Asean explores ‘tentative’ Myanmar re-engagement with virtual talks

A planned virtual meeting between Southeast Asian foreign ministers and Myanmar’s junta-appointed representative has analysts predicting a potential normalisation of ties five years after the…

A planned virtual meeting between Southeast Asian foreign ministers and Myanmar’s junta-appointed representative has analysts predicting a potential normalisation of ties five years after the coup that first caused them to rupture.

Asean Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn confirmed on Thursday on the sidelines of the 11-member regional bloc’s summit in the Philippines that a meeting was expected “in the very near future”.

Myanmar’s military-backed government has been frozen out of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ top-level meetings since February 2021, when General Min Aung Hlaing’s forces seized power, plunging the country into a civil war that rights groups estimate has killed more than 7,000 civilians.

Now styled as Myanmar’s president following an election whose legitimacy was widely questioned, Min Aung Hlaing used his inaugural address last month to call for normalised relations with Asean.

Myanmar’s newly elected President Min Aung Hlaing waves as he leaves after a swearing-in ceremony in Naypyidaw on April 10. Photo: AP

Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow has shown willingness to act as a go-between, saying in February that Bangkok aimed to be a “bridge” and travelling to Naypyidaw in April to underline the point.

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