‘Will like to work with India to address Myanmar situation’: Thailand Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Sihasak Phuangketkeow

New Delhi: Thailand Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Sihasak Phuangketkeow said his country would like to work in partnership with India and other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to address the crisis that Myanmar has been caught up in for over three years.

Delivering the lecture on “How Can Thailand and India be Strategic Partners?” organised by the Indian Council of World Affairs, the visiting dignitary said that situation in Myanmar is complicated as it is the military versus the NLD (National League for Democracy).

Sihasak Phuangketkeow said, “The most immediate challenge that we face right now and which brought me to India a few weeks ago in January was Myanmar. The crisis in Myanmar has been continuing, has been prolonged for over three years now. No end in sight, the armed hostilities, in fact, are increasing. We face a very complicated situation because it’s not just the military versus the NLD, Now you have the NUG (National Unity Government), you have the PDF, the People’s Defence Force. You have also the EAOs, the ethnic organizations and so it’s a very difficult situation.”

He noted that ASEAN has been making efforts to help resolve the situation in Myanmar. He said that the five-point consensus, which include three elements -reduction in violence, cessation of hostilities, humanitarian assistance, and dialogue. He stated that there has been no progress in the process.

“And ASEAN, we have been endeavouring to help resolve the situation with what we call a blueprint, which is a five-point consensus. But basically it’s remained a blueprint on paper. We’ve had three changes of chairmanship. There has been no progress. And the three elements of the five-point consensus are basically reduction in violence, cessation of hostilities, humanitarian assistance, and dialogue. None of that has been implemented. Now, Thailand, of course, we are the country next door, like India,” he said.

In February 2021, Myanmar’s army overthrew the democratically elected government and seized power in a military coup. Phuangketkeow said that Thailand and India will be affected if anything happens in Thailand. He stressed that there is no other option other than to find various ways to implement the five points consensus to get things started.

In his remarks, he said, “What do we do? Because if anything that happens in Myanmar, Thailand is to be immediately affected, like India. So we have no choice but just to find various options to implement the five points consensus to get things started. And so when we did our brainstorm, we thought humanitarian assistance is a standing point because humanitarian assistance in itself meets the immediate needs, addresses the plight of the people.” Phuangketkeow said that presently there are over two million displaced people in Myanmar. He emphasised that border humanitarian assistance is needed and added that humanitarian assistance that is distributed to everyone without discrimination and not become an instrument of one party.

He said, “Right now, you have over two million displaced persons in Myanmar, quite a few of them along the Thai-Nyanmar border. So we believe that humanitarian assistance, cross-border humanitarian assistance is needed. But, our thinking goes beyond humanitarian assistance. If we can get this off the ground in the right way, humanitarian assistance that is distributed to everyone without discrimination and not become an instrument of one party, I think it will become effective, credible, transparent. Then maybe we can have something bigger in the offering, such as maybe leading to a humanitarian cause and then maybe to a humanitarian dialogue. But, we believe that this is the first step in re-engaging Myanmar with ASEAN.”

He stated that constructive engagement between Myanmar and the countries outside the region play an important role and that all the nations have to pitch in to help Myanmar to return to the path of democracy and peace.

“Because Myanmar outside ASEAN, we will never have the opportunity to discuss, to maybe to persuade the government in power in Myanmar. So re-engaging with ASEAN, but it has to be re-engagement based on concrete progress, and that is the humanitarian assistance,” he said.

“Second, it may be seen by the international community as responding to the concerns of the international community. So this may pave the way for some constructive engagement between Myanmar and countries outside the region, who also plays a very important role and talking about neighbouring countries, talking about Japan, China, the US. Because in the end, all of us have to pitch in to help, to help Myanmar still return back to the path of peace and democracy. But you see, we can only do so much to help Myanmar,” he added. (ANI)

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