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PRIME MINISTER Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has reiterated that informal advisers to the Asean chair are chosen purely for their expertise in regional and international affairs, particularly regarding the complex situation in Myanmar.
“These individuals have long-standing experience in managing regional and international issues,” Anwar said in a written parliamentary reply. “They also offered their services and expertise on the basis of friendship among Asean member states.”
He explained that formal background checks were unnecessary, as those appointed had “previously held the highest positions in their respective countries, especially in matters of international relations.”
Anwar’s remarks were delivered in a written parliamentary reply in response to a question from Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim (PN–Arau), who asked whether the government conducted any vetting before appointing informal advisers and sought clarity on their actual role and necessity on Tuesday.
The spotlight has focused on former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whom Malaysia appointed to its informal advisory group last December during its Asean chairmanship, a role that has continued to attract attention since the chairmanship passed to the Philippines.
Thaksin, who served as Thailand’s prime minister from 2001 to 2006, returned from self-exile in August 2023 after evading jail following his ousting in a 2006 military coup.
He subsequently spent six months under hospital detention for medical reasons and was released on parole in February 2024.
Prior to his advisory appointment, Thaksin reportedly engaged with factions opposing Myanmar’s military junta, meeting representatives from the National Unity Government (NUG), which has coordinated resistance efforts since the 2021 coup, according to a Myanmar news outlet report dated 6 May 2024.
Anwar himself has taken an active role in Myanmar-related diplomacy. In April 2024, he met with junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing in Bangkok, describing the encounter as conducted “under an Asean mandate.”
The meeting, the first by an Asean chair since the 2021 coup, was intended to negotiate a ceasefire and support humanitarian relief efforts following the catastrophic earthquake that struck Myanmar on 28 March 2024. - November 26, 2025
Anwar Ibrahim, Asean, Thaksin Shinawatra, Myanmar, Diplomacy, Parliament
