Asean explores ‘tentative’ Myanmar re-engagement with virtual talks

Asean explores ‘tentative’ Myanmar re-engagement with virtual talksVirtual talks may offer a ‘sensible middle ground’ for reconciliation after Myanmar’s years in the political wilderness, analysts say3-MIN READ3-MIN0ListenPublished: 5:07pm, 12 May 2026A planned virtual meeting between Southeast Asian foreign ministers and Myanmar’s junta-appointed representative has analysts predicting a potential normalisation of ties five years after the coup that first caused them to rupture.Asean Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn confirmed on Thursday on the sidelines of the 11-member regional bloc’s summit in the Philippines that a meeting was expected “in the very near future”.Myanmar’s military-backed government has been frozen out of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ top-level meetings since February 2021, when General Min Aung Hlaing’s forces seized power, plunging the country into a civil war that rights groups estimate has killed more than 7,000 civilians.Select VoiceSelect Speed0.8x0.9x1.0x1.1x1.2x1.5x1.75x00:0000:001.00x