The Thai Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara stated today that Thailand is dedicated to staying neutral in the ongoing Myanmar civil war and will assist in bringing peace to the country as needed.
He expressed the hope for an end to the conflict and for all parties involved to enter into negotiations. He also pointed out that Thailand has previously been affected by Myanmar's internal issues due to its proximity.
Parnpree made these comments at a press conference following a special meeting called by the prime minister in response to the takeover of Myawaddy township by rebel forces.
He mentioned that Thailand expects an influx of displaced people to seek refuge in the country based on past experiences.
Parnpree stated that Thailand can only accommodate a maximum of 100,000 immigrants, and if the number surpasses that, they will seek help from the international community.
He also revealed that measures have been put in place to keep conflicting Myanmar nationals separate and that the military is responsible for enhancing border security, with an increase in manpower already in place.
He urged Myanmar's neighboring countries – India, China, Laos, and Bangladesh – to contribute to resolving the issues as they are also affected.
Following the takeover of Myawaddy, Myanmar asked for permission to land its aircraft in Thailand to pick up officers and their families who had fled in the previous three days.
On Sunday night, only one aircraft landed in Tak province, but Myanmar later withdrew their request for further flight permissions to Thailand.
Although people were observed loading boxes onto the aircraft, no Myanmar nationals boarded the flight. There were rumors that the boxes contained money and gold from Myawaddy, but Parnpree denied these rumors, stating that Myanmar did not request to use the aircraft to transport such items.
He clarified that the aircraft that landed in Thailand was not military, contrary to rumors.
