The Thai administration has verified further information regarding the gatherings they will organize this week to address the ongoing Myanmar crisis. One such meeting will be graced by a top official from the military junta.
Nikorndej Balankura, the spokesperson for the Thai Foreign Ministry, informed reporters yesterday that Maris Sangiampongsa, the Foreign Minister, will preside over two distinct regional discussions revolving around Myanmar’s situation on December 19 and 20, as reported by the Bangkok Post. Myanmar’s junta-appointed Foreign Minister Than Swe will attend the first gathering, which will serve as an informal consultation on border security and transnational crime. This meeting will also witness the presence of ministers, deputy ministers, and officials from neighboring countries like China, Laos, Thailand, India and Bangladesh.
Nikorndej commented, “This gathering exemplifies Thailand’s lead role in fostering honest and open discussions with relevant nations on collaborative efforts to address common concerns for mutual benefits.”
A follow-up meeting will occur on December 20, the details of which were disclosed by an Indonesian official earlier this month. All interested members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are invited, with a preliminary informal gathering of the current, previous and incoming ASEAN chairs. This meeting will explicitly discuss the Myanmar conflict, including ASEAN’s stagnant Five-Point Consensus peace plan.
This upcoming meeting signifies the Pheu Thai-led government’s efforts to play an enhanced role in resolving the country’s disputes, after taking over from the military-backed government last year. The ASEAN peace plan, formulated in Jakarta in April 2021, is yet to see significant progress despite the appointment of a special envoy for the Myanmar conflict.
The military junta of Myanmar continues to resist calls for a ceasefire and the initiation of inclusive dialogue. In response, resistance groups are not keen on legitimizing the ruling military council, referring to it as “fascist” and “terroristic.”
It remains unclear if Myanmar will send representatives to the second meeting, given ASEAN’s ban on the junta’s political representatives attending its summits. The opposition National Unity Government (NUG) reportedly hasn’t been invited to the discussions.
Given the current circumstances, an immediate breakthrough from these meetings seems unlikely. The primary parties involved in the Myanmar conflict are currently uninterested in peace talks, viewing the nation’s civil war as a fight for the country’s future.
Recently, China managed to force two major ethnic armed groups to the negotiation table, yet it remains uncertain whether it can extend its influence beyond its border regions. ASEAN member states, including Thailand, have shown no intention to take this approach to initiate “inclusive political dialogue.”
The new Thai government’s stance is a positive shift from the previous military-backed government, which often treated the military junta as a “normal” government. However, for now, the best it can aim for is to maintain open communication channels for future political negotiations when conditions inside Myanmar improve.
