Myanmar government leaders attended a regional summit in Bangkok on Friday, a week after a massive earthquake destroyed poor war-torn countries, killing more than 3,100 people and sparking calls from UN leaders.

Since leading the 2021 coup, most world leaders have shunned an elected government, and a rare trip by Min Aung Hlaing has taken advantage of the windows opened by the earthquake to increase diplomacy at the events of the Summit in the Thai capital Bimstec.

Off the court, Min Aung Hlaing held a two-way meeting with Thai Prime Minister Paetontarn Shinawatra and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In earthquake recovery efforts, the government chief will talk about “the potential of cooperation…for rescue, relief and rehabilitation”.

The ruling military government said the death toll from a magnitude 7.7 earthquake on Friday was the most powerful earthquake hitting Southeast Asian countries in the first century, climbing to 3,145, with more than 4,500 injured and more than 200 missing.

“The earthquake has already hit hard and the monsoon season is coming,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters on Thursday.

“I call on every effort to turn this tragic moment into an opportunity for the people of Myanmar.”

UN Aid Director Tom Fletcher will arrive in Myanmar on Friday, followed by a visit from UN Special Envoy Julie Bishop.

Rare international travel

State media said Min Aung Hlaing, who led the entourage of Myanmar officials, also met with the Nepalese Prime Minister on Thursday.

Thai government photos show him sitting at the head table between the Bhutanese prime minister and the Sri Lanka’s prime minister during dinner Thursday with the head of the Bimstrek ethnic group.

After X met with Min Aung Hlaing, Modi of India said in an article after X that it introduced collaborations on connectivity, capacity building and infrastructure development in the discussion.

Thai officials said that together with the Thai Prime Minister, government leaders discussed disaster prevention, transnational crime and repatriation scam centers.

The summit is part of Bimstec or a multisectoral technical and economic cooperation initiative in the Bay of Bengal, which will form Thailand, Myanmar, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan.

Even before the earthquake, the civil war in Myanmar suffered from the expulsion of the government of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi.

It weakened the major agricultural economy, driven more than 3.5 million people from home and undermined essential services such as health care.

Myanmar’s neighbors, such as China, India and Southeast Asian countries, are countries that send relief supplies and rescue workers to help restore efforts in earthquake areas where approximately 28 million people live.

Extreme heat and predictive heavy rains may lead to open camping for earthquake survivors as cholera has increased risk in such areas, namely the capitals of Mandalay, Sagaing and Naypyitaw.

“Response efforts still face significant logistical challenges … hindering relief response,” the World Food Programme said Thursday. It said the obstacles range from debris and damaged roads and facilities to telecommunications damage.

This week, the junta called a temporary ceasefire in an operation against armed opponents from Wednesday to April 22, reflecting the moves of a major rebel coalition and the shadow government of Myanmar that grouped part of the previous government.