Myanmar's neighbours grapple with new options as balance of power shifts in the country

BANGKOK/ NEW DELHI – For the first time since Myanmar's 2021 military coup, the junta has sent a senior official to take part in an Asean foreign ministers' meeting. Instead of sitting out the Asean Foreign Ministers' Retreat on Jan 29 because the bloc had barred it from sending a political appointee, the junta dispatched the permanent secretary of the foreign ministry under its control. Few expect the junta's climbdown on Jan 29 to expand any time soon to dialogue that will end the spiralling humanitarian crisis. But the balance of power in Myanmar is slowly shifting, leaving Myanmar's neighbours…