NGO Progressive Voice issued a statement of concern on 18 June over the invitation made by the interim government in Thailand to invite a representative of the Myanmar junta to talks in Bangkok.
The following is the statement:
We, representatives of Myanmar civil society organizations, strongly condemn the secretive meeting which includes the illegal Myanmar military junta organized by the outgoing Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai of the caretaker Government of Thailand on Sunday 18 June 2023. We demand the caretaker government cancels the meeting immediately.
This is a complete affront to the people of Myanmar who have sacrificed their lives to resist the Myanmar military’s attempt to seize power through years-long terror campaign against the whole nation. The military junta has never been a legitimate government of Myanmar, nor has it acquired effective control over the country’s territories.
This secretive initiative of the outgoing Thai Foreign Minister is in blatant contradiction with the ASEAN consensus on non-invitation of representatives of the military junta in high-level meetings. We are outraged that the Foreign Minister Don stated in his invitation to ASEAN Member States that ASEAN should “fully re-engage Myanmar at the leaders ’level”. This decision was never agreed upon by ASEAN Member States, nor did the Indonesian Government, the incumbent Chair of ASEAN, initiate this meeting. In organizing this meeting, the caretaker Government of Thailand is acting without the mandate and any consultation with the ASEAN Chair. As a member state of ASEAN, Thailand must not deviate from the bloc’s agreement, and must halt this meeting at once.
The caretaker Thai Government’s unilateral move further goes against the United Nations Security Council resolution 2669 on 21 December 2021.
By trying to “fully re-engage” the illegal military junta, representatives of ASEAN Member States will stand in contradiction with the will of the people of Myanmar for the end of military tyranny and for a federal democratic Myanmar. Participation in this secretive meeting, and the failure to cut all ties with the illegal military junta would only be “part of the initial steps” of another failed peace process. Rather, this step sends the signal to the military junta that ASEAN will recognize it despite its commission on heinous crimes. This will only further embolden the military junta to continue its
crimes and atrocities, to burn villages, to displace civilian population from their homes and land, to weaponize humanitarian aid and to try to impose its tyrannical rule against the will of the people.
We condemn the secretive initiative of Don Pramudwinai in strongest terms. We demand the caretaker Thai Government cancels this meeting immediately.
We call upon invited states to not attend the meeting, as this meeting will only fuel more violence in our country and undermine other genuine attempts by the international community to address the worsening crisis in Myanmar.
