Thailand’s new approach to Myanmar crisis a shot in the dark

[webfact]

 

The Thai government led by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin is employing a new approach to the ongoing crisis in neighboring Myanmar, focusing on humanitarian assistance, but analysts doubt if it will be effective.

 

The government plans to set up a mechanism to deliver humanitarian assistance to displaced persons fleeing the armed conflict in military-ruled Myanmar and has invited many countries and organizations, including the Myanmar junta’s State Administration Council (SAC), to join the initiative.

 

Myanmar has been plunged into a spiralling crisis since top commander Min Aung Hliang staged a coup to topple the civilian elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, 2021. The undemocratic swoop has triggered fierce resistance from the people and ethnic groups. The conflict has expanded into a civil war, claiming the lives of thousands and displacing a huge number of people, while also posing serious threats to the region.

 

Humanitarian task force

 

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara discussed an idea to create a joint task force for humanitarian purposes with his Myanmar counterpart Than Swe on December 7 when they met on the sidelines of the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation in Beijing.

 

Both sides agreed to work together to scale up humanitarian assistance, which aligns with the implementation of ASEAN’s 5-Point Consensus, for those living along the Thai-Myanmar border, according to a Foreign Ministry statement issued after the meeting.

 

Prime Minister Srettha said he had also discussed the matter with his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida, when he was in Tokyo for the ASEAN-Japan summit from December 16-18. Thailand, which shares more than 2,000 kilometres of border with Myanmar, was ready to join hands with Japan to set up a humanitarian assistance committee, Srettha told reporters.

Neither Prime Minister Srettha nor Foreign Minister Parnpree spelled out the details, components, and features of the so-called task force or committee for humanitarian assistance.

 

The government has sought a greater role in helping ease the Myanmar crisis, as the conflict has intensified after dissidents led by the Brotherhood Alliance (BA) launched Operation 1027 and attacked many towns, including the scam-ridden town of Laukkai where hundreds of Thai people were stranded in the Northern Shan State in late October.

 

With the collaboration of the SAC and the ethnic insurgent United Wa State Army, the Thai authorities managed to evacuate more than 400 Thai nationals from Laukkai and the nearby war zone recently.

 

File photo : Thai PM Srettha Thavisin

By Thai PBS World’s Regional Desk

 

Full story: Thai PBS 2023-12-26

 

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[Hanuman2547]

I cannot see the Thai government intervening and having positive results in this matter.  There is just too much history of successive Thai governments going along with the current regime to appease their neighbour. 

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

The undemocratic swoop has triggered fierce resistance from the people and ethnic groups. The conflict has expanded into a civil war, claiming the lives of thousands and displacing a huge number of people, while also posing serious threats to the region.

While Thailands elite have  worked out how to do it with little resistance from the people.

[Srikcir]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

deliver humanitarian assistance to displaced persons fleeing the armed conflict in military-ruled Myanmar and has invited many countries and organizations, including the Myanmar junta’s State Administration Council (SAC), to join the initiative.

Makes no sense for the Myanmar junta that is the cause of the upheavel, displacement of people and deaths of civilians expected to join the initiative. This idea sounds more like a Chinese initiative to suppress the rebellion in favor of a junta-controlled government versus emergence of any kind of democratic society on its southern borders.

[Andycoops]

Complete waste of time, just another useless Thai committee earning extra allowances for the attendees.

The Thai bodge at its best...

[paul1804]

You can bet your life China will be sitting on the fence ready to fall on the side of the victors so they can get their sea port in the southern ocean among other options within Burma. 

Thailand has almost been supportive of the illegally imposed Junta but the willl of the Burmese people looks to finally be gaining the upper hand. The sooner the better, lets hope the current illegally instated military hierarchy are held accountable and punished for their crimes against humanity, surely the death sentence should be applied given the atrocities committed. 

[connda]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

Myanmar has been plunged into a spiralling crisis since top commander Min Aung Hliang staged a coup to topple the civilian elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, 2021.

