Thai PM urges 'calibrated re-engagement' with Myanmar ahead of meeting with Min Aung Hlaing
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is scheduled to meet with Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing in Thailand on Aug 6 and 7.
Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul gives a speech during his visit to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia, Aug 4, 2026. (Photo: Reuters/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana)
JAKARTA: Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul called on Tuesday (Aug 4) for a "calibrated re-engagement" with Myanmar, ahead of his scheduled meeting this week with Myanmar military chief turned leader Min Aung Hlaing.
Anutin was speaking at the headquarters of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the Indonesian capital Jakarta after a meeting with ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn. He met Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Monday.
Myanmar was plunged into turmoil in February 2021 when the military, led by Min Aung Hlaing, ousted an elected government led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking protests that expanded into a protracted civil war, killing some 100,000 people and displacing millions.
In response, ASEAN barred Myanmar's top officials from attending high-level political summits.
Anutin said in a policy speech that ASEAN's Myanmar peace initiative, known as the "Five-Point Consensus", remains the bloc's guiding framework to manage the strife. The initiative includes a cessation of violence and the delivery of humanitarian aid.
"Thailand has advocated a calibrated re-engagement approach that keeps dialogue open and responds to realities on the ground while encouraging concrete progress," he said.
The approach is moving in the right direction after Aung San Suu Kyi met with a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross on Monday and "appears to be in good health," he said.
"This has been what Thailand has advocated all along," Anutin added.
Anutin is scheduled to meet with Min Aung Hlaing in Thailand on Aug 6 and 7.
The Thai prime minister said ASEAN's principles of non-interference remain fundamental but "they must be applied to the flexibility and pragmatism needed to preserve unity".
Analysts have said ASEAN's re-engagement with Myanmar runs the risk of providing legitimacy to the military-led government.
Philippine foreign minister Maria Theresa Lazaro said last month that Myanmar's participation in ASEAN meetings was "still far off".
Min Aung Hlaing was appointed president by parliament in April following military-engineered elections that human rights groups and Western governments dismissed as a "sham".
On Monday after Anutin's meeting with Prabowo at the State Palace in Jakarta, both leaders said they would expand collaboration in trade, investment and business links.
"Economic cooperation remains the cornerstone of our bilateral relationship. We are confident that the US$20 billion target by 2030 can be achieved through the implementation of our strategic partnership roadmap," Prabowo said, as quoted by news outlet Jakarta Globe.
The roadmap, which builds on agreements reached during the leaders' meeting on the sidelines of the 2026 ASEAN Summit in Cebu, will guide bilateral cooperation across multiple sectors over the next four years.
Both leaders also agreed to establish the first Joint Trade Commission as part of efforts to improve market access and strengthen economic relations.
Beyond economic cooperation, the two countries pledged closer political and security coordination, including efforts to combat transnational crime and online scams.
Prabowo said Indonesia and Thailand, both founding members of ASEAN, must continue playing a leadership role in strengthening the bloc's resilience and relevance.
