World · ASEAN return · ArchiveThailand Backs Myanmar’s ASEAN Return as Leader Rejects Peace ConsensusAired August 7, 2026 at 5:05 AM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00Myanmar's military-backed President Min0:02Aung Hlaing has made his first official0:04visit abroad since taking office in0:06April, and he chose Thailand, which just0:08handed him the diplomatic recognition he0:10has been seeking since the 2021 coup.0:12Their joint statement pledged deeper0:14economic cooperation and joint efforts0:16against transnational crime, and0:18Thailand explicitly reaffirmed its0:20support for Myanmar returning to full0:21and equal participation in ASEAN. But0:24Thailand's embrace collides with a0:25reality Min Aung Hlaing himself created0:28only last week in his own parliament. He0:30dismissed the ASEAN five-point consensus0:32for ending Myanmar's crisis as not an0:34official one. That dismissal amounts to0:37a public rejection of the very terms0:39ASEAN has insisted Myanmar must meet0:41before re-engagement can proceed. NHK0:43correspondent Aya Matsutaru says Myanmar0:45wants to increase the number of0:47countries that recognize its0:48administration as legitimate, and0:50Thailand is now the first to host Min0:52Aung Hlaing as president, a precedent0:54others are watching. The timeline leads0:56from the coup to this week's diplomacy0:58and toward the November ASEAN summit,1:01where Myanmar will be on the agenda.1:03Three days before the visit, Myanmar1:04announced [music] that detained1:06pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi1:08had met with a representative of the1:09International Committee of the Red1:11Cross. Her communications [music] with1:12family and foreign envoys are severely1:14restricted, and Western countries and1:16ASEAN members have voiced [music]1:17concerns about her health. NHK's1:20analysis suggests the administration is1:22signaling it is listening to the1:23international [music] community, a1:25gesture that may soften resistance to1:27its broader diplomatic campaign.1:29Ordinary people in Myanmar continue to1:31lose their lives in military airstrikes,1:33an expert interviewed by NHK said1:35[music] Min Aung Hlaing must show how he1:37plans to restore peace and stability,1:39must not harm his people, and must not1:41create regional spillover.1:43The gap between [music] a joint1:44statement in Bangkok and a peace process1:46Min Aung Hlaing himself has dismissed is1:48the distance between a diplomatic1:50gesture [music] and a genuine peace, and1:52civilians under bombardment are asked to1:54wait while that distance is measured.1:55Whether Thailand's support translates1:57into formal ASEAN re-engagement when the2:00block convenes its summit in November2:02remains unresolved.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