Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is scheduled to meet with Myanmar’s junta leader in Bangkok on Thursday to advocate for an extension of the ceasefire—an initiative that has drawn criticism from several groups opposing the military in the earthquake-stricken country.
Anwar, as the current chair of the 10-nation ASEAN grouping, has said he will meet Myanmar’s Senior General Min Aung Hlaing on humanitarian grounds, although the Southeast Asian bloc itself has shunned the junta brass for years.
“There’s a possibility of the junta exploiting these opportunities to build up legitimacy within the ASEAN framework,” said Sai Kyi Zin Soe, an independent political analyst based in Thailand.
Diplomatic Opening
After Myanmar’s military deposed an elected civilian government in a 2021 coup and sparked a civil war, ASEAN barred the ruling generals from its meetings for their failure to comply with the bloc’s peace plan.
But a powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.7 that struck Myanmar on March 28, killing more than 3,600, provided Min Aung Hlaing with a rare diplomatic opening, including a visit to Bangkok for key meetings in early April.
Two diplomatic sources in Bangkok told Reuters that Min Aung Hlaing would return within a fortnight to meet Anwar in the Thai capital.
One of the sources added that they would be joined by Thailand’s former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, whom Anwar has appointed a personal adviser in his role as ASEAN chair.
Malaysia’s embassy in Thailand and the Thai foreign ministry did not respond to queries about the Myanmar-related meetings in Bangkok, where Anwar is also set to hold talks with Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Thaksin’s daughter.
Utmost Caution
A number of anti-junta groups, including the shadow National Unity Government (NUG) and the Karen National Union, urged “utmost caution” regarding the meeting, which they said was being held under the pretext of delivering humanitarian aid.
“The military junta led by Min Aung Hlaing is a perpetrator of clear violations of the ASEAN five-point consensus,” they said in a statement on Wednesday, referring to the grouping’s peace plan for Myanmar.
“Any unilateral engagement with the military leader – widely regarded as a terrorist – must be approached with the utmost caution.”
Meeting Could Undermine Previous Stance
Prior to his visit, Anwar said he would seek to extend a ceasefire called since the quake, Myanmar’s deadliest natural disaster in decades that struck during a civil war which displaced more than 3.5 million people and shattered the economy.
The military declared a 20-day ceasefire on April 2, following similar moves by rebel groups and the NUG, but has kept up airstrikes since, the United Nations and other groups have said.
“ASEAN … they’ve boycotted the participation of the junta since 2021,” added the analyst, Sai Kyi Zin Soe. “So now this meeting could really undermine that position.”
ASEAN is made up of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
(With inputs from Reuters)
