Head of Myanmar's military government visits Thailand in rare trip abroad

BANGKOK (AP) — The head of Myanmar’s military government arrived in Thailand on Thursday for a regional summit, making a rare international trip as his country recovers from a devastating earthquake that killed thousands.

Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has been shunned by much of the West for overthrowing the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and subsequent brutal repression. He has not been allowed to participate in meetings of another regional organization, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, since the army seized of power in February 2021 and began violently suppressing opposition.

He is one of several regional leaders visiting Bangkok for a three-day summit of nations in the Bay of Bengal region.

It was Min Aung Hlaing's first to a country other than his government’s main supporters and backers — China, Russia and Russian ally Belarus — since he attended a regional meeting in Indonesia in 2021.

He was greeted upon arrival at the airport by Thai Labor Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn and later attended an official dinner for leaders of the seven-member Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, or BIMSTEC, which includes Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

The meeting comes as Myanmar is still searching for survivors in the rubble left by a massive earthquake last week. The magnitude 7.7 quake toppled thousands of buildings, collapsed bridges and buckled roads. The death toll rose to 3,085 on Thursday, with more than 4,700 people injured and over 300 missing, the military said in a statement.

It worsened an already dire humanitarian crisis due to Myanmar’s civil war. More than 3 million people had been displaced from their homes and nearly 20 million were in need even before it hit, according to the United Nations.

The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs said BIMSTEC members discussed disaster management during ministerial meetings on Thursday. Thailand postponed the meeting from last year after then-prime minister Srettha Thavisin was suddenly removed from his post by a court.

The earthquake killed at least 22 people in Bangkok, mostly due to the collapse of a high-rise building under construction.

The general’s visit drew condemnation and criticisms from his opponents. The shadow National Unity Government, or NUG, established by elected lawmakers who were barred from taking their seats, said it strongly condemed the inclusion of Min Aung Hlaing at the summit. It said he doesn't have the legitimacy to represent Myanmar.

The NUG said it urges BIMSTEC to "immediately revoke the military junta’s participation in the summit and related meetings.”

Activist group Justice for Myanmar said in a statement that the invitation for Min Aung Hlaing to attend the meeting “legitimises 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.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied Thursday that the invitation had tarnished Thailand’s reputation.

“I think the inverse would occur if we don’t adhere to what the charter says and enshrined in the charter it says that Thailand has the responsibility to invite the leaders of all BIMSTEC leaders,” said ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura.

Among other leaders attending the summit are Muhammad Yunus, chief advisor to the Bangladesh government, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks to the media during a press conference at the government house in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Jirasak Jivawatanawanit)

Sri Lanka Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya arrives at a hotel during the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) ministerial meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Nepal Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli, center, arrives at a hotel during the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) ministerial meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, center, arrives at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, in Samut Prakarn Province, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (Thailand's Foreign Affairs Ministry via AP)

Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, center, and India Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, review an honor guard during a welcome ceremony at the government house in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Jirasak Jivawatanawanit)

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, escorted by Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, listens to national anthems during a welcoming ceremony at the Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Jirasak Jivawatanawanit)

Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, left, and India Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, arrive before review an honor guard during a welcome ceremony at the government house in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Jirasak Jivawatanawanit)

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at Military airport in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (Thailand's Foreign Affairs Ministry via AP)

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at Military airport in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (Thailand's Foreign Affairs Ministry via AP)

In this photo released by Thailand's Foreign Affairs Ministry, Myanmar's military leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, foreground left, arrives in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (Thailand's Foreign Affairs Ministry via AP)

In this photo released by Thailand's Foreign Affairs Ministry, Myanmar's military leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, front left, arrives in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (Thailand's Foreign Affairs Ministry via AP)

In this photo released by Thailand's Foreign Affairs Ministry, Myanmar's military leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, center, arrives in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (Thailand's Foreign Affairs Ministry via AP)

In this photo released by Thailand's Foreign Affairs Ministry, Myanmar's military leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, foreground left, arrives in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (Thailand's Foreign Affairs Ministry via AP)

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