June 21 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The leader of the Thai party Avanzar, Pita Limjaroenrat, who won the elections held on May 14, has said he is committed to achieving peace in Burma and has distanced himself from the position of the government of Prime Minister, Prayuth Chan Ocha, in around this question.
Pita has assured that his formation is “closely following the development of events in Burma” and that he gives priority to the matter as one of his “main concerns”.
This is how he referred to the talks sponsored this week by Thailand to address the Burmese issue, an issue that has provoked criticism within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The Burmese regime has been excluded from ASEAN meetings held since mid-2021 after the military junta refused to follow a ‘road map’ set by member countries.
Pita has thus asserted that his party supports the bloc’s five-point plan and has stressed the importance of “ASEAN’s centrality.” “As a founding member of ASEAN, we attach great importance to unity among the members of the organization and we uphold the principles of democracy and respect for Human Rights that are included in the ASEAN Charter,” he said, according to a statement released to via Facebook.
In addition, he has pointed out that the commitment must be “inclusive” to ensure that Burma “stabilizes” and has indicated that his future coalition government plans to create an intergovernmental working group controlled by the prime minister to coordinate actions and seek solutions to the “challenges” posed by the situation in Burma.
“We seek to reinforce the complementarity of the interests of ASEAN and Burma’s neighbors on the situation in the country in order to achieve a stable, prosperous and economically viable Burma as a full member,” he asserted before stating that he will guarantee “close coordination and frequent consultations between all interested parties”.
To this end, it has highlighted the importance of the “commitment between the parties” and has stressed that any measure must be “inclusive and multilateral”. “Thailand recognizes that the Burmese problem spans a wide range of dimensions, including the influx of irregular migrants, energy security, telecommunications and online scams, as well as the illicit arms trade, healthcare, human trafficking and drug smuggling,” he said.
