BANGKOK — Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on 6 August officially welcomed Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing to Government House for bilateral talks, as the Myanmar leader’s two-day visit to Thailand drew sharp criticism from civil society groups, democracy advocates and opposition politicians.
At 10:20, Anutin received Min Aung Hlaing on the lawn in front of the Thai Khu Fah Building at Government House. The Myanmar president is visiting Thailand as an official guest of the Thai government.
The leaders attended an official welcoming ceremony before reviewing an honor guard. They then held a restricted meeting on the second floor of the Thai Khu Fah Building to exchange views on strengthening bilateral cooperation.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the discussions covered cross-border issues, energy cooperation, trade facilitation, and efforts to promote peace and stability along the Thai-Myanmar border before expanding into a plenary meeting in the Green Room.
Thailand backs ASEAN engagement
Ahead of the visit, Anutin defended Thailand’s approach toward Myanmar while speaking at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta on 4 August.
He said ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus remains the bloc’s principal framework for addressing the Myanmar crisis and reaffirmed Thailand’s support for a policy of “calibrated re-engagement.”
Anutin said the approach seeks to preserve channels of dialogue, create space for engagement, respond to realities on the ground and encourage tangible progress.
“A peaceful and stable Myanmar is not only in Thailand’s interest as a neighboring country, but is also vital to ASEAN unity and regional stability,” he said.
Civil society condemns visit
The visit, however, has been met with widespread criticism.
Sixteen Thai civil society organizations issued a joint statement opposing Min Aung Hlaing’s official visit, urging the Thai government to stop policies they say benefit Myanmar’s military administration and to refrain from legitimizing its leadership.
The coalition, led by Solidarity Collective TH and the Spirit in Education Movement (SEM), said Min Aung Hlaing’s administration has been marked by widespread violence, systematic human rights abuses and alleged war crimes.
The groups argued that engagement with Myanmar’s military rulers would prolong the country’s conflict rather than contribute to regional peace.
They called on Thailand to review cooperation that benefits Myanmar’s military authorities, improve protections for Myanmar migrant workers, support independent humanitarian assistance that reaches civilians directly, reject the legitimacy of the military-led government and oppose its reintegration into ASEAN until violence ends and democratic rule is restored.
The coalition urged Bangkok to stand with the people of Myanmar rather than, in its words, “those responsible for violence and war crimes.”
Foundation accuses Thailand of legitimizing junta
The Thai-Myanmar Foundation also issued a statement on 6 August condemning Min Aung Hlaing’s visit, saying it reflects the Myanmar leader’s attempt to gain regional legitimacy after failing to secure broad international recognition.
The foundation argued that despite Myanmar’s recent election, real authority across much of the country remains outside the military’s control and in the hands of ethnic armed organizations.
It said the Thai government should recognize that Min Aung Hlaing seized power through the 2021 military coup, overthrowing an elected government and imprisoning former State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and other democratic leaders.
The statement accused Myanmar’s military of arbitrary arrests, torture, forced conscription and attacks on civilians, including continued airstrikes on schools and hospitals even after the devastating earthquake earlier this year.
Citing United Nations figures, the foundation said more than 5,000 people have been killed since the military takeover.
It also noted that Min Aung Hlaing is the subject of international legal proceedings, referring to an arrest warrant issued by an Argentine court under the principle of universal jurisdiction and to the International Criminal Court prosecutor’s request, submitted on 27 November 2024, seeking an arrest warrant against him for alleged crimes against humanity.
The foundation described Myanmar’s military chief as an illegitimate leader responsible for turning the country into a failed state through violence against civilians, and argued that last year’s election has not erased responsibility for alleged atrocities committed under military rule.
It warned that Thailand’s recognition of Min Aung Hlaing as head of state risks undermining moral principles, the rule of law, international law and human rights, while helping the Myanmar military maintain its grip on power.
The statement was endorsed by the Thai-Myanmar Foundation, the Campaign for Democracy in Burma, the Union for Civil Liberty, the Campaign Committee for Democracy, the World Peace Working Group, the Foundation for Asia Development and other Thai civil society organizations.
Opposition questions government’s approach
People’s Party deputy leader Rangsiman Rome also questioned the government’s decision to host Min Aung Hlaing.
Speaking to reporters, Rangsiman said discussions with Myanmar’s military authorities were unlikely to resolve the issue of toxic contamination in the Kok River because, according to testimony received by a parliamentary committee, the areas involved are controlled by the United Wa State Army rather than Myanmar’s military government.
“The real situation is known to everyone, but everyone is acting as if talking to the Myanmar military government will solve the problem,” he said.
He argued that Thailand should instead focus on how to deal with the Wa armed group, which he linked to transnational crimes affecting Thailand, including scam operations, drug trafficking, human trafficking and, most recently, toxic pollution.
Rangsiman also warned that hosting Min Aung Hlaing risks conferring legitimacy on Myanmar’s military leadership while undermining ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus.
He noted that one of the consensus’ key provisions is an immediate cessation of violence, but said Myanmar’s military government has made clear it does not intend to comply.
“If the Myanmar military government cannot deliver anything for Thailand, then the question is what position Thailand should take,” Rangsiman said. “Thailand should always put national interests first, but I am not convinced that what the government is doing now truly serves the country’s interests or brings any tangible benefit.”