Myanmar’s military chief met Thursday (August 20, 2026) with Thailand’s top general in Bangkok in his first foreign trip since assuming the role, as his coup-staging armed forces shake off their pariah status.
After the elections, Min Aung Hlaing — who led the coup as armed forces chief — took over as civilian president, handing the office of military leader to staunch loyalist Ye Win Oo. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul granted Min Aung Hlaing a red-carpet welcome in Bangkok this month. Myanmar’s military ousted an elected government in a 2021 putsch, detaining its leader Aung San Suu Kyi and sparking a civil war in which it is accused of rampant rights abuses. Bangkok said the talks focused on ways to enhance security cooperation on the nations’ 2,400-kilometre (1,500-mile) border, where the war in Myanmar has seeded instability.
They also addressed the issue of cross-border haze, forest fires and river contamination, with the Thai general presenting his counterpart with air quality monitoring devices, according to a statement from the Thai military. Defending the decision to host, Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow told reporters: “It’s not about legitimacy, it’s about reality. But the campaign group, the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar, said this week that “by embracing a warlord, Thailand has torched its credibility”. The decision to also allow a visit from Ye Win Oo was “adding to its ignominy”, the statement added.
