By Panu Wongcha-um
BANGKOK (Reuters) -Thailand will advocate more international engagement with Myanmar at an upcoming Southeast Asia leader summit next week, its foreign minister said, in a push for international cooperation to broaden a diplomatic effort to end a protracted civil war.
Myanmar has been in the throes of an expanding conflict since its military ousted an elected civilian-led government in 2021, with fighting between the junta and a network of rebel forces displacing more than 3.5 million people and decimating what was once a promising frontier market economy.
A 2021 peace plan created by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations had until recently made barely any progress but ASEAN’s chair, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, has made a renewed push for dialogue, including separate talks with junta chief Min Aung Hlaing and the rival National Unity Government.
Thailand’s Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa in an interview backed Anwar’s efforts, which focused initially on trying to secure a ceasefire extension to facilitate humanitarian assistance following a devastating March earthquake that killed more than 3,800 people.
“A ceasefire is an important first step, but it cannot be one-sided,” Maris told Reuters.
“We need to be able to bring various issues to the table for constructive dialogue and doing so without putting pressure on things.”
But since Anwar’s talks last month, the military has continued its campaign against rebels, including in areas where the quake struck, with multiple airstrikes and artillery assaults, as reported by Reuters.
Maris said clear steps on the peace initiative needed to be mapped out at meetings in Kuala Lumpur starting this weekend.
‘CHANGE NEGATIVE THINKING’
Myanmar’s civil war has also exacerbated transnational crime, including the proliferation of scam compounds that the United Nations says have ensnared hundreds of thousands of people in illegal online operations that generate billions of dollars annually.
Maris said broad international cooperation in tackling that would help the peace initiative since it would bring all major groups to the table, including ethnic minority armies.
“If there is no resolution to the conflict in Myanmar then transnational crime could not be addressed, the two issues are linked,” he added.
Myanmar’s generals have been hit by sanctions and ostracised by Western powers over the coup and allegations of systematic atrocities against the civilian population, which they deny. The junta’s international engagement has been limited to Russia and its neighbours, including China.
Maris said Thailand would provide more long-term assistance to Myanmar, including in education and healthcare, while using international platforms to promote engagement with the country.
“We are looking at this not only in helping to address short-term needs but also long term,” he said, adding engagement, would help foster dialogue that could lead to peace.
“We want to change negative thinking that is not productive.”
(Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um; Editing by Martin Petty)
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