In a unusually foreign trip, Myanmar’s army government chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, arrived in Thailand on Thursday to take member at the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summit, while his nation is struggling to come back from a huge 7.7-magnitude earthquake.
The summit is Min Aung Hlaing’s first trip to countries newer to Myanmar since 2021. He was received in Bangkok by Thai Labor Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn to attend the three-day regional meeting.
His trip coincides with increasing global attention. Myanmar’s new earthquake killed over 3,000, 4,700 injured. Hundreds still missing. Infrastructure collapse has made an already-kept severe humanitarian situation a lot worse, with more than 3 million displaced and 20 million needing urgent assistance.
Myanmar’s junta leader was included to international outrage. The exiled National Unity Government (NUG) condemned the decision, urging an immediate withdrawal of military input. Justice for Myanmar, the activist group, also condemned the move saying it is an attack on the region’s democratic values.
Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs justified the invitation, pointing to commitments made under the BIMSTEC charter.
The summit, which had been delayed from last year, is also being attended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh advisor Muhammad Yunus. Disaster response and cooperation in the region are among the issues on the agenda.
Meanwhile, the search has kept going in Myanmar as the country is trying hard to recover.
