ISTANBUL

Burmese Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing will attend a regional summit in Thailand as Myanmar battles the aftermath of two devastating earthquakes, Thai PBS reported on Wednesday.

Min Aung Hlaing will visit Bangkok for the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summit on Friday, according to the Thai Foreign Ministry.

The visit, the junta leader's first to Bangkok since the 2021 coup, was initially expected to be canceled after Myanmar was hit by two devastating earthquakes with magnitudes 7.7 and 6.4 on Friday.

According to Myanmar’s State Administration Council information team, the death toll in Myanmar caused by the quakes has reached 2,886, with 4,639 people injured and 373 still missing.

“Min Aung Hlaing’s visit to the 6th Summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is on. He will attend the summit on April 4,” Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Nikorndej Balankura was quoted by Thai PBS as saying.

The spokesman did not specify the duration of the junta leader's stay in Bangkok.

Bangkok is hosting the BIMSTEC summit from Wednesday to Friday. Thailand, Myanmar, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan make up the grouping.