In a surprising diplomatic development, General Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar’s junta leader, showed up at a regional summit in Bangkok this Friday, mere days after his country suffered a catastrophic earthquake that killed over 3,100 people. The quake, which utterly destroyed regions, triggered urgent international humanitarian response including a poignant plea from the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.
Min Aung Hlaing’s visit to Thailand is a unique occurrence given that Myanmar is militarily colonized internationally due to their 2021 coup, which abolished a democratically elected government. They have been isolated from foreign leaders due to their great repression of anti-government protests and violent armed struggles from diverse ethnic groups. What has changed in the diplomatic atmosphere that finally gave contact-starved Myanmar the chance to showcase diplomatic engagement?
Using Diplomacy at the Time of Need
The great and fatal earthquake of March 23 has resulted in dramatic changes to Myanmar’s already worn-out infrastructure. The scenario of the country’s humanitarian crisis is now disastrous, surpassed only by Afghanistan. While the United Nations and other aid providing organizations have been swift to respond, the internal conditions for providing aid to a militarily oppressed state like Myanmar presents a different set of obstacles.
These factors highlight Aung’s agenda in BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Summit Bangkok where his participation is perceived as effective in restoring legitimacy to the region’s head. This summit presents valuable opportunities for the country to establish relations with allied countries further deepened by the Earthquake’s aftermath.
The Min Aung Hlaing Earthquake is the only natural disaster that seems to have worked in favor of the Myanmar military leader. This change came with the summit that unites all the leaders from Thailand, India, and even Bangladesh. The summit works as a platform where the military leader separates himself from the international peers, who, for the most part, have come to accept the Myanmar junta.
We Shall Be Militarily Out of the Country
His presence at the BIMSTECH summit is the only form of engagement the Myanmar regime has received post the 2021 military coup. The election is bound to create severe damage to the already broken international ties. He is planning to resolve the BIMESTEC summit relations under the pretext of empowering security ties along with dress Myanmar in the manner that it wishes to see itself. This rising anger torture in nearly all non militarized areas has brought so many sanctions from the so-called democratic nations.
Despite being a part of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), Myanmar has so far capably avoided dealing with the junta’s hawkish posturing head-on. On the other hand, ASEAN has shown some level of irritation at Myanmar for failing to even attempt dialogue with them. Still, some like Thailand, India, and Bangladesh have kept Myanmar at arm’s length while preserving some semblance of diplomatic relations, viewing the country as an important regional neighbor and potential economic partner.
In this context, Min Aung Hlaing’s unusual visit to Bangkok may indicate a new focus on regional relations, as it is known that Myanmar’s geographical location as well as economy makes it the center of Southeast Asia. While ASEAN member states are practically the most worried about the destabilising potential of the crisis in Myanmar, must the effects of the chaos be so dire that one identifies regions laden with untapped resources just waiting to be exploited? In any case, some countries may prefer least engagement rather than solitary confinement to manage the fallout scenarios including a stream of displaced people, threats to safety, and economic turbulence.
The UN’s Cry for Help
The world is still focused on the extreme humanitarian crisis in Myanmar which gets worse day by day as the junta desperately tries to gain diplomatic power. The earthquake severely deteriorates the situation by completely demolishing entire villages and putting thousands of people at risk. Guterres from the UN has made it clear that aid needs to be provided to the most affected places swiftly. However, the political issues concerning Myanmar’s military rulers makes the situation very complicated.
Aid groups are forced under to navigate an intricate system of barriers established by the junta who are not willing to allow foreign nationals full access to the country. The UN has called for the junta to enable the distribution of aids, but there is skepticism regarding the effectiveness of the regime’s attempts to resolve this humanitarian crisis.
Min Aung Hlaing is trapped in a limbo where he intends to showcase Myanmar as an active participant in the region and hoping that attending such summits would add some degree of justification to the junta. But he is in danger as the path forward is if the Myanmar leaders do not show any sign of concern to the needs of the citizens post the earthquake, they would be devoid of any diplomatic option available.
The Future of Myanmar Diplomacy: A Case Study
Min Aung Hlaing’s attempts at diplomacy in Bangkok reflects the ongoing challenges in Myanmar’s political crisis. Whereas violence continues to characterize the junta’s rule, engagement with the region remains a primary strategic focus for the regime, and the earthquake provided a slim chance for such diplomacy to take place.
Myanmar’s recovery from the earthquake will invariably capture the eyes of the world observing to see whether Min Aung Hlaing’s rare foray to international optics represents a shift towards more constructive dialogue or is simply political posturing exploiting a disaster. While the international community has not forgiven Myanmar’s military junta, regional members seem to be navigating a precarious balance between diplomacy and accountability.
Ultimately, the fate of Myanmar in the international arena relies not just on the actions of the country’s leaders, but also how the global powers choose to respond to the unauthentic attempts at reconstruction driven by shifting power dynamics.