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Myanmar junta chief courts investment pitch in Thailand amid war

An official Thai visit for Min Aung Hlaing follows trips to China and India that have helped Myanmar’s junta seek a path out of post-coup isolation.

Reported · Written up by our desk · Trade & Tariffs

Myanmar’s junta chief, Min Aung Hlaing, is in Bangkok on an official visit to Thailand, where he has been presented with ceremonies including a red carpet, honor guard, and a gala dinner, alongside an opportunity to sell a vision of Myanmar as a future regional infrastructure and investment hub.

The trip comes after Myanmar’s 2021 coup, when escalating military violence left the country’s economy “ground to a virtual halt,” according to reporting that follows the fallout for young civilians who fled as conflict intensified.

Rina, a 21-year-old who left Myanmar not long after the coup, described her own life in Bangkok as dependent on low-salaried work and tied her account of blame to Min Aung Hlaing, the junta leader who became civilian president this year in parts of the country controlled by the military.

The reporting also cites an estimate of about 100,000 deaths from the civil war over the last five years and notes that, despite diplomatic openings via visits to China and India, civilians like Rina say their aim remains returning to rebuild once the military is defeated.

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