Police patrol in Yangon, Myanmar, on July 19, 2023. (Photo: AFP/VNA) Bangkok (VNA) – Thailand plans to establish a humanitarian safe zone later this month at its border with Myanmar, near the Mae Sot-Myawaddy crossing, to deliver food and medical supplies to local communities and 20,000 people displaced by fighting, Thai deputy foreign minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow has said.
The initiative is considered the latest effort that Thailand has made to pave the way for talks between parties in the neighbouring country.
Local media reported that the initiative was endorsed by foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and a representative of Myanmar last week in Luang Prabang, Laos. Accordingly, the Red Cross Society of Thailand and Myanmar will provide relief goods under the supervision of the ASEAN humanitarian aid agency.
Sihasak said the initiative could lead to talks that involve the parties in Myanmar, adding that Thailand has consulted international partners, including Myanmar's other neighbours such as India and China.
He believed that a dialogue process can begin in the middle of this year in Myanmar./.
