Can war-torn Myanmar finally realise its economic potential?

Rina left Myanmar shortly after the 2021 coup as military violence escalated against pro-democracy protesters like herself and the economy of her country, once a Southeast Asian frontier that had flickered with promise, ground to a virtual halt.

Now in Bangkok, the 21-year-old has found work in a cafe, a regular, albeit low-salaried income, the minimum required by the millions of her age group forced to survive outside a domestic economy in ruins, where civil war has killed an estimated 100,000 people in five years.

But her thoughts on who is to blame for the destruction of her country remain unchanged: Min Aung Hlaing, the junta chief who became civilian president this year after elections in the parts of the country the military controls.

He is currently in the Thai capital basking in the welcome of an official visit to Thailand, following trips to China and India that have offered a diplomatic ladder out from isolation since the coup.

In Bangkok, the welcome included a red carpet, honour guard, gala dinner and a chance to offer business leaders a vision of his civil-war-torn nation as a future regional infrastructure and investment hub – rather than the regional basket case his coup created.

“Min Aung Hlaing is the reason we are living here outside our country. The day he is gone – and the military is defeated – we will go back and we will build our country again,” she told This Week in Asia, giving her nickname to avoid any recriminations.