PHNOM PENH: Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing will pay an official visit to the Cambodia in early September “to strengthen bilateral relations”. The visit comes after trips to Russia, China, India and Thailand, among others, which many have described as an attempt to gain international recognition as Myanmar’s legitimate leader.
The news of the visit was confirmed by the Senate, with Kuy Sophal, Minister of the Royal Palace and Chin Ketna, permanent deputy chairman and secretary-general of the National Committee for Organising National and International Festivals, inspecting potential venues to welcome Min Aung Hlaing.
Chea Thyrith, spokesperson for the Senate president, told The Post that the Myanmar leader’s visit is “to strengthen the friendship between Cambodia and Myanmar”.
“Cooperation between the two countries is necessary and mutually beneficial,” he added.
Min Aung Hlaing’s foreign visits often draw criticism from human rights groups and democracy advocates, because under his leadership, Myanmar has reportedly committed human rights abuses, notably the coup that overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021 and her detention, which has prompted Asean to exclude Myanmar from summit meetings to date.
Thousands of human rights activists and dissidents have reportedly been detained.
Critics see Min Aung Hlaing’s foreign tours as an attempt to legitimise him as Myanmar’s civilian leader. He was elected president in April, in an election widely criticised as a sham.
Since the election, Min Aung Hlaing has already visited five countries: India, China, Laos, Thailand and Russia.
Kin Phea, president of the International Relations Institute of Cambodia, suggested that the visit could be a two-way effort to strengthen relations between the two countries. He noted that Cambodia had tried to help ease the situation in Myanmar when Cambodia held the Asean chairmanship in 2022.
“This is part of an effort to strengthen Min Aung Hlaing’s legitimacy and power as president, just as he has visited other countries,” he added.
He highlighted that Cambodia could also share lessons from its own past efforts in reconciliation, national unity and peace-building, while acknowledging that such efforts will require action within Myanmar itself, rather than pressure from external actors.
“Whether countries officially recognise this as a state visit is a separate matter, because within Asean, it depends on the five-point consensus. The implementation of this agreement is a determining factor in allowing Myanmar to return to the summit, and will not be determined by Cambodia or any other countries that the Myanmar leader visits,” he added. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
