Irrawaddy-Oct 9
Thailand has postponed a regional summit, to which Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaing has controversially been invited, until next year, citing the need for more time to prepare for the event. Thailand is the current chair of the Bay of Bengal Initiative, a regional organization that links South and Southeast Asian countries on the rim of the Bay of Bengal including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand. It had planned to host the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summit on November 27-30. However, the Pattaya Daily reported on Monday that, according to Kanchana Patarachoke, director-general of the Department of Information and spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thailand has decided to reschedule the 6th BIMSTEC meeting until next year to allow for better preparation. The rescheduling follows a report from Thai PBS World that all BIMSTEC leaders, including Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaing, have been invited to attend the summit. It’s not clear whether the postponement is the result of problems caused by the invitation to the Myanmar regime boss, who has been shunned internationally—including by regional leaders—for his 2021 coup against Myanmar’s democratically elected government and his forces’ atrocities against civilians for rejecting military rule in the country. Thailand’s previous government led by Prime Minister Parayut Chan-o-cha was frequently accused of being too cozy with the junta, but did not invite Min Aung Hlaing to visit the country after his coup. Read more at:
