The Nation - Abide by Asean spirit,

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Abide by Asean spirit, Thailand tells Burma

THAILAND on Saturday urged Burma to adopt the Asean spirit, saying that
members had traditionally avoided border confrontations and tried to
resolve internal problems so that they would not escalate and affect other
member countries. 

Deputy Foreign Minister Sukhumbhand Paribatra said that as a new member of
Asean Burma should abide by the spirit and adapt to new developments. 

He said certain issues had become cross-border concerns and Thailand's
reaction to the situation in the country should not be viewed as
interference. 

''We have to accept the fact that certain events in one country do have
implications and affect other countries. Examples are the haze in
Indonesia, which affected Singapore, Malaysia and southern Thailand, the
issue of drug trafficking, which is a global concern, and the use of
excessive force in one country against its ethnic minorities forcing
thousands or hundreds of thousands of refugees to another. These definitely
concern neighbouring countries,'' he said. 

Sukhumbhand said Thailand did not want to interfere in Burmese affairs. 

''We reaffirm that non-intereference should be strictly adhered to.
However, we cannot deny that as neighbours living close together, changes
in one country can affect another country,'' he said. 

Deploring the escalating tension between the ruling Burmese junta and the
opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), he said it was widely
acknowledged that every time a negative incident occurred in Burma it
affected Thailand. 

He said Thailand had acted as a true friend of Burma and that in the past
year the Thai government had continuously supported and urged the
international community to include Burma in various cooperation frameworks.


Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai has also spoken out for Burma in various
forums since leading the government in the past seven months. 

''We have argued that it is better to engage with Burma than to isolate it
because isolation is not the right way to solve the problem,'' he said,
adding that Thailand had ''stuck its neck out to talk to the EU and US''. 

''We have provided diplomatic and political assistance by talking to our
dialogue partners. Burma may see [our reaction] as interference in their
internal affairs, but this is not our intention. We want Burma to be a good
member of Asean, and as a member of Asean, Burma should not pose a problem
in cooperation with the European Union and the United States,'' he said. 

Burma's membership has also had a direct impact on Asean-EU relations,
resulting in the postponement of a scheduled meeting last November. Asean
and the EU are expected to discuss the issue during their upcoming meeting
in Manila this month as the EU still has reservations about Burma
participating in the Asean-EU Joint Commission meeting. 

Sukhumbhand said Thailand would continue to express concern at the
situation in Burma. 

''It is our right to reflect our concern at the situation. We have been
good friends over the past seven months, and we have a right to express our
concern. If we don't, we are not true friends,'' he said. 



BY RITA PATIYASEVI 



The Nation