BEIJING, Nov 7 — Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra met Myanmar's junta chief on the sidelines of a regional summit in China today, in a rare overseas trip by a general grappling with a civil war at home.
Myanmar's ruling military has been battling against a rebellion that erupted after it seized power in a 2021 coup and has largely ignored calls by its Southeast Asian neighbours to cease hostilities and enter into dialogue with its opponents.
"We had a private conversation and there was nothing unexpected. I offered our goodwill to cultivate peace," she said of her meeting with Min Aung Hlaing during an interview with the Thai press.
The two countries share a 2,000km border, and fighting in Myanmar has sometimes spilled into Thailand and disrupted border trade.
During the Asean Summit in Laos last month, Paetongtarn called for heightened engagement with Myanmar, stressing there was "no military solution" and that it was "time to start talking".
She also hinted at Thailand's support for the junta's proposed election next year, a plan Asean has so far been reluctant to mention in its official statements.
The election, which opposition groups have either been barred from or refuse to contest, has been widely dismissed as a sham and is unlikely to be recognised by Western governments.
Today, Paetongtarn said Myanmar's conflict was an internal affair that it must manage, according to the Thai media.
The two leaders were attending summits of the Greater Mekong Subregion and the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Co-operation Strategy in Kunming.
Min Aung Hlaing is barred from Asean summits over the lack of progress on an Asean-led peace plan and his overseas trips have been few, mainly to Russia, a supporter of Myanmar's military and key supplier of its arms.
His visit to influential neighbour China is his first since the 2021 coup.
He met Chinese Premier Li Quiang yesterday, and also held talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet.
In a Facebook post, Hun said the general had expressed hope Myanmar's crisis would be resolved peacefully in the near future.
— Reuters
[caption id="attachment_235214" align="aligncenter" width="1288"]
Myanmar Commander in Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing salutes as he attends an event marking the anniversary of Martyrs' Day at the Martyrs' Mausoleum in Yangon, Myanmar, on July 19, 2016. — REUTERS[/caption]
