Myanmar coup leader Min Aung Hlaing has formed a new ASEAN Affairs Committee to “regain the country’s original role and rights” in the regional bloc, which continues to bar his regime from summits months after it rebranded as an “elected” government.
The committee’s inaugural meeting on Tuesday was chaired by Foreign Minister Tin Maung Swe, with representatives from the President’s Office and ministries of Defense, Home Affairs, Information, and Social Welfare also in attendance.
While the Foreign Ministry normally serves as the focal point for international relations, the new body includes the defense and home affairs ministries, underscoring the junta’s bid to institutionalize its efforts to reintegrate into the regional bloc.
Reintegration is crucial for coup leader Min Aung Hlaing, who is seeking international legitimacy after installing himself as president in April following an election widely denounced as a sham by Western nations and rights groups.
While individual members including Thailand have recognized Min Aung Hlaing’s presidency, ASEAN as a whole remains divided, prompting continuous regime demands for full integration as a “legitimate elected government.”
Tin Maung Swe told the meeting that Myanmar had suffered “discriminatory treatment” since 2021, when ASEAN excluded Min Aung Hlaing from top-level meetings for ignoring its Five‑Point Consensus agreed in Jakarta. The bloc’s peace plan calls for an immediate end to violence, dialogue among all parties, and humanitarian access—conditions the junta has refused to meet.
Tuesday’s meeting came just weeks ahead of the next ASEAN Summit in Manila. Since assuming the presidency, Min Aung Hlaing has made official visits to five bloc members, securing support for Myanmar’s reintegration from Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Malaysia. Analysts say the committee was formed in an effort to win over the remaining five members.
“The regime is attempting to win a majority consensus through bilateral engagement with individual member states,” said political analyst Htin Kyaw Aye.
“The committee is designed for this purpose. But it remains difficult for ASEAN to allow Myanmar’s return while there is no visible progress on the Five-Point Consensus.”
Since assuming office in April, the pseudo-civilian regime has dismissed the Five-Point Consensus as a non-binding declaration, before formally rejecting the peace deal through its rubber-stamp parliament.
The regime said Tuesday’s meeting tabled “Myanmar‑led approaches” to restore the country’s role in ASEAN—a statement reiterating defiance of the Five-Point Consensus spearheaded by an ongoing military campaign that has killed over 8,500 civilians since the coup.
While rights groups warn that countries hosting Min Aung Hlaing risk legitimizing a regime still committing atrocities, others have different views after more than five years of isolation has delivered no results.
Former Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida told Nikkei Asia on October 12 that Japan should help Myanmar rejoin ASEAN. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. recently hailed Min Aung Hlaing’s visits to fellow ASEAN countries as part of a “new approach” to resolving the country’s crisis. Meanwhile, Brunei and Indonesia plan to invite Min Aung Hlaing for official visits, according to junta spokeswoman Khaing Khaing Soe, leaving only Timor-Leste and Singapore standing firm against the regime.
As the bloc’s newest member, Timor-Leste has backed Myanmar’s pro-democracy movement while initiating legal action against the military regime in February over alleged war crimes. Meanwhile Singapore, which will take over the rotating chairmanship at year-end, recently affirmed that there can be “no political representation” for Myanmar at ASEAN meets.
Mon Mon Myat, a lecturer in the Department of Peace Studies at Thailand’s Payap University, said: “It appears that the Philippines wants to reintegrate Myanmar into the bloc before Singapore takes the chair next year. ASEAN countries that are stepping up their diplomatic engagement with Myanmar regime must exercise extra caution to avoid legitimizing war criminals.”
She added that ASEAN must set clear rules for accountability if the regime refuses to obey the Five-Point Consensus.
“Otherwise, the regime may secure full legitimacy as a leader of an ASEAN nation.”