Myanmar Junta Leader Attends Regional Summit Amid Earthquake Recovery and Ceasefire

Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, head of Myanmar’s military government, is in Bangkok for a three-day summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), marking a rare international appearance as his country grapples with the devastating aftermath of a recent earthquake and ongoing conflict, Al Jazeera reports.

The visit has drawn criticism due to Min Aung Hlaing’s widely condemned overthrow of the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021 and the subsequent brutal repression of dissent. He has been largely ostracized by the West and barred from Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meetings.

Upon arrival in Bangkok on Thursday, the military chief was greeted by Thailand’s labor minister, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn. He later attended an official dinner with leaders of the seven-member BIMSTEC organization, which includes Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.

Beyond the summit, Min Aung Hlaing held bilateral meetings, including discussions with Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Thursday. Thai government photographs showed him seated between the prime ministers of Bhutan and Sri Lanka at the leaders’ dinner.

On Friday, meetings with Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took place. Modi, in a post on X, stated that their discussions focused on cooperation in connectivity, capacity building, and infrastructure development. With the Thai Prime Minister, discussions revolved around disaster prevention, transnational crime, and the repatriation of individuals rescued from scam centers, according to Thai officials.

The BIMSTEC summit coincides with Myanmar’s ongoing search and rescue efforts following a powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake last week. The disaster toppled thousands of buildings, collapsing bridges and buckled roads. As of Thursday, the death toll had risen to 3,085, with over 4,700 injured and at least 300 still missing, according to the military.

Despite the earthquake’s devastation, the military has continued to conduct air strikes against rebel groups, drawing international condemnation. A temporary ceasefire, announced this week, is currently in effect until April 22nd in operations against armed opponents. However, the ceasefire, mirroring similar moves by a major rebel alliance and Myanmar’s shadow government, allows all sides to act in self-defense, and reports of sporadic fighting have already emerged.

The shadow National Unity Government (NUG), established by elected politicians barred from taking office by the military, strongly condemned Min Aung Hlaing’s participation in the summit, asserting that he lacks the legitimacy to represent Myanmar. The NUG urged BIMSTEC to “immediately revoke the military junta’s participation in the summit and related meetings.”

Activist group Justice for Myanmar echoed this sentiment, stating that the invitation to Min Aung Hlaing “legitimizes and emboldens a military junta that the people of Myanmar have been resisting for over four years, and tarnishes BIMSTEC’s reputation as a regional body.”

Min Aung Hlaing is currently under multiple global sanctions, and the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor has sought an arrest warrant for him concerning alleged crimes against humanity committed against the Rohingya Muslim minority.