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