Thailand hopes to be 'bridge' for Myanmar and ASEAN

BANGKOK - Thailand hopes to bring Myanmar back into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) nearly five years after a military coup, Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said on Wednesday after meeting his Myanmar counterpart.

"Thailand wants to be a bridge connecting Myanmar back to ASEAN," Sihasak told reporters, also urging a civil war-ravaged Myanmar, to make moves to adhere to a long-standing ASEAN plan to restore stability.

"Myanmar must help Thailand as well by responding to ASEAN’s concerns, such as starting a dialogue process, which is a good thing; reducing violence; avoiding attacks on civilians," Sihasak said, promising that "Thailand will show a leading role" in the process.

Sihasak and Myanmar Foreign Minister Than Swe held talks in southern Thailand. Than Swe did not speak after the bilateral meeting.

The 11-nation ASEAN grouping has excluded Myanmar's top junta leaders from its main summit since shortly after a military coup in 2021 that toppled the first democratic administration in half a century and sparked nationwide conflict and repression.

Military-run Myanmar held a three-phased election from December to January, the first after the coup. A military-backed party was declared the winner in the election in limited areas, a vote criticised by the United Nations and rights groups.

Thailand potentially has more at stake in Myanmar than any other ASEAN member, as it shares a 2,400-km (1,500-mile) border that is also Myanmar's longest with any neighbor.

Than Swe was Myanmar's ambassador to the United States in 2012 and later rose after coup to serve as deputy prime minister and foreign minister.

-Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng, Orathai Sriring and Panarat Thepgumpanant, Editing by Andrei Khalip/Reuters