Hun Sen to visit Myanmar for first time since coup

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Hun Sen to visit Myanmar for first time since coup

The Cambodian strongman Hun Sen will be in Myanmar for talks in January, becoming the first international leader to visit the country since the military seized power in a coup.

Myanmar has been in a lot of chaos since the generals ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian government in February.

Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia for over three decades, pledged on Monday to work with the Myanmar junta despite widespread international efforts to put diplomatic pressure on the military.

Myanmar Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin had talks with Hun Sen in Phnom Penh on Tuesday, where he formally extended the invitation.

Eang Sophalleth, spokesman for the Cambodian prime minister, said the visit was scheduled for January 7 and 8th.

The invitation comes as Cambodia tries to bring Myanmar back into the fold of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ASEAN after a humiliating snub by the regional bloc.

In an unprecedented move for a group often criticised for its toothlessness, ASEAN has barred junta chief Min Aung Hlaing from its October summit after it refused to let the bloc's envoy meet Suu Kyi.

Hun Sen said that the Myanmar leader had the right to attend summits if Cambodia takes over ASEAN's rotating chairmanship next year.

The junta, which calls itself the State Administration Council, has been an international pariah this year, with more than 1,300 killed and thousands arrested in a brutal crackdown on dissent, according to a local monitor.

Suu Kyi was sentenced to two years of detention for incitement against the military and breaching coronavirus rules on Monday, drawing fresh condemnation from around the world.

Diplomatic pressure hasn't shown signs of knocking the military regime off course.

Suu Kyi faces a raft of other charges that could lead to her being jailed for decades if convicted, as the coup has justified by alleging electoral fraud in last year's election.