Thailand’s caretaker government was yesterday set to host the foreign minister of Myanmar’s ruling junta at informal regional peace talks, but key Southeast Asian counterparts were staying away from the meeting that has drawn sharp criticism.
Only Cambodia officially confirmed it intended to attend the talks.
Myanmar’s generals have been barred for nearly two years from senior-level meetings of the ASEAN for failing to honor an agreement to start talks with opponents linked to the ousted civilian government that had been led by now-jailed Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
Photo: Reuters
However, Thailand, whose prime minister himself first took power in a military coup, invited Myanmar’s junta-appointed Burmese Minister of Foreign Affairs Than Swe to the talks along with other foreign ministers in the 10-member ASEAN bloc, two sources with knowledge of the meeting said.
The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs was tight-lipped about exactly who was attending the hastily called two-day gathering in the resort town of Pattaya, for which outgoing Thai Minister of Foreign Affairs Don Pramudwinai sent invitation letters just four days before its planned start.
Thai foreign ministry deputy spokesman Natapanu Nopakun yesterday morning said that he had “no information” on the meeting.
Myanmar has been roiled by violence since a Feb. 1, 2021, coup, with the military battling on multiple fronts to try to crush an armed democracy resistance movement formed in response to the crackdown.
Critics of Thailand’s initiative say it risks legitimizing Myanmar’s military government and is inappropriate because it is outside the official ASEAN peace initiative, known as the “five-point consensus.”
Others questioned why Thailand called the talks now, when it is expected to have a new government in August after the pro-military coalition was soundly beaten in May 16 elections by progressive and populist parties.
While Cambodian Minister of Foreign Affairs Prak Sokhonn was to attend the meeting, other ASEAN members have declined Thailand’s invitation, including this year’s chair, Indonesia.
Singaporean Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan on Friday said “it would be premature to re-engage with the junta at a summit level or even at a foreign minister level.”
Nantiwat Samart, secretary to the Thai foreign minister, defended the talks yesterday.
He was quoted on the Web site of Thai-language Nation TV as saying that Myanmar should not be isolated or cut out from ASEAN.
A group of 81 Myanmar activist groups yesterday released an open letter condemning the “secretive initiative,” saying it was in “blatant contradiction” with ASEAN’s policy of not inviting junta officials to high-level meetings.
“We demand the caretaker Thai government cancel this meeting immediately,” the letter said.
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