Thailand, Myanmar military chiefs meet as post-coup thaw progresses

BANGKOK: Myanmar’s military chief met Thursday 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.

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.

The post-coup leadership was isolated for five years but has started a diplomatic offensive, touting deeply restricted polls it staged around the start of 2026 as a return to normality.

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 military chief Ukris Boontanondha greeted Ye Win Oo at a hotel in the capital, Bangkok, on Thursday morning, where they posed for the media alongside their respective delegations.

Bangkok said the talks focused on ways to enhance security cooperation on the nations’ 2,400-kilometer (1,500-mile) border, where the war in Myanmar has seeded instability.

The generals discussed joint efforts to tackle the illicit drugs trade and cyberscam networks as well as military cooperation on counterterrorism, training, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

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.

The previous high-level military talks were held in Myanmar in 2023, two years after the coup, when Min Aung Hlaing was head of the military.