Southeast Asian leaders met in Laos on Wednesday for a summit expected to seek ways address the worsening civil war in Myanmar, with Thailand calling for heightened engagement ahead of a planned election by the country's embattled military rulers.

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said on Monday the regional bloc ASEAN must play a key role in ending the protracted civil war in Myanmar, ahead of a summit of the leaders of the 10-member group in Laos this week.

Southeast Asian leaders are meeting at an annual forum that will focus on the civil war in Myanmar and territorial tensions in the South China Sea, two challenges that have long tested the bloc’s cred

Southeast Asian leaders met in Laos on Wednesday for a summit expected to find ways of tackling a worsening civil war in Myanmar, with Thailand set to propose a new path for a political solution after a regional peace effort made scant progress.

For the first time since the junta seized power three years ago, Myanmar will send a Foreign Ministry official to the summit. But that move has drawn criticism from some human rights groups, NGOs and opponents of the junta inside the country,

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is holding is annual leaders' summit in Laos this year. The world leaders will also hold talks with a representative of Myanmar's junta to try and negotiate a solution to the country's civil war.