A week after an earthquake flattened central Myanmar, the country’s shunned dictator swapped his green army uniform for a neat black suit and headed to Bangkok.

It was a diplomatic triumph for General Min Aung Hlaing. Since seizing power four years ago and plunging his country into a civil war he has been treated as pariah on the international stage, with overseas trips only to China and Russia, his key backers.

But on Thursday he was welcomed into Thailand for the first time since 2021, where he rubbed shoulders with leaders from India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal at a summit of countries from the Bay of Bengal. Disaster management was on the agenda.

The trip exploits a window opened by the earthquake to ramp up diplomacy, and is a major moment for a man who has long desired legitimacy on the international stage.

Yet at home, his position is weaker than ever.