Myanmar's military-backed leader seeks closer ties on visit to Malaysia as he pivots to diplomacy

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Myanmar’s military-backed leader pressed on with his pivot to diplomacy on a visit to Malaysia, his first since becoming president earlier this year, holding talks Thursday with the country's prime minister and other officials in an effort to boost ties.But the visit by Min Aung Hlaing, a former military chief inaugurated as president in April after a general election judged by rights groups as designed to cement the military’s hold on power, has not been free of criticism. The Myanmar leader has also faced pressure from other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the regional bloc known as ASEAN, to end the civil war in his country.The visit comes just days after nearly 1,500 Myanmar nationals were returned to Myanmar from Malaysia. The United Nations refugee agency and rights groups have slammed the repatriations, saying that the security and humanitarian situation in parts of Myanmar remains volatile, and returnees could face persecution and forced military conscription in an active war zone.Myanmar’s government is also seeking to restore international ties. Last month, the Trump administration sent a high-level delegation to Myanmar to...