Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaing is scheduled to travel to Cambodia on September 11 and 12. According to Senate spokesperson Chea Thyrith, the visit is intended to bolster bilateral ties between the two nations.

The trip has drawn scrutiny from political analysts who fear the visit could inadvertently provide legitimacy to the military regime that seized power in a 2021 coup. Since the ousting of the democratically elected government, ASEAN has excluded Min Aung Hlaing from high-level summits, demanding that the junta adhere to the bloc's Five-Point Consensus, which calls for an end to violence, humanitarian access, and inclusive political dialogue.

Sophal Ear, a professor at Arizona State University, cautioned that while the visit may not constitute formal state recognition, it risks normalizing the junta's position. He suggested that Phnom Penh must explicitly clarify that any engagement does not supersede the ASEAN framework. "If the visit is mainly ceremonial, it will be much harder to argue that Cambodia is strengthening ASEAN diplomacy rather than helping Myanmar circumvent it," Sophal stated.

Advertisement

Independent analyst Seng Vanly echoed these concerns, noting that a full state welcome without addressing the ongoing political repression in Myanmar could be perceived as an endorsement of the junta. He urged the Cambodian government to use the opportunity to advocate for dialogue with all relevant stakeholders in Myanmar rather than focusing solely on military-backed authorities.

Government spokesperson Pen Bona declined to provide a comment regarding the visit, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs could not be reached for further information.

Source: CamboJA News