Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim risks helping to legitimise Myanmar’s junta when he meets its leader Min Aung Hlaing in Bangkok on Thursday, analysts warn, in the first visit with the sanctioned military chief by a sitting Asean chair since his 2021 coup.
Civil war has ripped Myanmar apart since Min Aung Hlaing seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, plunging the economy into crisis, killing thousands of civilians and displacing millions more. Many have poured across the border into Thailand for safety and work.
Isolated, facing heavy battlefield losses and subject to Western sanctions, Min Aung Hlaing’s embattled junta has relied on China and Russia for support. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has departed from its collegiate tradition and frozen out Myanmar’s leadership from its meetings, after four years of broken promises to end the war and restore elections.
But last month’s devastating Sagaing earthquake has given Min Aung Hlaing the chance to reboot his relationship with the international community – and claim a renewed legitimacy as the leader of a government in disaster response mode.
He is also seeking to drum up support for elections likely to be held at the end of the year, despite the junta controlling only the central portion of the country.
