Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Don Pramudwinai on Monday said the latest informal meeting with some representatives from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and the bloc’s dialogue partners yielded “some progress”, though he declined to say what steps were discussed at the meeting.
The meeting, held in Pattaya on Monday, was organised by the caretaker government in an effort to find an Asean-led solution to the crisis in Myanmar.
It came on the heels of a meeting held in Phnom Penh last year, where Thailand vowed to find a peaceful solution to the problem in the country.
According to a Kyodo News report, the meeting was attended by representatives from nine countries, seven of which were Asean members.
Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia declined to take part in the meeting, but China and India sent representatives for the talks.
“Everyone was happy with today’s meeting. We explored many issues, including the current situation along the border, scams and other transnational crimes.
“The issues that we talked about are beneficial to all stakeholders,” he said, declining to say what concrete steps were agreed on at the meeting.
Asked if the outcome of Monday’s gathering will be brought up at the upcoming Asean Ministerial Meeting and other related discussions, such as the Asean Regional Forum next month, Mr Don said he had not considered it.
In Bangkok, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha responded to criticism about the meeting by saying that Thailand needed to bring up the matter for the sake of Asean as a whole.
“In the past, we only saw one side of the problem. I think we need to be on the right track, so we have proceeded with our own policy to stay in line with the Asean resolution regarding Myanmar,” he said, referring to the pledge he made in Phnom Penh last year.
Gen Prayut said Thailand has to be more pro-active on the matter as the country shares a border with Myanmar, with whom it has a history that goes back centuries.
Thailand needs to discuss the matter without bias as we rely on Myanmar for some of our oil and gas supplies, for the sake of our people and country, he said.
If the matter remains unresolved, it will also have an impact on the labour sector, he said.