Protest as earthquake-hit Myanmar junta chief joins Bangkok summit

Protesters call Myanmar junta chief a "murderer" at Bangkok summit; quake survivors in desperate need of aid.

Protesters displayed a banner calling Myanmar's junta chief a "murderer" as he joined a regional summit in Bangkok on Friday (April 4, 2025), a week after a huge earthquake killed thousands and left desperate survivors pleading for food and shelter.

More than 3,000 people are confirmed dead after the 7.7-magnitude quake and the United Nations estimates that up to three million may have been affected in some way — many left without shelter after their homes were destroyed.

Also read | Ready to help, PM Modi tells Myanmar’s Senior General as his country recovers from earthquake

Many nations have sent aid and rescue teams but there is little sign of Myanmar's ruling military helping survivors on the ground in some of the worst-hit areas.

Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing held talks with leaders from Bay of Bengal littoral nations at a plush Bangkok hotel on Friday.

The decision to invite him drew criticism, and protesters outside the venue hung a banner from a bridge reading: "We do not welcome murderer Min Aung Hlaing."

The latest death toll in Myanmar stands at 3,145, with 4,589 injured and 221 missing, according to state media. In Bangkok, 22 people were killed, most of them crushed when a tower block under construction collapsed.