Thai Foreign Minister's Secret Meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi Sparks Controversy and Divides ASEAN

Thailand's Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai revealed yesterday that he held a secret meeting with Myanmar's jailed former leader Aung San Suu Kyi. This makes him the first high-ranking foreign official to meet with her since she was imprisoned by the military in February 2021.

The meeting took place on July 9 and lasted over an hour. Don later confirmed the meeting to reporters, stating that it was an effort by friends of Myanmar to seek a peaceful settlement to the country's conflict. However, the details of the meeting remain undisclosed.

This secret meeting by the Thai Foreign Minister marks the culmination of Thailand's freelance initiative to address the crisis in Myanmar. The initiative began in December and has involved multiple meetings, including two at the ministerial level. Unlike ASEAN, which has excluded the junta's senior leadership from its summits, Thailand has chosen to invite the junta's foreign minister.

This has drawn criticism from within and outside the bloc for marginalizing Indonesia's efforts to implement the bloc's Five-Point Consensus peace plan.

Further details about the meeting came from a report by Kyodo News, which cited a regional diplomatic source saying that Aung San Suu Kyi supports dialogue without preconditions to address the country's ongoing crisis.

However, this optimistic interpretation should be viewed with caution, as the military junta has shown no interest in compromising with those resisting its rule. Since seizing power in 2021, the military has escalated attacks on resistance forces and civilians, disregarding the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus.

The meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi can be seen as an attempt by Myanmar's military administration to split ASEAN, sideline its diplomatic initiative, and legitimize itself. Myanmar's generals understand the significance of Aung San Suu Kyi and granting her access can be viewed as a concession.

This move allows the junta to shift international diplomacy away from forums it finds hostile and toward more sympathetic venues. However, skepticism surrounds the credibility of the meeting and its outcomes. The NUG's foreign minister, Zin Mar Aung, called it "hostage diplomacy" and expressed doubts about its trustworthiness.

Aung San Suu Kyi's personal confirmation of the meeting is crucial for it to be considered a fair record of her views. Without her direct confirmation, it is hard to credit the meeting as a genuine diplomatic exchange. While Thailand's diplomatic initiative may seem like a potential breakthrough, it undermines ASEAN's credibility and erodes trust among its member states.

The initiative has already eroded trust between Thailand and other ASEAN members while complicating Indonesia's efforts to implement the bloc's peace plan. Overall, this episode highlights how the Myanmar crisis continues to undermine ASEAN's diplomatic efforts and strain the relationships among its member states.