Myanmar's military-backed leader seeks closer ties on visit to Malaysia as he pivots to diplomacy

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Myanmar’s military-backed leader pressed on with his pivot to diplomacy on a visit to Malaysia, his first since becoming president earlier this year, holding talks Thursday with the country's prime minister and other officials in an effort to boost ties.

But the visit by Min Aung Hlaing, a former military chief inaugurated as president in April after a general election judged by rights groups as designed to cement the military’s hold on power, has not been free of criticism.

The Myanmar leader has also faced pressure from other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the regional bloc known as ASEAN, to end the civil war in his country.

The visit comes just days after nearly 1,500 Myanmar nationals were returned to Myanmar from Malaysia. The United Nations refugee agency and rights groups have slammed the repatriations, saying that the security and humanitarian situation in parts of Myanmar remains volatile, and returnees could face persecution and forced military conscription in an active war zone.

Myanmar’s government is also seeking to restore international ties. Last month, the Trump administration sent a high-level delegation to Myanmar to help secure the release of American businessman Adam Castillo, who was subsequently freed and returned to the United States.

Myanmar’s state-run Global New Light of Myanmar suggested the decision was made to curry favor and maintain friendly relations with Washington.

After landing in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, Min Aung Hlaing sought to reassure Malaysian investors that Myanmar was on a path toward democracy and that his government was working to restore stability, state-run MRTV television reported in its evening news program.

The visit was also Min Aung Hlaing’s fifth to a fellow ASEAN member. Critics and analysts say expanding bilateral engagement could gradually normalize his government’s regional standing — even as ASEAN blocks Myanmar from top-level meetings since the country's 2021 military takeover that triggered an armed resistance.

On Thursday, after an official welcome and honor guard, he met with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who assured him that Kuala Lumpur wanted to strengthen cooperation with Myanmar while continuing to raise concerns over the lack of democratic reforms and ongoing violence.

“We will do whatever is possible to make sure that we enhance this collaboration and ultimately take Myanmar as part of our community of nations without prejudice, and particularly in the context of ASEAN,” Anwar said.

Anwar said bilateral trade had increased by more than 140% year-on-year, while Min Aung Hlaing said Malaysia was Myanmar’s fourth-largest trading partner and ninth-largest investor.

“I firmly believe that enhancing our bilateral economic cooperation will bring highly practical economic benefits and joint opportunities for the people of both countries,” the Myanmar leader said.

Min Aung Hlaing earlier visited Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia in attempts to rebuild regional ties that deteriorated after he ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s government in February 2021 while serving as army chief.

Malaysia has stressed that inviting Min Aung Hlaing, who became president in April following a much-criticized election, does not amount to diplomatic recognition of Myanmar’s government.

The high-profile reception awarded Min Aung Hlaing could help reposition him internationally, said Khoo Ying Hooi, an associate professor in international relations at University Malaya. But she warned that such engagements could weaken ASEAN's leverage to push Myanmar to end its conflict.

“There's a serious contradiction here,” she said. "ASEAN continues to demand progress to end the violence but their collective pressure is already weakened” with bilateral engagement focusing on economic cooperation.

Inside a Kuala Lumpur building on Thursday, a few dozen people gathered as rights groups held a protest against the visit.

“We do not want to see ASEAN nations help him gain his legitimacy,” said Swam Saung, of the Myanmar Affairs Alliance.

Malaysia's prime minister has defended the repatriation policy, saying his country cannot host the undocumented foreign nationals indefinitely and that Myanmar must take responsibility for its citizens.

Anwar said 10,493 Myanmar citizens have so far been returned from Malaysia to Myanmar on flights and naval ships this year, including nearly 1,500 who were returned last week — the first of some 5,000 people who have agreed to be repatriated in stages.

Min Aung Hlaing promised to expedite the process and send a naval vessel to Malaysia to assist with further repatriations. Malaysia says 11,804 Myanmar nationals are still held at detention facilities across Malaysia.

It's unclear if any of the returnees included minority Muslim Rohingya, who are facing persecution in Myanmar and have been denied citizenship.

Malaysia is home to about 215,600 refugees and asylum-seekers registered with UNHCR, including about 126,000 Rohingya who make up one of Southeast Asia’s largest refugee communities. Despite hosting them, Malaysia isn’t a party to the U.N. Refugee Convention and treats refugees as undocumented migrants.

