Civil society in Thailand and Myanmar have called on the Thai government to exclude the Myanmar military leader Min Aung Hlaing from the 6^th BIMSTEC summit, which Thailand is set to host on 3-4 April.

Reports indicate that Min Aung Hlaing will join the regional leaders’ summit, making a rare visit to another Southeast Asian country after he seized power. He has been barred from attending ASEAN summits for failing to abide by the ASEAN five consensus.

However, the Thai government has yet to confirm Min Aung Hlaing’s participation in this week’s BIMSTEC summit, particularly in light of the recent earthquake, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that he might attend the summit virtually.

On Monday (31 March), 319 Thai and Myanmar civil society organisations submitted an open letter to Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Foreign Affairs Minister Maris Sangiampongsa, urging them to bar the Myanmar junta leader’s participation in the upcoming BIMSTEC summit.

The letter was also submitted to the embassies of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India, Bhutan, and Nepal.

Mike, a Myanmar representative, said via phone that Min Aung Hlaing is neither a legitimate representative of the Myanmar people, nor the Myanmar government, but rather a dictator. 

He also criticised the junta leader for launching airstrikes on civilians even as the country grapples with earthquake casualties, adding that inviting Min Aung Hlaing is tantamount to granting him legitimacy.

“We would like to assert that the (Thai) government can stop what will happen in the next few days in order to help Myanmar people because the Thai government has the authority to decide this matter,” noted Mike.

He urged the Thai government to:

1. bar Min Aung Hlaing from attending the 6^th BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok;
2. stop all forms of financial support for the Myanmar military .

Wichai Juntavaro, a Thai civil society representative, raised concerns that Min Aung Hlaing’s participation in the BIMSTEC summit, which focuses on economic cooperation, could enable the Myanmar military to obtain financial resources that may be used to purchase weapons for the oppression and killing of civilians.

He called on the Thai government to revoke Min Aung Hlaing’s invitation to this BIMSTEC summit, as well as to exclude other military leaders of the Myanmar junta.

The Thai representative stated that Myanmar is currently suffering from the fatal earthquake, and rescue efforts face significant challenges due to restricted access.

He also requested the Thai government to take this opportunity to pressure the Myanmar military junta to allow international organisations to provide humanitarian assistance and grant media access to report the situation in the country.