Policy revision urged in Myanmar

Policy revision urged in Myanmar

By Yindee Lertcharoenchok

BANGKOK: Outgoing Foreign Minister Thaksin Shinawatra made a rather late remark recently when he stated that ASEAN and Thailand may have to review their "constructive engagement policy" towards Myanmar if the Myanmarese offensive against armed ethnic guerrillas does not cease.

His statement came one day after Thailand signed an "historic agreement" with Myanmar to purchase natural gas from the Gulf of Martaban in which the Kingdom will pay Bt10 billion a year to the Myanmarese junta, known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC).

The ambitious Thai minister may have forgotten that exactly two weeks earlier he had pledged to the SLORC, during his 24-hour economically-inspired visit to Yangon, that Thailand will pursue the controversial policy, which "has proven to be beneficial to both Thailand and Myanmar".

He also went as far as inviting SLORC leader Gen. Than Shwe to attend the summit in December of 10 Southeast Asian heads of state and powerful intelligence chief Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt to pay an official visit here as guest of the Thai Government.

Thaksin was adamant about going ahead with his Myanmar trip despite latent reluctance on the part of some government and military offices who considered the visit an "unpressing" and even "unnecessary" agenda for the new minister at that time. He even broke ASEAN traditional diplomacy by paying a visit to Yangon before completing a familiarization tour of ASEAN capitals.

The Thai minister, whose strong economic interests and huge personal investment in several of Thailand's neighboring countries are no secret, wasted no time during his stay in Yangon in exposing the true motive of his trip -- the prospect of Thai economic opportunities in Myanmar.

With a degree of success, he managed to bring to the attention of SLORC leaders the economic interests of some Thai business groups including the Salween hydro-electric power projects and the leasing and development of Myanmar's southern port town of Tavoy into a deep sea port.

Thaksin also made known his concern that Thai investment in Myanmar is lagging behind that of other countries, especially Singapore, and urged the SLORC to open up new opportunities for Thai investors.

It is still unclear why Thaksin has threatened a revision of the "constructive engagement" policy -- a move categorically rejected by previous successive Thai administrations when strongly urged by the West and policy critics, both local and internationally. Also questionable is whether his remark reflects his personal view or that of the current government.

While some critics take Thaksin's comment with a grain of salt, believing it to be a mere political tool or maneuver of the young businessman, who doesn't hide an ambition to enter politics in the next general elections and whose free-riding ministerial post expired last Saturday, some senior government officials say the 90-day minister could not have made the statement without the blessing of, or consultations with, other government leaders.

Still, it is debatable if the Chuan government is really serious about the policy revision or just trying to appease local and international outrage against the SLORC's renewed military offensive, which has driven a new massive influx of refugees into Thailand.

The officials argue that the government and the armed forces are "quite concerned" about the Myanmarese army's operations against armed ethnic guerrillas and afraid that violence would continue or escalate along the western 2,400 kilometer frontier with Myanmar.

The concern is "self-evident" from the fact that Deputy Foreign Minister Surin Phitsuwan summoned Myanmarese Ambassador U Tin Winn recently for a meeting in which he handed the envoy an aidememoire protesting the Myanmarese army's territorial violations, they added. Thailand complained that all together 65 Myanmarese mortar shells had fallen on the Thai soil during the January offensive by Myanmarese troops against the Karen headquarters of Manerplaw on the west bank of the Moei River opposite Thailand's Tak province.

"If we (Thai Government) believe in the SLORC's words that the fighting was between the two Karen rival forces and not the Myanmarese army's operation against the KNU, we would not have summoned the Myanmarese ambassador for a protest," said one official. KNU stands for the Karen National Union, which has been fighting ruling military in Yangon for autonomy since Myanmar gained its independence from Britain in 1948.

In the past, Thailand and ASEAN have flatly rejected the West's concept of pressure or isolation of Myanmar and strongly argued that the "constructive engagement" policy would help bring peace and prosperity to the Myanmarese people and gradual political reform in Myanmar through dialogues between the world community and the SLORC.

Bangkok has always maintained that the Myanmarese people's aspiration for democracy and respect of human rights is "an internal affair" of Myanmar and that it has no leverage to persuade or interfere in order to bring about changes.

But in reality, the SLORC has exploited the Thai and ASEAN tolerance and nonchalant attitude toward its abuses of authoritarian power and illegitimate oppressive rule to its utmost benefit, and has remained unconcerned when its ruthless behavior towards the Myanmarese populace has backfired on its neighbors in Southeast Asia.

Ironically, Thailand, which has expected the much criticized policy to help strengthen good bilateral relations between the two countries and to lead to eventual wellbeing and prosperity of the Myanmarese people, is facing an emerging sad reality that contradicts its wishful thinking.