Rohingya have faced growing public hostility in Malaysia because of their increasing numbers, fueled by concerns over jobs, public services and security.

Myanmar's President Min Aung Hlaing inspects an honor guard during a welcoming ceremony ahead of his meeting with Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during his visit at the Prime Minister's Office in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Azneal Ishak, Pool)

Myanmar's President Min Aung Hlaing, left, and Malaysian's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, right, attend a bilateral meeting in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Azneal Ishak, Pool)

Myanmar's President Min Aung Hlaing, left, speaks as Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim listens during a joint press conference following their meeting in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Azneal Ishak, Pool)

Myanmar's President Min Aung Hlaing, left, walks with Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during their meeting in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Azneal Ishak, Pool)

Myanmar's President Min Aung Hlaing speaks during a joint press conference with Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim following their meeting in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Azneal Ishak, Pool)

Erling Haaland and Manchester City's other star players have watched from a distance as the club dealt with the fallout from being found guilty of large-scale financial wrongdoing in the biggest scandal in Premier League history.

Now they have to face the music.

City's first game back after an international window dominated by the explosive verdict in its long-running case with the Premier League comes on Sunday.

And it just had to be at Anfield.

A trip to Liverpool has long been considered the toughest, most fearsome away game of the season by City. It just got even tougher, with Haaland, Rayan Cherki and the rest likely entering a cauldron of hate and anger this weekend.

Liverpool might consider itself the team which suffered most from the slew of financial misdemeanors carried out by City, according to the findings of an independent investigatory panel, between 2009-18 — the period when City's Abu Dhabi ownership was assembling a squad that would later dominate English soccer. Those findings are the subject of an appeal by City, which continues to assert its innocence.

Under former coach Jürgen Klopp, Liverpool won the Premier League in 2020 but the team also finished second to Pep Guardiola's City by one point in the 2018-19 and 2021-22 seasons following memorable title races that raised the bar in terms of points earned and the standard of football played.

What helped City to reach that level was nearly a decade of rule-breaking, the independent panel has found.

So, expect Liverpool fans to be seething inside and outside of Anfield. They'll believe they are owed some titles.

Aside from Phil Foden, who is suspended for the match, no current member of City's squad even played for the club from 2009-18. Enzo Maresca took over as City manager only in June.

Still, they will be the ones bearing the brunt of the widespread discontent from fan bases up and down the country in the coming months.

What will be intriguing is who from City's ownership or board attends the Liverpool game. How much will the matter weigh on the players under the most intense pressure? And what will be the reaction of City's match-going supporters, with the future of their club so uncertain — the potential sanctions include a huge points deduction, even expulsion from the Premier League — and the violations of its ownership clear for all to see in the commission's verdict?

City leads the league on a maximum 15 points from five games — all of which were played when the club was being accused of those financial breaches.

Now the guilty verdict has arrived, it's time to see the impact on the team — and the reaction of its rivals.

The first game back after an extended three-week break for internationals is Arsenal, the defending champion, at home to Leeds on Saturday lunchtime.

Manchester United hosts Tottenham — in last place on two points — in one of five other games on Saturday.

The international window was marked by a raft of injuries to high-profile Premier League players. Now to see how serious they are.

Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo returned to Liverpool for assessment of injuries picked up playing for Sweden and the Netherlands, respectively, and are currently doubts for the Liverpool-City game. So might be Haaland, who asked to be substituted midway through the second half of Norway's final Nations League game, but that might have been because of fatigue.

Kai Havertz, who has been the starting striker for Arsenal this season, was injured in the first of four games played by Germany — though that was two weeks ago now.

Certain to be missing is Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott, who is out for up to eight weeks with a thigh injury sustained on England duty. Scott is a key player in a Bournemouth team without a win so far and heading into its first ever European campaign next week.

Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey also is facing a spell on the sidelines after sustaining a hamstring injury playing for the Netherlands.

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

A satirical billboard aimed at Manchester City is seen in Manchester, England, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Norway's Erling Haaland claps his hands during warmup before the Nations League soccer match between Portugal and Norway in Porto, Portugal, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Luis Vieira)