Thai Civil Society Groups Protest Min Aung Hlaing in Bangkok – Demand Severance of Ties with Military Council

Thai civil society groups gathered in protest against Myanmar military leader Min Aung Hlaing in Bangkok, while also condemning the Thai government for inviting him to the BIMSTEC meeting. The demonstrations took place in front of the Myanmar embassy under military council control in Bangkok on April 5th, where protesters issued a strong statement denouncing the Thai government’s decision to invite Min Aung Hlaing to an international conference. The protesters emphasized that Min Aung Hlaing is responsible for violence and killings against Myanmar civilians, and argued that inviting such an individual to an international gathering was inappropriate.

Earlier that morning, confrontations occurred near the UN office in Bangkok when Thai nationalist groups attempted to attack civil society groups who were planning to protest against Min Aung Hlaing. The situation led to scuffles, requiring intervention from Thai police forces. According to Ko Ye Min, a Myanmar labor rights activist in Thailand, the police protected the protesters from violent attacks by nationalist groups without making any arrests. The police escorted the demonstrators to safety rather than taking punitive action against them.

Thai ultra-nationalist groups shouted at the protesters, telling them to go back to Myanmar if they wanted to protest and not to demonstrate in Thailand. However, Thai civil society organizations continued their demonstration, calling on the Thai government to change its stance on recognizing the military council. The civil society groups demanded that the Thai government take action to stop the crimes being committed against Myanmar’s people and sever all relations with the military council. They emphasized that maintaining diplomatic ties with a regime that continues to perpetrate violence against its own people was unacceptable and urged their government to take a stronger stance in support of Myanmar’s civilians.