BANGKOK — Thailand's caretaker government was preparing to host talks with the foreign minister of Myanmar's military junta on Monday (June 19), a day later than planned, as key Southeast Asian nations signalled they would stay away from the divisive meeting.
Bangkok has been pushing to reengage with Myanmar's generals — who have been locked in conflict with armed opposition militias since seizing power in a 2021 coup — in the face of opposition from other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations , which has barred the junta from senior level meetings.
Myanmar's junta-appointed Foreign Minister Than Swe is to attend the talks, two sources with knowledge of the meeting told Reuters. Myanmar's generals have been barred for nearly two years from senior-level ASEAN meetings for failing to honour an agreement to start talks with opponents linked to the ousted civilian government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
“The current situation has changed a lot. There is now more fighting within Myanmar," he was quoted as saying."Myanmar also has a roadmap leading to elections... These things have given us the need to continue our interactions with Myanmar."Critics of Thailand's initiative say it risks legitimising Myanmar's military government and is inappropriate because it is outside the official ASEAN peace initiative, known as the"five-point consensus".
India and China are not ASEAN members but as regional powers have attended other informal meetings on Myanmar.
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