Opposition urged not to visit Thai fishing crew detained in Myanmar
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Opposition urged not to visit Thai fishing crew detained in Myanmar

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Foreign ministry Vice Minister Russ Jalichandra says a visit to fishermen detained in Myanmar may harm their chances for release.
Foreign ministry Vice Minister Russ Jalichandra says a visit to fishermen detained in Myanmar may harm their chances for release.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has voiced concern that a proposed visit by opposition People's Party representatives to see four Thai trawler crew members being held in Myanmar will do more harm than good.

Vice Minister Russ Jalichandra on Tuesday said the ministry would not be able to prevent Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn, a People's Party MP and chairman of the House's Military Affairs Committee, from visiting the four but added he would have to request permission through diplomatic channels.

He warns that the move may lead to a misunderstanding as the Myanmar government may see it as applying pressure and interfering, making the release of the crew members more difficult. Therefore, he asked Mr Wiroj to think carefully and consider the consequences.

"Do not make people's lives a political issue," he said.

Mr Wiroj said earlier he would ask House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha to approve his trip to investigate the facts of the case, in which a Thai fishing boat was shot at by a Myanmar warship off the Ranong coast on Nov 30. The incident saw the four Thai fishermen being detained. The government expected the four crew to be pardoned and released on Jan 4, Myanmar's Independent Day, but they were not.

The government admitted that negotiations for their release were still ongoing and expected them to be released on either Jan 13 or 14, according to Mr Russ.

Rangsiman Rome, another People's Parrty MP, in his capacity as chairman of the House Committee on National Security, Border Affairs, National Strategy and National Reform, said his committee will discuss the issue with the Royal Thai Navy and the foreign ministry on Thursday.

He said the government should use all means to pressure the Myanmar authorities to allow the four Thai crew to return to their homeland.

The Thai government has made many mistakes in this case, such as not protesting when the boat and the crew were captured, citing that the borderline was not clear.

This shows that the government does not regard what happened to the crew and the Thai vessel as a serious matter.

The government did not provide any assistance in their legal case, he said.

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