Thailand, Myanmar to form aid task force as border unrest intensifies

Thailand, Myanmar to form aid task force as border unrest intensifies

The unrest is the military government’s biggest battlefield challenge since the coup and has alarmed China and Thailand, with concerns about a refugee influx.

“The Myanmar side will soon send a working team to Thailand to discuss this matter,” Thailand’s foreign ministry said of the aid task force.

“If the initial phase of implementation is successful, other aid agencies may be invited to have a role in the future.”

The decision was made during discussions between junta-appointed foreign minister Than Swe and Thai counterpart Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara at the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation meeting in China.

Myanmar’s foreign ministry said in a statement that the meeting took place but made no mention of the humanitarian task force. A spokesperson for the junta could not immediately be reached for comment.

The junta has been barred from attending top-level ASEAN events over its failure to implement a peace plan it agreed to after the coup.