Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing is scheduled to visit Thailand on August 6 and 7, according to the Thai Foreign Ministry. The official visit follows an invitation from Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, the ministry announced late Monday.
Min Aung Hlaing, a former military chief who became president following elections in April this year, will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Charnvirakul. The discussions are expected to focus on strengthening cooperation and enhancing collaboration within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the ministry said.
During his stay, the Myanmar president is scheduled to meet with Thailand's acting president of the National Assembly and the president of the Senate, the ministry added. He is also set to preside over the opening ceremony of the Thailand-Myanmar Business Forum 2026, according to the ministry.
Diplomatic Context and Regional Response
The visit follows years of international isolation for Myanmar's leadership. The military, led by Min Aung Hlaing, ousted the elected government led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. That coup sparked a civil war that is estimated to have killed approximately 100,000 people and displaced millions.
Estimated fatalities from Myanmar's civil war.
While ASEAN has barred Myanmar's top officials from attending high-level political summits, Prime Minister Charnvirakul has called for a 'calibrated re-engagement' with the country. Speaking at the ASEAN headquarters in Jakarta after meeting Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn, Charnvirakul stated that Thailand has advocated an approach that keeps dialogue open.
This has been what Thailand has advocated all along.
Charnvirakul noted that the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus, which includes a cessation of violence and the delivery of humanitarian aid, remains the guiding framework for managing the conflict. He emphasized that while ASEAN principles of non-interference are fundamental, they must be applied with the flexibility and pragmatism needed to preserve unity.
Regarding the status of Aung San Suu Kyi, Charnvirakul stated that she met with a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross on Monday and 'appears to be in good health.'
