Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations gathered to discuss the Five-Point Consensus the bloc agreed to in April 2021, two months after Myanmar’s military seized power

BANGKOK — Two days of meetings on Myanmar ’s violent political crisis began Thursday in the Thai capital Bangkok, the latest in a long series of regional talks that have made no headway in restoring peace to the war-torn Southeast Asian nation.

Thailand hosted two regional meetings with Asian leaders this week, aimed at ending a bloody civil war in Myanmar that has led to a spiraling political and security crisis.

Myanmar's bloody civil war has intensified over the past year, with ethnic-minority rebels seizing vast swathes of territory from the military junta.

Thailand said on Monday it will host two regional meetings on Myanmar this week, with at least one to have representatives of the junta, as the Malaysian Prime Minister said efforts were being made to bring Myanmar back to the fore of ASEAN.

The six nations attending Thursday's meeting “agreed that direct engagement with Myanmar is critical and necessary,” said Thailand's Foreign minister Maris Sangiampongsa.