ASEAN envoy meets Myanmar junta, ethnic armed groups in Thailand as NUG questions exclusion

The Philippines’ foreign affairs secretary, acting as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) special envoy to Myanmar, held separate talks in Thailand this week with representatives of Myanmar’s military junta and five ethnic armed organisations, but did not include officials from the National Unity Government (NUG), drawing criticism from the shadow administration. Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro met the junta’s foreign minister, Tin Maung Swe, in Bangkok on July 12 before travelling to Pattaya the following day for discussions with representatives of the armed groups, along with the junta’s National Solidarity and Peacemaking Negotiation Committee. The groups that took part in the talks were the Karen National Union (KNU), the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), the Chin National Front (CNP), the New Mon State Party, and the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army. Thailand’s foreign minister also attended the Pattaya meeting. According to a statement issued on Tuesday by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, participants discussed advancing a national political dialogue that would allow all stakeholders in Myanmar to participate. Lazaro also discussed implementation of ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus during her meeting with Tin Maung Swe, the department said. Speaking to the Bilyonaryo News Channel, Lazaro described the discussions as candid and “very important,” saying it was the first time she had met senior representatives of the ethnic armed organisations in her role as ASEAN special envoy. “With the presence of these high-level officials, there is a possibility of certain commitments which we are pursuing,” Lazaro said, without providing further details. Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro, centre, stands with fellow ASEAN foreign ministers in Bangkok on July 12 (Photo: Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro / X) The meetings come as ASEAN continues to seek a diplomatic role in resolving the civil war that has gripped Myanmar since the military seized power in a 2021 coup that ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. The NUG, a shadow government formed by lawmakers removed in the coup and allied with resistance forces, criticised its exclusion from the talks. NUG Foreign Minister Zin Mar Aung questioned whether the meetings were intended to advance ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus or instead support the junta’s own peace initiative. She also suggested Thailand’s interests, including border and energy security, could be influencing the diplomatic effort. “If they want to find an answer for long-lasting peace in Myanmar, these meetings, which discriminate and deal selectively, will not be able to provide the answer,” Zin Mar Aung said. “If they talk about an all-inclusive dialogue, the NUG cannot be left out.” Myanmar Now sought comment from Thailand’s Foreign Ministry, as well as from the ethnic armed organisations that took part in the talks, but had not received responses by Tuesday evening. The KNU, the KNPP, and the CNF are among the ethnic armed organisations currently fighting Myanmar’s military. The exclusion of the NUG contrasts with diplomatic efforts under Malaysia’s ASEAN chairmanship in April 2025, when Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim held separate meetings with representatives of both Myanmar’s military authorities and NUG Prime Minister Mahn Winn Khaing Than. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, left, holds a teleconference meeting with NUG Prime Minister Mahn Winn Khaing Than on April 18, 2025 (Photo: NUG) Meanwhile, China has stepped up its own engagement with ethnic armed groups along Myanmar’s northern border. A source close to the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), also known as the Kokang Army, told Myanmar Now that senior leaders were summoned to Kunming in late June, where Chinese officials urged them to participate in peace talks proposed by Myanmar’s military regime as part of a 100-day initiative announced by junta leader Min Aung Hlaing. The source said discussions focused primarily on the proposed peace talks and cross-border trade but declined to say how the MNDAA responded. Chinese authorities have also encouraged other border-based armed groups, including the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the United Wa State Army, the National Democratic Alliance Army, and the Kachin Independence Army, to participate in the junta’s peace initiative, according to reports. TNLA spokesperson Lway Yay Oo said the group had not received any official instructions regarding the reported discussions. China has increasingly played a role in efforts to manage Myanmar’s conflict, particularly after the Brotherhood Alliance's Operation 1027 offensive and the subsequent capture of the military’s Northeastern Command, pressing armed groups to engage in ceasefire and peace negotiations

ASEAN envoy meets Myanmar junta, ethnic armed groups in Thailand as NUG questions exclusion

The move contrasts with Malaysia’s diplomatic engagement with the NUG during its ASEAN chairmanship last year

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