Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is set to meet Myanmar’s military leader General Min Aung Hlaing in Bangkok today, in a bid to extend the ceasefire in the conflict-torn and earthquake-devastated country.
Since the military seized power in Myanmar in 2021, the Southeast Asian regional bloc ASEAN has largely excluded the country from its meetings and activities. Currently serving as ASEAN’s Chair, Anwar Ibrahim has decided to hold this meeting considering the suffering of Myanmar’s people, according to a statement from his office.
A diplomatic source in Bangkok confirmed that Thailand’s former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who now serves as a personal advisor to Anwar, will also attend the meeting.
Sai Kee Jin Swe, a Myanmar political analyst based in Thailand, told Reuters that the military regime may use this meeting to try to regain its standing within ASEAN.
On February 1, 2021, the Myanmar military ousted the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD), initiating a violent crackdown on nationwide protests. Over time, the protests turned into a full-blown civil war involving multiple armed resistance groups. China has attempted to mediate peace but failed.
Adding to the crisis, two powerful earthquakes—measuring 7.7 and 6.7 in magnitude—struck Myanmar on March 28, killing more than 36,000 people. In response, the junta declared a 20-day ceasefire starting April 2 to facilitate relief operations. Today’s meeting aims to discuss the possibility of extending that ceasefire further, a move supported by both ASEAN and the international community.
Meanwhile, the opposition alliance, the National Unity Government (NUG), has expressed deep concern over the meeting. In a statement, the NUG said, “General Min Aung Hlaing has severely violated ASEAN’s core principles. This one-sided meeting with the ASEAN Chair is being closely monitored by us with utmost caution.”