Confidential Myanmar peace talks the Thai government held in Pattaya yesterday ended with unwanted consequences. Unlike previous clandestine meetings held by the Thai government, the latest effort courted negative press. Before the meeting started, meeting details were leaked to the foreign press. Some Asean members declined to attend in a clear indication of their disapproval, while others sent junior officials.
Thailand's Foreign Minister, Don Pramudwinai, is now seeing stones being thrown from many sides in his direction. Local critics, especially from the presumptive next government, such as legislators from Pheu Thai and the Move Forward Party, have warned the caretaker government to leave Myanmar policies to the next government.
But it's not the first time the foreign minister has been criticised for his diplomatic efforts with the Myanmar military. The Prayut-led government has played the understanding neighbour card for the past two years. Sharing a 2,700km porous border, every political crisis in Myanmar affects Thailand. Hundreds of thousands of refugees have fled civil unrest over the past several decades.
In peacetime, the Thai and Myanmar militaries and governments have collaborated in fighting human trafficking, narcotics, arms and poaching. In terms of business, Thai companies, from consumer goods to energy firms such as PTT, have invested in Myanmar. In short, the Thai government does not have the luxury of being a bystander when dealing with Myanmar's State Administration Council (SAC).
Subsequently, Thailand has supported Myanmar, not only in words but in action. A few months after the coup in 2021, Thai border patrol officials were reportedly supplying food to the Myanmar military, which was then cracking down on political protesters. Last year, the Thai government was soft when Myanmar's fighter jets invaded Thai airspace as Myanmar bombed ethnic communities along the border. In February, just a few weeks before Thailand's anti-torture law, which enforces the non-refoulment of political refugees, went into effect, the Thai military signed an MoU with the Myanmar military in an agreement to send refugees back to Myanmar. It remains unknown if the Thai government has made any agreements with the junta or how many refugees have been sent back.
The biggest question is whether or not Thailand's quiet diplomacy and sweet cajoling will succeed in persuading the Myanmar military government to consider a path of peace. In the past few years, the world has only seen Myanmar moving in the opposite direction. The SAC has turned a deaf ear to negotiating with protesting groups and has disregarded international demands to release civilian elected Aung San Suu Kyi.
It is a mystery that Foreign Minister Don does not seem to be bothered by the lack of a tangible outcome. "Only dialogue is progress in itself," he told the media yesterday. But words are no longer enough for a Myanmar military regime that has launched a deadly crackdown against its people.
Make no mistake, Thailand should and must pursue its bilateral relationship with Myanmar. But the policy of the Thai government must be rooted and grounded in supporting peace and democracy and the benefit of Myanmar's people, and not get bogged down in a government-to-government relationship. A true friend must not turn a blind eye when a friend goes the wrong way. That is not the relationship of good neighbours. That is an example of misery that loves company.