It's been going on a whole lot longer then that, and it is another case where outside influences (governments, NGOs, special interests) all are spinning their own narratives, propaganda, and marketing efforts in order to accomplish their own foreign policy goals.  The good of the Burmese people is about the last thing on anyone's mind.

The best thing the Thai government can do is to form a solid migrant policy and enjoy the cheap labor.
Picking sides in the ethnic chaos in Myanmar is a losing battle.

[connda]

31 minutes ago, paul1804 said:

Thailand has almost been supportive of the illegally imposed Junta but the willl of the Burmese people looks to finally be gaining the upper hand.

The fallacy is that there is a potentially unified "Burmese People" as opposed to latticed-matrix of indigenous 'minorities' who have been at odds with each other for centuries, and with the obvious fact that ethnic majorities tend to govern or those with the military power tend to rule.

Now we have “ethnic armed organization” (EAO) who may or may not be affliated with the military junta. 
You've got a country with a highly fragmented ethnic composition all fighting for control of their regions.

To make it worse, Myanmar was another colonial prize ranging back to the influences of India and China, and over the last few centuries increasingly under the thumb of Western colonialism - so who is in charge?  Those who were the beneficiaries of colonialism, which were at one time 'the majority with the military power to project influence within the country, and recognized by the colonialists as their own comprador elites within Myanmar.  Since its "independence" Myanmar, like most other small countries, is constantly jerked around by foreign policy interests of major world powers (China, US, Russia, EU, UK, et.al.) who spin whatever fabrications they need to spin in order to support their own claims for the resources of another ex-colonial outpost which they have never given up attempting to exploiting.

So who are the Burmese People?"  It depends who you ask.  And the answer may be truthful or utter nonsense depending on the interests of those you ask, and what power they seek to project over Myanmar entering 2024 and beyond. 

[natway09]

China or Russia must have supplied fresh ordnance as they were bombing this morning

[MrJ2U]

15 hours ago, webfact said:

.....has invited many countries and organizations, including the Myanmar junta’s State Administration Council (SAC), to join the initiative.

There in lies the glaring problem with Thailand's retarded politics.

 

Everyone, but greedy Thai politicians with financial ties to the horrific military junta, want these military dictators either arrested or hanged.

 

Thailand's continued support for them is horrific at best. 

 

Hopefully they'll be strung up by there necks sooner than later and the military downsized and put on a short leash, just as should happen in Thailand. 

[paul1804]

15 hours ago, connda said:

The fallacy is that there is a potentially unified "Burmese People" as opposed to latticed-matrix of indigenous 'minorities' who have been at odds with each other for centuries, and with the obvious fact that ethnic majorities tend to govern or those with the military power tend to rule.

Now we have “ethnic armed organization” (EAO) who may or may not be affliated with the military junta. 
You've got a country with a highly fragmented ethnic composition all fighting for control of their regions.

To make it worse, Myanmar was another colonial prize ranging back to the influences of India and China, and over the last few centuries increasingly under the thumb of Western colonialism - so who is in charge?  Those who were the beneficiaries of colonialism, which were at one time 'the majority with the military power to project influence within the country, and recognized by the colonialists as their own comprador elites within Myanmar.  Since its "independence" Myanmar, like most other small countries, is constantly jerked around by foreign policy interests of major world powers (China, US, Russia, EU, UK, et.al.) who spin whatever fabrications they need to spin in order to support their own claims for the resources of another ex-colonial outpost which they have never given up attempting to exploiting.

So who are the Burmese People?"  It depends who you ask.  And the answer may be truthful or utter nonsense depending on the interests of those you ask, and what power they seek to project over Myanmar entering 2024 and beyond. 

There is a lot of truth in what you write, but the current junta must be removed and held accountable for the atrocities they have committed! There was a majority elected government but not to different to other neighbouring countries the military want to keep their dirty snouts in the trough and hang on to power! We see very few countries where military run or heavily influenced governments are successful.