Investment, energy sector talks to dominate Myanmar junta leader’s visit to Thailand

Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing will discuss investment, trade, border stability, and energy cooperation during his two-day visit to Thailand beginning on August 6, according to the regime, with Thailand’s continued role in Myanmar’s gas sector expected to be high on the agenda. Min Aung Hlaing arrived in Bangkok on Thursday morning, where he was welcomed by Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul at an official welcoming ceremony at Government House. Later on Thursday, Min Aung Hlaing and Anutin are expected to attend the Thailand–Myanmar Business Partnership 2026 forum at Bangkok's Queen Sirikit National Convention Center. According to an invitation circulated by the organisers, the event will bring together senior government officials, business leaders, investors, financial institutions and chambers of commerce from both countries to promote economic cooperation, investment and public-private dialogue. The programme includes keynote addresses by both leaders and panel discussions on Myanmar's business environment, expanding bilateral commercial partnerships and strengthening connectivity between Thailand and Myanmar. The visit comes less than a week after the junta signed a Domestic Gas Supply Agreement (DGSA) with Thailand’s PTTEP International Limited for gas from the M-3 offshore block, also known as the Aung Theinkha project. The regime says production is expected to begin in late 2028, with the gas earmarked for domestic electricity generation and fertiliser production. Junta spokesperson Khaing Khaing Soe told Myanmar Now that ministers from relevant ministries accompany Min Aung Hlaing and that energy would be among the sectors discussed, although she declined to provide details. The agreement reinforces PTTEP’s long-standing position as one of the largest foreign investors in Myanmar’s offshore gas industry. Gas exports have remained one of the junta’s biggest sources of foreign currency since the 2021 coup. Ahead of the visit, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said Thailand supports renewed engagement with Myanmar through dialogue while continuing to recognise ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus as the framework for addressing the country’s crisis. He said such engagement should encourage practical progress while responding to realities on the ground. Independent human rights advocacy group, Justice For Myanmar (JFM), however, urged Thailand to end what it described as complicity in the junta’s international crimes. The group said PTTEP’s continued partnership with the junta-controlled Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise helps generate revenue for the military, while payments routed through foreign currency accounts in Thai banks allow the regime continued access to the international financial system despite sanctions on Myanmar state-owned banks. JFM called on Thailand to cut financial and energy ties that it says sustain the junta’s operations. The visit has also drawn criticism from Thai lawmaker Kannavee Suebsang. In a social media post, he said there were no signs the Myanmar military regime had changed course after more than five years of mass killings and forcing millions of people to flee, many of them into neighbouring countries, particularly Thailand. Rohingya activist Tun Khin, president of the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK), also condemned the visit. Ahead of Min Aung Hlaing’s arrival, BROUK asked the Argentinian judiciary to seek the junta chief’s extradition from Thailand under an arrest warrant issued by an Argentine court in 2025. Tun Khin said Thai authorities should cooperate with Argentina to arrest and extradite Min Aung Hlaing to stand trial on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity, rather than welcome him on an official visit.

Investment, energy sector talks to dominate Myanmar junta leader’s visit to Thailand

The visit comes as rights groups accuse Thailand of helping sustain the junta through energy revenues and access to the international banking system

Subscribe for full access

Her parents gone, a Myanmar student prays for the return of a father lost in conflict

Rakhine State floods put AA administration to its biggest test yet

When the people are the enemy: Why Myanmar’s resistance is not giving up

After 100 days of ‘civilian’ rule, Myanmar remains a bastion of oppression

Subscribe for full access

Related Articles

Wa delegation holds talks with Myanmar junta as analysts see possible political concessions

Imprisoned NLD member’s health worsens after regime denies breast cancer treatment for almost one year

Fighting intensifies as Myanmar junta pushes into former DKBA territory near Myawaddy

Chin resistance group dismisses chairman over unauthorised talks with Myanmar junta