Arakan Journal

The Thai foreign minister says leaders will hold extensive talks on Myanmar’s future in Manila, as the Rohingya crisis remains unaddressed

_{Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow.}

By Arakan Journal Staff – October 23, 2026

Thailand has welcomed renewed US engagement with Myanmar’s military-backed government and expects Southeast Asian leaders to discuss the country’s political future at length at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Manila in November, Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow told Reuters on Friday.

Sihasak, also Thailand’s deputy prime minister, said Washington’s decision to resume engagement could encourage peaceful conflict resolution and reconciliation with opposition groups. He stressed that dialogue should not be read as legitimizing the military-backed authorities. “We don’t want to see Myanmar isolated,” he said, adding that Thailand also does not want the country to become an arena for geopolitical rivalry.

The United States and Myanmar’s military-backed government held talks earlier this month in Tokyo, their second such meeting in a month. Washington had spurned the authorities since the February 2021 coup. The implications for Myanmar’s political crisis and armed conflict are uncertain.

Sihasak also pointed to recent visits by Myanmar’s President Min Aung Hlaing to Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia as a sign of shifting regional engagement. He said it was unclear whether ASEAN leaders would discuss restoring Myanmar’s full representation at the bloc’s high-level meetings. The military authorities have faced restrictions on that participation since the coup because ASEAN says its peace initiative has not been implemented.

ASEAN adopted a five-point consensus in 2021 calling for an end to violence, dialogue among the parties, and humanitarian assistance. The bloc has made little progress on it, and Myanmar’s continuing conflict has complicated its efforts to promote regional stability. Sihasak said the November summit would offer a chance to discuss how to proceed.

More than one million Rohingya refugees remain in Bangladesh, most of whom fled a military crackdown in Rakhine State in 2017. Continued fighting and worsening conditions in parts of Rakhine have further complicated prospects for their safe return.

As reported by Reuters, Sihasak’s remarks did not specifically address the Rohingya or set out new commitments on repatriation. Rohingya advocates have long said diplomacy will be a matter only if it brings concrete improvements in human rights, protection from persecution, and conditions for voluntary, safe, and dignified return.

Source: Reuters.