Thailand offers backing for Myanmar's bid to normalise ASEAN ties

By Panarat Thepgumpanat and Panu Wongcha-um BANGKOK, April 22 (Reuters) - Thailand wants to play a leading role in Myanmar's bid to normalise its ties with Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN after five years on the sidelines, the Thai foreign minister said ahead of a meeting on Wednesday with new President Min Aung Hlaing. Former military chief Min Aung Hlaing led a 2021 coup that ended a decade of tentative democracy in Myanmar and sparked chaos and a civil war, prompting an intervention by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the exclusion of the then ruling generals from its summits. Min Aung Hlaing, 69, was chosen as president by parliament on April 3, formalising his grip on power after a recent election that was dominated by an army-backed party in the absence of viable opposition. "We want to support their return to ASEAN. Our policy is to have steps in our interactions to bring them back," Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow told reporters. "But certainly, for them to return to ASEAN, they must be able to proceed and respond to the concerns from ASEAN." MYANMAR CRISIS A HEADACHE FOR ASEAN The conflict in Myanmar has long frustrated ASEAN, with some members openly critical of the generals for paying only lip service to the bloc's demands for progress on a peace plan that requires all sides to cease hostilities and start dialogue. Myanmar remains part of ASEAN has been represented at top-level meetings by ministerial officials. Few countries have endorsed Myanmar's election or the new military-backed government, with some western nations dismissing the process as a sham designed to entrench the army's control under the guise of civilian rule. The 11-member ASEAN bloc has yet to formally recognise the new government. ASEAN leaders will hold a summit next month in the Philippines. Sihasak welcomed Myanmar's amnesty last week for thousands of prisoners, which included the release of ousted former President Win Myint and a small sentence reduction for Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who was Myanmar's de facto leader at the time of the coup. "We hope that these kinds of actions will take place more going forward, particularly the reduction of violence," he said. "Secondly, we know that there is a demand for humanitarian assistance in Myanmar, how they can open a space for ASEAN or international organisations to go in." In his inauguration address, Min Aung Hlaing said his priority was to promote peace and reconciliation in Myanmar and he would seek to improve international relations and normalise ties with ASEAN. This week he invited opposition armed groups to start dialogue by the end of July, but two key rebel groups rejected the offer on Tuesday. (Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat and Panu Wongcha-um; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by David Stanway)