Defend Myanmar Democracy (DMD) strongly condemns the Thai government’s reported decision to host Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaing at the upcoming Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Summit, scheduled for April 3–4 in Bangkok, as reported by Thai PBS, citing a highly placed source.

Min Aung Hlaing, responsible for war crimes, mass killings, airstrikes on civilians, and dismantling Myanmar’s democratic system, is being granted legitimacy by the Thai government—despite the Myanmar people’s rejection of the military’s coup attempt and the global condemnation against the junta.

BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) was formed to facilitate peace, economic development, and raise living standards among its member states in the Bay of Bengal region.

While ASEAN has excluded Min Aung Hlaing from Summits, BIMSTEC has chosen to legitimise the illegal junta, even inviting Min Aung Hlaing to sign the organisation’s Charter in 2022.

Thailand’s current reported decision to roll out the red carpet for a war criminal is not diplomacy, it is complicity. It’s a betrayal of Myanmar’s people and undermines the principles of justice and democratic cooperation in the region.

Spokesperson for Defend Myanmar Democracy, Naw Aung, comments: “Thailand should not invite Min Aung Hlaing to represent Myanmar. He leads a criminal military junta, not a government. Instead of honouring him by rolling out the red carpet, Thailand should honour the Argentinian court’s decision under universal jurisdiction and arrest him for his role in the Rohingya genocide.”

Defend Myanmar Democracy urges BIMSTEC and its member states to reject the criminal Myanmar junta and bar Min Aung Hlaing and his representatives from the Summit.

Further comments and more information:

Naw Aung

Defend Myanmar Democracy

[email protected]

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