Myanmar ex-junta chief on first Thailand trip as civilian leader

Myanmar's ex-junta chief Min Aung Hlaing met with Thailand's prime minister in Bangkok on Thursday, his first visit to the neighbouring nation as civilian leader, as he seeks a return to the diplomatic fold for his pariah state.

As a general, Min Aung Hlaing led a 2021 military coup that ousted democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi, triggering a civil war estimated to have killed more than 100,000 people on all sides.

He was installed as Myanmar's president in April following stage-managed elections that democracy watchdogs and Western nations called a sham intended to launder the junta's image.

Thailand has since been leading an effort to normalise relations with Myanmar, both bilaterally and through the 11-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said his discussion with Min Aung Hlaing at Bangkok's Government House on Thursday was an opportunity to "push cooperation".

"Both Thailand and Myanmar are members of the ASEAN family, and Thailand fully supports Myanmar's participation in ASEAN," Anutin said, sitting with Thai officials at a long table across from Min Aung Hlaing and his delegation.

The Myanmar leader said he hoped to have frank discussions about socioeconomic relations. He said his new government was working towards democracy and stability in Myanmar, as well as "prioritising the restoration of normal relations with ASEAN".

The bloc has excluded Myanmar's leadership from high-level summits since the putsch, but the country's foreign minister attended an informal meeting with his regional counterparts last month in Bangkok.

And Min Aung Hlaing has been on a diplomatic drive since swapping his military uniform for civilian dress, visiting India, key ally China and ASEAN member Laos.

In the run-up to his Bangkok trip, Suu Kyi -- who remains under house arrest -- was allowed to meet a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross on Monday, the first time she has been seen meeting a foreign official since her ouster.

If Myanmar was invited back to ASEAN, it would open "a pathway for normalisation of relations with others, including western countries that have remained opposed to the military regime", said Myanmar specialist Morgan Michaels.

But it had already secured recognition from India, China, Russia and Thailand, making restored ties with the regional grouping inessential, he said.

Myanmar's leaders have refused to buy into ASEAN's so-called "five-point consensus" to end hostilities through dialogue.

Min Aung Hlaing "wants to be seen as a responsible member of ASEAN in one way, then paradoxically to totally reject the five-point consensus", independent Myanmar analyst David Mathieson told AFP.

The coup leader-turned-president was welcomed by an honour guard at Government House and met one-on-one with Anutin.

The two nations also signed a memorandum of understanding on labour cooperation.

The Myanmar leader is scheduled to attend a business forum and government-hosted dinner on Thursday.

Rights campaigners say Bangkok should not be rolling out the red carpet for Min Aung Hlaing, who has been sanctioned by several Western nations and is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.

Myanmar analyst Moe Thuzar said his visit was part of a strategy to leverage bilateral relations and an attempt to "circumvent the scrutiny Naypyidaw currently faces at the regional (ASEAN) table".

Observers say Bangkok has cause to repair relations.

Fighting between Myanmar's military and myriad rebel factions has spilled over the long border with Thailand, which hosts millions of refugees from Myanmar.

Thailand also has to deal with cyberscam networks and illicit drugs traffickers in Myanmar's volatile borderlands.

Thailand's Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow told reporters on Monday that Thailand believed Myanmar and Cambodia could "do a lot more" to combat scam networks, and the issue would be raised during Min Aung Hlaing's visit.

He also welcomed Suu Kyi's Red Cross meeting, saying he hoped that authorities "will undertake further positive steps towards lasting peace and stability in Myanmar".

Three years ago, Thailand's then-foreign minister Don Pramudwinai met with Suu Kyi in private for more than an hour, her last known encounter with a foreign envoy since her detention.