main topics discussed, the ministry said. Gen Min Aung Hlaing last visited Thailand in April 2025 to attend a summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation held in Bangkok.