Myanmar Junta Chief Meets Indian, Thai Leaders; UN Says Military Is Choking Aid

Rights Body Also Investigating Ceasefire Violations In Wake Of Deadly Earthquake

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BANGKOK - Myanmar's ostracized junta chief met the leaders of India and Thailand during a regional summit in Bangkok on April 4, as the UN said that his military was limiting humanitarian aid following the earthquake that killed more than 3,100 people amid civil war.

The rare foreign trip by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, shunned by most world leaders since leading a 2021 coup that overthrew an elected government and ignited nationwide conflict, exploits a window that has been opened by the earthquake to ramp up diplomacy.

On the sidelines of the Bimstec summit, Gen Min Aung Hlaing had two-way meetings with Thai Premier Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with recovery from the quake a common topic.

The Bimstec - or Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation - grouping also includes Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan.

With a protracted civil war ravaging Myanmar since the coup, Mr Modi called for a post-earthquake ceasefire in the country of 55 million people to be made permanent, an Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman said.