Good neighbours, better business

Feb 24, 2012 Bangkokpost - Thailand is trying to strike a balance between diplomatic and trade benefits with Myanmar, a country that is opening up to the outside world after years of isolation and suppression.
The fast pace of change in the neighbouring country is being closely watched by Thai investors and foreign policymakers. Some Thai firms, such as Italian-Thai Development Plc, have set up operations in Myanmar by investing in the Dawei industrial complex, while others hope to tap the natural resources there.

The Foreign Ministry hopes that a policy yielding good relations with Myanmar will serve Thailand well in opening up more opportunities not only in trade and business, but also in other areas such as the attempts to crack down on drugs, human trafficking and illegal labourers.

Thailand's policy towards Myanmar is aimed at building trust that the former will not try to take advantage of the latter, serving instead as a bridge to link Myanmar with other countries. The main thrust of our Myanmar policy is to bring about positive changes under the constructive engagement policy launched by Surin Pitsuwan when he was foreign minister and later adopted as a main policy by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
"We shouldn't look at the opening up of Myanmar as our opportunity to reap benefits from the country. It should be viewed as shared benefits between both countries. Our priority is to help Myanmar stabilise its internal politics and economic development," said Sihasak Phuangketkaew, the permanent secretary for foreign affairs.

"Thailand's foreign policy will not merely focus on trade; we would also like to highlight pro-development, pro-people and pro-stability," he added.

Thailand should not focus on resolving problems piecemeal with Myanmar or other neighbouring countries. Instead, our policy should be to bring about opportunities and cooperation which benefit our partners as well, in such areas as education and collaboration on non-governmental organisations, and financial assistance to improve basic infrastructure, Mr Sihasak added.

As an immediate neighbour of Myanmar, our foreign ministry believes Thailand should play the role of a "facilitator or bridge" to help that country as it readies itself to engage with the outside world.

One such example was Thailand's recent efforts in introducing Myanmar's Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin, a former ambassador to Geneva, to the US and EU ambassadors based in Geneva, so that they had a chance to talk about developments in Myanmar.
Thailand plans to host, along with Asean, an international conference on Myanmar to help the country identify the types of assistance it needs.

"All this shows Thailand's good intentions in acting as a bridge to engage Myanmar with the international community, helping the latter gain more understanding of what is happening there," Mr Sihasak said.

"Our question now is, how can we partner with Myanmar in the transition and how can we support it to become a democratic country? We've always wanted to do many things in the past, but now the question is how to support it in tangible terms," he said.

Regarding refugees from that country now living in Thai camps along the border, Mr Sihasak said Thailand would support all agreements Myanmar reaches with its ethnic minorities, so that these refugees may return home when the situation improves.
"Thailand is helping these refugees develop occupational skills so they may take part in developing their country when they return home one day," he said.

Wirat Niyomtam, director of the Myanmar Studies Centre at Naresuan University in Phitsanulok, said dealing with Myanmar on an equal footing is the correct policy.
"We should deal with Myanmar on an equal basis to increase their prestige, and we should give more credit to Myanmar. Our government at all levels should show more trust in Myanmar, as the Myanmar government is quite sensitive," Mr Wirat explained.

The Thai media and people should also be more accommodating. They should stop harping about Burmese history and politics and learn more about contemporary issues, from literature to entertainment, to catch up with what is now happening in Myanmar, he added.

One problem for Thailand, he said, concerns the lack of interest among the younger generation in learning the languages of our neighbouring countries, despite the fact that we are engaging with them more and more. Many Myanmar students currently know more about Thailand and have learned to speak Thai," Mr Wirat said.

Mr Sihasak is optimistic that Thailand's policy towards Myanmar and other neighbouring countries will boost Thailand's profile in the eyes of the international community.
"We have to engage diplomatically in order to contribute positively towards meeting the global challenges," the senior ministry official concluded.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/281303/good-neighbours-better-business

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