Don justifies 9-nation meeting on Myanmar, points to progress
The informal meeting of representatives of Asean ministers and leaders to find a solution to the situation in Myanmar has yielded some progress, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Don Pramudwinai said on Tuesday.
The meeting was held in Pattaya, Chonburi province, on Monday by the caretaker government amid criticism that any international meeting should have waited until the formation of the new government.
“This meeting cannot wait, as it affects the country’s benefits,” said Don, who attended the meeting as Thailand’s representative, adding that the participants had expressed interest in letting Thailand host subsequent meetings regarding the Myanmar situation.
The meeting on Monday followed the Asean Summit in Cambodia last year, when Thailand vowed to find a peaceful solution to the problem in neighbouring Myanmar.
The Pattaya meeting was attended by representatives from nine countries, seven of which were Asean members. Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia declined to take part in the meeting, but China and India sent representatives to the talks, as both share borders with Myanmar.
“The latest meeting discussed issues that have not been addressed before, and had more attendants than the previous meetings,” said the deputy prime minister, who declined to reveal the issues that were discussed as per the meeting agreement.
Don explained that the current government had decided to host the meeting while the new government was being formed, as unlike other Asean members Thailand has an over-2,000km-long border with Myanmar, making the situation an immediate problem for the kingdom.
He said the prolonged military conflict in the neighbouring country had directly affected Thailand’s locals, cross-border trading, investment, and could worsen ongoing problems on the Thai-Myanmar border, such as drug smuggling and human trafficking.
Don added that Thailand’s ongoing efforts in dealing with the Myanmar problem would be forwarded to the new administration without any problem for the responsible agencies, notably the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He also said that the general public should receive updates on the issue from related agencies instead of being misled by biased reporting.
