Malaysia becomes the fifth ASEAN country to host Myanmar's President, with Anwar Ibrahim backing reintegration into the bloc

8 October 2026

Min Aung Hlaing was received in Kuala Lumpur with an honour guard, making Malaysia the fifth ASEAN country to host him since he took office as President in April 2026. He had already visited Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, and his office said Indonesia and Brunei could follow. Malaysia said the invitation did not amount to recognition and was meant to settle the long-standing question of Myanmar refugees and migrants in the country. After an official luncheon, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Myanmar would take its nationals back at its own cost and pledged to help bring Myanmar back into ASEAN. Malaysia hosts about 193,000 Myanmar nationals, most of them Rohingya. Min Aung Hlaing said he would send navy ships to carry people home. ASEAN, now an 11-member bloc, has kept him out of its high-level meetings because the Five Point Consensus has not been carried out; the Philippines is the current chair and Singapore the incoming one. Since April he has also travelled to India, China, Russia and Belarus.