Myanmar ex-junta chief makes first ASEAN outing as civilian leader

YANGON, July 3: Myanmar coup chief turned president Min Aung Hlaing landed in Laos on Friday, officials said, in his first state visit to an ASEAN country since claiming the post of civilian leader.

Min Aung Hlaing plunged Myanmar into civil war in 2021 when he commanded a military coup ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, detaining her and ending a decade-long experiment with democracy.

He ruled directly as military chief for five years before becoming civilian president in April after staging elections blocked from rebel territory, excluding Suu Kyi's party and jailing dissidents.

His new administration is making a push for international legitimacy, analysts say, including in the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc which has largely frozen Myanmar out since the coup.�" AFP