What to do with Myanmar? ASEAN has limited options against its rogue member
Min Aung Hlaing’s diplomatic push for legitimacy leaves ASEAN members looking divided.
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Despite Myanmar‘s troubled relations with ASEAN, President Min Aung Hlaing (right) received a ceremonial welcome from Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul in Bangkok on Aug 6.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Moe Thuzar and Kyaw Yin Hlaing
Myanmar’s former senior general Min Aung Hlaing is on a diplomatic offensive after wresting power in a military coup in 2021. He is expected to pay an official visit to Cambodia in early September – having made trips to India, China, Laos, Russia and Thailand in recent months – in what is widely seen as a campaign for international legitimacy.
This quest presents ASEAN with a major headache: what to do with a rogue member which seeks to assert engagement on its own terms, emphasising membership rights over obligations. To complicate matters, some ASEAN members are pursuing their respective interests in Myanmar bilaterally, while still collectively upholding the regional consensus.
