Bangkok says ASEAN should accept Myanmar back at diplomat level

Thai foreign minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow, right, and junta foreign minister, Tin Maung Swe, in Bangkok ahead of an ASEAN ministers meeting in July (Photo: Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs/AFP) The Myanmar regime’s foreign minister should be allowed back into meetings of the ASEAN regional bloc, Thailand’s top diplomat said on Thursday after a visit to the war-torn country. Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said his meetings with self-appointed president Min Aung Hlaing and others had revealed “a desire on the part of Myanmar to engage, to return to ASEAN”. But he said there was no talk of specific steps. Myanmar has been excluded from high-level meetings of the 11-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) since a 2021 military coup that ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and triggered an ongoing civil war. Thailand has been leading efforts to normalise ties since coup leader Min Aung Hlaing was installed as civilian president earlier this year following elections dismissed by monitors as a charade. “For Thailand, we believe that the next step is to have the foreign minister of Myanmar participate in the ASEAN meetings at the level of foreign minister,” Sihasak told reporters. His comments came ahead of a meeting of ASEAN leaders starting Sunday in the Philippines. Sihasak said he had also raised the “very urgent problem” of water pollution among tributaries of the Mekong River, which straddles five Southeast Asian countries and China, saying a working group would meet later this month. Last week, authorities in northern Thailand suspended tap water production after arsenic levels at the waterworks intake was found to be 30 times higher than the safety standard. More than a dozen villages were affected by the suspension. A subsequent field sample from the nearby Sai River measured arsenic at 25 times the safety standard, the government said. Thai officials previously pinned the toxic sediment on wastewater from mining activity upstream in Myanmar. Sihasak said he also raised the issue of a spillover of violence into Thailand. A decade of reporting at a cost In 2025, we marked the 10th anniversary of Myanmar Now. In Myanmar’s history, journalists are often the first targets during political repression. We founded this outlet during a brief window of stability, starting with a small team in a modest office in downtown Yangon. Our goal was simple: to report on injustices that had been silenced for decades. In many countries, justice is sought through courts and police. In Myanmar, these institutions have historically been instruments of oppression. From the start, we committed to reporting without discrimination—regardless of ethnicity, religion, or citizenship. We believe our work should be accurate, deeply sourced, and strong enough to serve as a historical record. We also believe journalism should be a force for positive change, and that our primary readers should be the people of Myanmar. That belief came at a cost. Members of our team and others associated with Myanmar Now have endured long legal battles, physical assaults, arrests, and torture. Despite these hardships, Myanmar Now continues to report the news—thanks to the resilience of our team, the courage of our sources, and the trust of our readers. Please subscribe to support a free press in Myanmar.