Myanmar’s junta chief turned President Min Aung Hlaing will make an official visit to Thailand, as Bangkok makes a push for re-engagement between its war-torn neighbor and the regional bloc ASEAN.

Background

Myanmar’s leaders have been barred from summits of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations since 2021, when Min Aung Hlaing staged a coup against the elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi that led to a civil war that has killed an estimated 100,000 people.

Thailand will be the fourth country Min Aung Hlaing has visited as president following official trips to China, India, and Laos. He will meet Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Thursday, before both attend a Thailand-Myanmar business forum.

Re-Engagement Efforts

Anutin said on Tuesday that Thailand’s policy was “calibrated re-engagement” to keep channels open with Myanmar and push for its compliance with the terms of a stalled ASEAN-led peace initiative, a key condition in normalizing its ties with the bloc.

Min Aung Hlaing as president has stressed his top priority is peace. However, Myanmar’s military has since sharply escalated attacks on civilians, including an intensified aerial bombing campaign, a conflict monitor said last week.

Economic Ties

Min Aung Hlaing’s visit also comes as Thailand seeks to revive its economic ties with resource-rich Myanmar, with Thursday’s business forum expected to focus on trade and investment.

With investments in industries that include hotels, banking, and manufacturing, Thailand is among the top foreign investors in Myanmar, ranking alongside Singapore and China as its primary sources of foreign capital as of late 2025.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.