Thai government says no need to evacuate citizens from Myanmar for now

Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the deteriorating situation in Myanmar is not serious enough to require the evacuation of Thai citizens. Thani Saengrat from the MFA says the situation is being assessed on a daily basis and the ministry is working with the Royal Thai Embassy in Yangon to prepare an evacuation plan should such a step become necessary.

Nation Thailand reports that, according to Thani, the embassy is holding regular meetings to review matters. He points out that no Thai citizens have been harmed in the conflict currently gripping the country since a military coup on February 1.

“If the situation rises to another level, the Thai authority has already prepared every step. Myanmar has already recommended that those without major activities in Myanmar should consider returning to their country by commercial aircraft. However, no country has yet informed or asked to evacuate all of its nationals.”

The Burmese military staged a coup on February 1 that ousted the democratically-elected Aung San Suu Kyi government. Their justification was that November’s election was fraudulent. Since then, the situation has become more fraught, with the army launching air strikes over the weekend, targeting villagers in an area controlled by an armed resistance group. Thousands of displaced villagers are thought to have fled into Thailand in the aftermath, with the United Nations accusing the Burmese junta of crimes against humanity.

Meanwhile, the British embassy in Yangon has advised its citizens to leave Myanmar unless they have an urgent reason to stay.

SOURCE: Nation Thailand