Recently, exiled respected Myanmarese monk Sayadaw Rewata Dhamma, who initiated dialogues between the Myanmarese junta and detained popular leader Aung San Suu Kyi, revealed a shocking piece of information which has confirmed the underlining dormant fear among many policy makers in Thailand.

The monk, who has lived abroad for more than 30 years and holds the position of spiritual director of the Buddhist Vihara in Birmingham, England, was interviewed in Bangkok upon his arrival from Yangon. After traveling quite extensively during his one-month visit to Myanmar, said he is "very concerned" with the future bilateral relations between the two countries "because the feeling about Thailand inside (Myanmar) is not very good."

He expressed hope that he would be able to meet Thai authorities when he next visits the Kingdom to urge the country to reconsider its policy and approach in dealing with exiled Myanmarese, particularly the students. He said the Myanmarese people in general are developing "strong bad feelings" against Thailand for what they view as exploitation of their human misery.

The Myanmarese had learned about what was happening in Thailand from the people who commute between the two countries, including reports that Thai authorities often harass, arrest and extort money from Myanmarese students.

"It is widely known in Myanmar. This concerns me very much as the relations between the two countries will not be good in the future," he said. The Myanmarese populace understood that "Thai people are good to the Myanmarese, but not the (Thai) government" the 64-year-old Buddhist monk during a one-night stopover in Bangkok.

The Sayadaw has strongly urged Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai to mediate peace talks between the SLORC and the ethnic Karen guerrillas, saying the premier's mediation is for the sake of the two countries, which share a common border, and for the good of Thailand which "suffers many things (from border conflicts)" including the influx of refugees from Myanmar.

The monk, who had several meetings with SLORC leaders including Gen. Than Shwe, Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt, Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Gen. Maung Aye and Lt. Gen. Tin Oo, has urged the premier to give serious thought to his suggestion saying "it is up to Thailand to find a solution or what to do with Myanmar ... On humanitarian grounds they (the Thai Government) can do it, but so far they are not doing it very much."

He said current Thai policy towards Myanmar is "in difficulty" as both SLORC, and the Myanmarese opposition and ethnic groups "are not happy with it". The SLORC, he explained, never really trusts the Thai government because of its policy towards armed ethnic groups active along the common border, while the Myanmarese pro-democracy dissidents and ethnic guerrillas themselves are not happy with the Thai "constructive engagement" relations with Yangon.

"As a monk, therefore, I think the Thai government should find some way to help restore peace and tranquility in Myanmar. I want the Thai government to think about it very deeply, not only for today but also for the future."

The monk, whose separate meetings with Suu Kyi and SLORC leaders led to two rounds of their bilateral discussions last year, said he believed "it is not too late" for both the Karen and SLORC to enter peace talks.

The people inside Myanmar, he added, have learned that Thai businessmen "are greedy and want to get the resources in Myanmar. Now it is very good for Thailand to act to help ... Thailand should play for all groups, for the Myanmarese people, and for the long term good relations between the two countries". SLORC, he said, would accept "friendly dialogues" and "not pressure or bribery" and Thailand can work it out through its "goodwill".

SLORC, he added "would accept friendly dialogues -- talks as a friend -- but not bribery or pressure. SLORC will then think that you are friends so they will tell you what they'll do. Many countries have tried to bribe them (with financial aid or assistance or economic opportunities) and it did not work."

Unfortunately, Thailand has often fallen victim to its own policy towards its neighbors -- Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar alike. In the latter case, not only does it stand alone in defending criticism from the West, which prefers a harsh approach towards the SLORC, but also from the Myanmarese populace including the SLORC who are always doubtful of its sincerity.

Sayadaw Rewata Dhamma's comments should serve as a good warning for the Thai government to act more realistically towards its delicate and fragile relations with Myanmar.

The outbreak of a new Myanmarese offensive along the border which drove more than 10,000 refugees across the border into Thai territory, should serve as a catalyst for Thailand and ASEAN to seriously review, without prejudice or hidden motives, whether their much proclaimed "constructive engagement" policy is really beneficial to the people of Myanmar.

Thailand and ASEAN have to tell the SLORC loud and clear that its unrelenting use of force to suppress its own populace will not be tolerated and unless it reforms its politics and improves its record of human rights violations, ASEAN cannot stand to defend or associate itself with the regime.

SLORC must also be informed that ASEAN will not and cannot invite Myanmar to attend the annual meeting of ASEAN Foreign Ministers in July in Brunei and the December summit in Bangkok of the 10 Southeast Asian nations, in light of the refusal to release Aung San Suu Kyi, now in her sixth year of house arrest without trial, and other political prisoners, to transfer power to an elected civilian government and to end the annihilation campaign against the ethnic populace.

-- The Nation