Thai, Myanmar foreign ministers to inspect polluted border river

Foreign ministers of Thailand and Myanmar will jointly visit the site of toxic contamination in a river along their shared border to assess the situation and accelerate efforts to resolve the problem.

Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said the invitation to his Myanmar counterpart, Tin Maung Swe, was extended during a meeting between Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Myanmar’s President Min Aung Hlaing, who is on an official visit to Bangkok.

The two countries have also agreed to establish a joint technical working group to address the contamination, which has become a matter of significant public concern, he told a press conference.

Sihasak said the working group will meet as soon as possible. He added that environmental pollution, particularly contamination of waterways in northern Thailand, has become one of the Thai public's biggest concerns.

Other priorities include cooperation to combat transnational crime, including scam operations and drug trafficking, as well as efforts to reduce cross-border air pollution under the trilateral "Clear Sky Strategy."

Describing Myanmar as Thailand's next-door neighbour, Sihasak said the two countries faced issues every day that require close bilateral cooperation, ranging from border security and transnational crime to environmental pollution and economic cooperation.

Turning to the situation in Myanmar, Sihasak reiterated that Thailand is pursuing a dual-track policy, balancing practical bilateral cooperation with efforts to support peace and stability in its neighbouring country.

According to Sihasak, President Min Aung Hlaing told the Thai side that Myanmar was undergoing a transition towards a democratic path to achieve economic development and prosperity.

While acknowledging that some remain skeptical of such claims, Sihasak said Thailand welcomes any positive developments that could help move Myanmar towards peace and stability.

He cited what he described as encouraging signs, including the release of political prisoners, among them the country's former president, the transfer of a prominent detainee from prison to a residence, and the recent visit by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Thailand, he said, will continue pursuing its policy of "calibrated re-engagement" to help bring Myanmar back into ASEAN while encouraging implementation of the bloc's Five-Point Consensus.

"What matters is implementation," Sihasak said, adding that ASEAN should actively explore ways to make progress rather than waiting for circumstances to change.

Responding to criticism that the visit could lend legitimacy to Myanmar's military leadership, Sihasak said Thailand was "dealing with reality" as Myanmar's neighbour and therefore has to work with the authorities currently in power to address shared border challenges.

"We're not asking others to follow our path. It's up to them to decide what they want to do. It's not about legitimacy; it's about reality. Every country formulates its foreign policy on the basis of reality," he said.

Sihasak stressed that Thailand will continue encouraging Myanmar to make progress but would not impose solutions, saying that the country's future must ultimately be decided by its own people.

"In the end, it's not our decision to impose something on them. It's their decision to make, and they have to come together, all the parties in Myanmar, for the future of the country," he said.

He also reiterated Thailand's longstanding offer to host peace talks between Myanmar's conflicting parties whenever they are ready, saying there could be no lasting military victory and that the time has come to seek a political solution through negotiations.

"We don't want to perpetuate the military situation," he said. "Five years is long enough. People have suffered enough."