The Foreign Affairs Ministry expects Myanmar to "soon" release four Thai fishermen who were captured along with their boat off Ranong province in disputed waters last month to show its commitment to peace in the region.
Foreign Affairs Minister Maris Sangiampongsa attended an informal consultation on Thursday with representatives of six countries in the region to discuss transnational crime and other topics in Bangkok.
He was joined by Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Sun Weidong, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Bangladesh Honourable Adviser for Foreign Affairs Touhid Hossain, Myanmar Deputy Prime Minister and Union Minister for Foreign Affairs Than Swe and Lao Minister of Foreign Affairs Thongsavanh Phomvihane.
Maris: Respect rights, procedures
After the meeting, Mr Maris said the discussions were important as they were the first time that Myanmar and all five of its neighbouring countries had met. This reflects the sincerity and firm intention to increase efforts in addressing common concerns, he said. A separate meeting will be held today under the Asean framework, he said.
Mr Maris said that during sideline talks with Myanmar, he received good news about the four fishermen.
"I have received official confirmation from Than Swe that the Myanmar government will release these four fishermen soon," he said.
He said that Thailand and Myanmar also agreed to further collaborate on this issue to prevent such an incident from reoccurring in the future.
"There are some procedures that need to be done. We need to respect the rights and procedures of each country," he added.
A court in Myanmar's Kawthaung Township on Tuesday sentenced the owner of the fishing boat to six years in jail and fined him 200,000 kyat (3,240 baht), while each of the other three was sentenced to four years and fined 20,000 kyat.
Previously, Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai told the media that the four Thai fishermen would be freed by Jan 4.
Meanwhile, Mr Maris told the media that the informal consultation among the six countries went well, and all participants exchanged frank and constructive dialogue. He said that each party agreed that having Myanmar and its neighbouring countries engaged in direct conversations was important if the crisis in Myanmar is to be resolved.
The discussions also helped neighbouring countries understand Myanmar's sensitivity, he said.
Mr Maris said that Than Swe also provided an update on Myanmar's political plans and the progress of its preparations for a national election.
Myanmar has conducted a population census, and 53 political parties have registered, Mr Maris said, citing Than Swe.
"Than Swe also said that Myanmar intends to invite election observers from neighbouring countries," he added.
Mr Maris added that Myanmar's neighbours would like to see a peaceful, stable and unified Myanmar and urged all sides in the conflict to drop the use of violence and instead use discussions as a means for a peaceful solution.
He said that Than Swe told the meeting that his government had opened the door for discussions to find peaceful solutions through a political process.
The representatives of the countries also discussed border security with Myanmar, including topics related to transboundary crime, drugs and human trafficking and online scams.
"All six countries want to elevate close collaboration to tackle these problems," he said.
"We will have more information sharing and legal enforcement cooperation as we try to offer help to each other."
Mr Maris also said he held talks with India on the reopening of Asian Highway 1, which is affected by the Myanmar crisis.
"This highway is important to people from these three countries as it connects South and Southeast Asia through Thailand, Myanmar and India," he said.