Neighbours come together for peace in Myanmar conflict

Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa called on Myanmar’s neighbouring countries to strengthen their cooperation in encouraging all parties involved in Myanmar’s civil war to halt the ongoing conflict since the 2021 military coup.

Maris spoke to Kyodo News and Thai media in Vientiane yesterday, July 29, noting that he had informal discussions with his counterparts from Myanmar and India concerning the civil war during a meeting of South Asian and some Southeast Asian countries held in New Delhi earlier this month.

Maris attended foreign ministerial talks in the Lao capital last week, organised by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its partner nations, including the United States, Japan, and China.

Thailand and India, both sharing borders with Myanmar, have experienced an influx of refugees displaced by the conflict between the military and opposition forces following the February 1, 2021, military coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government, said Maris.

“I believe there is a good chance to improve the situation in Myanmar as several countries are adopting a more open attitude towards Myanmar’s junta than before.”

I felt Myanmar had a more open idea when I held tripartite talks, he added, referring to his discussions with his counterparts from Myanmar and India during the foreign ministerial meeting of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation member nations earlier this month.

Myanmar shares borders with Thailand, India, China, Laos, and Bangladesh, reported Bangkok Post.

In related news, Thailand’s steel sales recently dropped 8.7% amid cheap Chinese imports. Thailand’s steel industry faced sluggish sales in the first five months of this year due to reduced spending on construction projects and the influx of cheap imports from China, according to Tata Steel (Thailand) Plc (TSTH), a subsidiary of India’s largest steelmaker.

Long steel product consumption fell by 8.7% year-on-year to 2.47 million tonnes as stated by Tarun Kuma Daga, president and chief executive of TSTH. Total steel consumption also decreased by 6.9% between January and May as he noted.