Min Aung Hlaing,the leader of Myanmar's military junta, made a rare trip abroad on Thursday when he traveled to Bangkok, Thailand, to meet other Asian leaders in the aftermath of a massive earthquake that rattled the region last week.

The devastation of the event and the toll it that it took on impoverished Myanmar prompted UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to issue a plea for international aid.

Myanmar has been largely cut off from the rest of the world since its military overthrew the elected government of Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in a February 2021 coup.

The devastation of last week's earthquake has opened a potential diplomatic window for Min Aung Hlaing, who is attending the BIMSTEC summit, where he has conducted bilateral meetings with Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

BIMSTEC, or the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, consists of members Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Min Aung Hlaing is being accompanied by an entourage of military officials.

Myanmar state media has reported that Min Aung Hlaing will address, "the potential for cooperation… to carry out rescue, relief and rehabilitation."

On Friday, Myanmar's junta released updated casualty numbers from last Friday's quake — which registered magnitude 7.7, one of the strongest to hit the Southeast Asian nation in a century — confirming that 3,145 people have been killed, more than 4,500 injured, and more than 200 remain missing.

Before the earthquake hit, Myanmar was suffering from the social and economic devastation of four years of civil war, with more than 3.5 million people forced to flee the country as its agrarian economy is driven into the ground. The country is also rife with political and ethnic repression.

"The earthquake has supercharged the suffering, with the monsoon season just around the corner," UN boss Antonio Guterres told reporters on Thursday, referring to the civil strife has has plagued the country since the coup, "I appeal for every effort to transform this tragic moment into an opportunity for the people of Myanmar."

The UN has dispatched its aid boss, Tom Fletcher, who will arrive in Myanmar on Friday; as well as UN Special Myanmar Envoy Julie Bishop, who is scheduled to arrive within the coming days.

The spirit of international outreach was expressed by India's Modi, who tweeted: "India is doing whatever is possible to assist our sisters and brothers of Myanmar in this critical time," adding, "We also discussed bilateral relations between India and Myanmar, particularly in sectors like connectivity, capacity building, infrastructure development and more." 

As the region's monsoon season heats up, fears have grown over the spread of diseases such as cholera among those who have lost their homes and are now in relief camps. Several of Myanmar's neighbors, most prominently China and India, have dispatched rescue teams to the country to assist in the recovery effort.

The World Food Program on Thursday said that debris and road damage meant that "Response efforts still face significant logistical challenges ... hampering the relief response." 

Until now, Min Aung Hlaing has limited post-coup travel to allied countries like China, Russia or Belarus. The trip to Bangkok is only his second to a non-aligned country since he attended a regional summit in Indonesia in 2021.

Opponents at home have criticized Min Aung Hlaing's inclusion at the summit, with the shadow National Unity Government (NUG) saying he does not represent Myanmar. The NUG was created by elected Myanmar lawmakers removed from their posts by the junta.

The NUG called for Thailand to revoke its invitation.

Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied that the invitation tarnished Bangkok's reputation. Ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura said Friday, "I think the inverse would occur if we don't adhere to what the charter says and enshrined in the charter it says that Thailand has the responsibility to invite the leaders of all BIMSTEC countries."

Min Aung Hlaing and his entourage were greeted with chanting and banners denouncing them as murderers when they arrived in Bangkok. A massive sign along suspended from a freeway bridge along the route to the summit read, "We do not welcome murderer Min Aung Hlaing." 

Min Aung Hlaing is under multiple global sanctions and the International Criminal Court (ICC) is seeking an arrest warrant for him for alleged crimes against humanity committed against Rohingya Muslims.

Despite the devastation of the earthquake, Myanmar's military continued its ongoing bombing campaign until Wednesday, when it declared a ceasefire that will continue until April 22. The decision was announced after rebel groups had declared that they would cease fighting to allow aid distribution.

In cities like Sagaing, which is close to the quake's epicenter, desperately needed aid has been slow to arrive, adding to the chaos of the situation.

Nearly 80% Sagaing's buildings were destroyed in the incident, leaving survivors to sleep on the streets. Reporters from AFP described what they said were scenes of chaos when aid trucks carrying water, oil, rice and other necessities arrived. In Mandalay, a tent city was erected on the site of a dusty dump.

Though regional governments have welcomed the pause in fighting, the campaign group Justice for Myanmar fears the international thaw, "legitimizes and emboldens a military junta that the people of Myanmar have been fighting for over four years."

Edited by: Wesley Dockery