Bangkok: Thailand's top general extended a welcome to Myanmar's military chief for discussions on Thursday, marking the latter's inaugural foreign trip since assuming office. The visit comes as Myanmar's coup-staging armed forces work to shed their pariah status. According to TRTworld.com, Myanmar's military seized control from an elected government in a 2021 coup, detaining its leader Aung San Suu Kyi and igniting a civil war characterized by widespread accusations of rights abuses. Following five years of isolation, Myanmar's post-coup leadership has embarked on a diplomatic effort, promoting restricted elections held around early 2026 as a step towards normalcy. After these elections, Min Aung Hlaing, who led the coup as the armed forces chief, assumed the civilian presidency, transferring military leadership to his loyal supporter, Ye Win Oo. On Thursday, Thai military chief Ukris Boontanondha received Ye Win Oo at a hotel in Bangkok, with discussions anticipated to focus on the two nations' shared 2,40 0-kilometre border, a region plagued by instability due to the ongoing conflict. Ye Win Oo, a former spymaster for Myanmar's ruling junta, has been sanctioned by countries such as the United States for his involvement in the coup. The civil war is estimated to have resulted in 100,000 fatalities, and the international community remains divided on handling Myanmar since the elections. Democracy watchdogs have criticized the elections as a façade to rebrand military rule, marginalizing Suu Kyi, sidelining her party, and punishing dissenters with imprisonment. Conversely, Thailand is among the neighboring countries that have seized the elections as an opportunity to reset relations with Myanmar, given their shared border concerns. Earlier this month, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul extended a red-carpet welcome to Min Aung Hlaing in Bangkok. Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow defended the decision to host, stating, "It's not about legitimacy, it's about reality." However, the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar, a campaign group, criticized Thailand, stating that "by embracing a warlord, Thailand has torched its credibility." The group further remarked that the decision to welcome Ye Win Oo was "adding to its ignominy." Recently, United Nations investigators reported that the military led by Ye Win Oo is intensifying its aerial assaults on civilian targets. The UN's Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar's annual report also highlighted a pattern of arbitrary detentions, torture, and sexual violence perpetrated by the military. Myanmar's government dismissed the report as "one-sided allegations against Myanmar's security forces based on unverifiable and inaccurate information."