Myanmar's president Min Aung Hlaing arrived in Bangkok on Thursday for an official visit to Thailand — his first as a civilian leader — receiving full ceremonial honours including a military band, red carpet, and honour guard at Government House. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul welcomed him personally, and the two are expected to attend a business forum and government-hosted dinner, with both sides set to sign a memorandum of understanding on labour cooperation. The visit marks the latest stop in a broader diplomatic drive by the former general, who has previously visited China, India, and Laos since being installed as Myanmar's president in April.

Min Aung Hlaing first came to power through a military coup in February 2021 that ousted the democratically elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, triggering a civil war that has claimed an estimated 100,000 lives. He was elevated to the presidency following elections that democracy watchdogs and Western governments widely condemned as a stage-managed exercise designed to give the military government a civilian veneer. He remains under sanctions from several Western nations and is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity. At his Bangkok meetings, he pledged to pursue peace and said Myanmar was