{"id":10078,"date":"2026-09-12T22:22:18","date_gmt":"2026-09-12T15:52:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moemaka.net\/eng\/?p=10078"},"modified":"2026-09-12T22:22:18","modified_gmt":"2026-09-12T15:52:18","slug":"myanmar-military-leader-min-aung-hlaing-visits-cambodia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moemaka.net\/eng\/2026\/09\/myanmar-military-leader-min-aung-hlaing-visits-cambodia\/","title":{"rendered":"Myanmar Military Leader Min Aung Hlaing Visits Cambodia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Myanmar Spring Chronicle \u2013 Scenes from<\/em> September 11<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

(MoeMaKa), September 11, 2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Myanmar Military Leader Min Aung Hlaing Visits Cambodia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Myanmar military leader Min Aung Hlaing, who assumed the presidency a few days before the Thingyan holiday in early April, has now made official visits to eight countries in just over five months since taking the post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the military seized power in February 2021, Min Aung Hlaing has held various positions\u2014including chairman of the military council, prime minister, and acting president\u2014under arrangements largely determined by the military leadership itself. During this period, he has traveled to India, China, Laos, Thailand, Russia, Belarus and Vietnam. On September 11 and 12, he is visiting Cambodia, an ASEAN member state in Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His first official overseas trip after becoming president was to India. India is not only Myanmar\u2019s neighbor but also one of the world\u2019s largest economies and most populous countries, and is often described as the world\u2019s largest democracy by population. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally invited Min Aung Hlaing after his transition from a military leadership position to the presidency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fact that the world\u2019s most populous democracy was among the first to officially receive Myanmar\u2019s military leader effectively opened the door for some other neighboring and regional countries to extend similar invitations. Thailand, which had not formally invited him as a national leader throughout the years following the 2021 coup, also did so after his visits to India and China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

China, meanwhile, has continued to support Min Aung Hlaing\u2019s military government largely because of Myanmar\u2019s geopolitical importance. Myanmar provides China with an alternative energy corridor through the Kyaukphyu\u2013Kunming oil and gas pipelines, while additional infrastructure, including planned railway connections, could further strengthen those strategic links. Beijing appears to believe that supporting the strongest central governing force in Myanmar serves China\u2019s national interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The official invitations extended to Min Aung Hlaing by India and China shortly after he became president can therefore also be viewed as encouraging some other countries in the region to resume more normalized relations with his government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cambodia is the eighth country Min Aung Hlaing has officially visited. During the trip, he met Hun Sen, who remains Cambodia\u2019s most influential political leader, and Hun Sen\u2019s son, Prime Minister Hun Manet. According to statements from Min Aung Hlaing\u2019s government, discussions included restoring Myanmar\u2019s previous rights and role within ASEAN and seeking Cambodia\u2019s continued support for Myanmar at the United Nations and the International Labour Organization (ILO).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reports also said Min Aung Hlaing expressed a desire to exchange information and cooperate in combating online scams, online gambling and transnational crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This issue is particularly noteworthy because Myanmar and Cambodia are among the major centers in Southeast Asia for online scam operations commonly known by the Chinese term kyar phyant. In Myanmar, numerous ethnic armed organizations\u2014both allied and non-allied with the government\u2014operate in areas where scam compounds have flourished, with some armed groups accused of providing protection for these operations. Cambodia has similarly seen extensive scam operations, particularly in areas along the Thai border and in coastal cities such as Sihanoukville.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike Myanmar, however, Cambodia has no major armed forces outside the state military and is not experiencing a civil war. The ability of large scam syndicates to operate there therefore raises questions about weak law enforcement and whether officials at different levels of government may be involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year and earlier this year, border disputes between Thailand and Cambodia led to armed clashes between the two countries. After mediation involving ASEAN and the United States resulted in ceasefires, Thai authorities said there was evidence that scam syndicates had also been operating in some of the affected border areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Myanmar and Cambodia therefore share the distinction of being among Southeast Asia\u2019s largest centers for scam syndicates. Both governments have faced questions over whether government officials or senior figures within their security forces may have some form of involvement with these networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Min Aung Hlaing\u2019s official visit to Cambodia may consequently be regarded as a diplomatic achievement for his government. At the same time, critics are likely to point to the uncomfortable fact that the leaders of two countries widely associated with major online scam operations are discussing cooperation against those very crimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cambodia has previously attempted to bring Myanmar\u2019s military government back into full participation in ASEAN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than four years ago, when Cambodia held the rotating ASEAN chairmanship, Hun Sen\u2014who had ruled Cambodia for decades\u2014tried to facilitate Myanmar\u2019s return to full representation within the regional bloc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In January 2022, Hun Sen traveled to Naypyidaw and met Min Aung Hlaing in an effort to pave the way for Myanmar\u2019s military council to participate again in ASEAN meetings. However, Myanmar\u2019s military leadership failed to implement even meaningful portions of ASEAN\u2019s Five-Point Consensus and maintained a hardline position. As a result, Hun Sen\u2019s efforts produced no significant breakthrough before Cambodia\u2019s ASEAN chairmanship ended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hun Sen eventually appeared to conclude that Myanmar\u2019s military leadership prioritized gaining the upper hand in the domestic war over improving its international diplomatic position. He ended his efforts with remarks essentially suggesting that if Myanmar\u2019s own stakeholders were not concerned enough about their country\u2019s future to resolve the crisis, there was little that outsiders could do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those were Cambodia\u2019s diplomatic experiences with Myanmar roughly four years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The situation is different in 2026. Following an election and Min Aung Hlaing\u2019s assumption of the presidency, Cambodia has now invited the military leader for an official visit. The question to watch is whether Cambodia\u2019s leaders will have any greater success this time in persuading Myanmar\u2019s military leadership to change its approach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Myanmar Spring Chronicle \u2013 Scenes from September 11 (MoeMaKa), September 11, 2026 Myanmar Military Leader Min Aung Hlaing Visits Cambodia Myanmar military leader Min Aung Hlaing, who assumed the presidency a few days before the Thingyan holiday in early April,…<\/p>\n

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