BANGKOK, Thailand – Integrating Myanmar back into full regional ASEAN engagement will yield broad benefits for Thailand beyond economic and trade gains, according to a former Thai diplomat and president of the Thailand-Myanmar Friendship Association. Pisanu Suvanajata, the association’s president and former ambassador, spoke at a Thailand-Myanmar business forum held during an official visit by Myanmar’s leader to Thailand. He noted that the event offered a valuable opportunity for the private sectors of both nations to discuss trade and investment directly to build shared economic prospects.
Suvanajata highlighted potential infrastructure connectivity projects, including developing Ranong Port as a coastal transport hub to Myanmar and linking Thailand’s M81 motorway (Bang Yai-Kanchanaburi) with connecting routes from Yangon. He noted that such transportation networks would support economic development for both sides while helping mitigate cross-border issues.
Bringing Myanmar back into the ASEAN fold—a key foreign policy priority for the Thai government—is expected to enhance security cooperation and cross-border problem-solving. Formal state-to-state coordination channels would boost efficiency in addressing non-traditional threats, including narcotics, call-center scams, transnational crime, and transboundary haze pollution.
In terms of regional stability, maintaining diplomatic engagement through the ASEAN framework helps safeguard stability along the Thai-Myanmar border, preserve ASEAN centrality, and maintain geopolitical balance. On the social and humanitarian front, ASEAN serves as a crucial mechanism for delivering aid to the Myanmar people, improving the protection and management of migrant labor, and fostering sustainable cultural and educational exchanges between the two nations. (TNA)
