Min Aung Hlaing pledges to curb border spillover

Min Aung Hlaing has pledged that Myanmar will take steps to stop fighting inside the country from spilling into Thailand, after talks with Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow in Myanmar. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul confirmed the pledge on Friday, saying Myanmar had promised to do everything possible to keep its internal conflict from affecting Thai communities, Khaosod English reported.

Sihasak, who is also a deputy prime minister, announced the outcome of his visit on Thursday, November 12. He met Myanmar's leader together with the country's foreign and defence ministers and the chairman of its National Solidarity and Peacemaking Negotiation Committee. The trip was made at Anutin's direction.

Border security after cross-border incidents

Sihasak raised concerns about ground operations and airstrikes inside Myanmar that have affected communities on the Thai side of the border. He said Min Aung Hlaing and his ministers expressed regret over the incidents and promised measures to prevent them happening again.

Thailand has recently warned residents in several border provinces to stay alert, as covered in our report on the Myanmar border alert. The two countries already coordinate through a Regional Border Committee, which normally meets once a year, but they agreed to hold a special meeting to discuss extra preventive steps.

Speaking at Government House on Friday morning, Anutin said talks had taken place at both military and government levels. He said Myanmar had committed to continuous coordination and information sharing between the two countries' security agencies, and stressed that bilateral relations remained very good.

Toxic rivers on the agenda

Pollution in rivers that cross the border was another urgent issue. Thailand asked for a meeting of the Joint Working Group on Water Quality Management in Border and Transboundary Rivers to be brought forward, and Myanmar agreed. The meeting is now set for November 25-26.

The key points on water quality include:

• Talks will focus on concrete steps, including suspected pollution sources in mining areas of Shan State.
• Myanmar has proposed more water monitoring stations, especially near mining sites.
• Thailand wants China to provide technical help and to help bring Shan State representatives into the talks.
• China is expected to support a water quality laboratory at Mae Fah Luang University.

Asked whether Myanmar could pause mining to protect Thai communities, Sihasak said this would be for the joint working group to discuss. "Effective solutions must address the source of the problem," he said. He added that Thailand had raised the issue with Chinese officials several times, and that Chinese Premier Li Qiang's visit would offer another chance to discuss it. Readers can find more in our report on Li Qiang's visit to Thailand.

Migrant workers and the 25% remittance rule

The visit also covered Myanmar's new rule that citizens working abroad, including in Thailand, must send at least 25% of their earnings home through government-approved channels and pay an extra 2% income tax. Workers who fail to comply could face legal action and a three-year ban on overseas work.

Myanmar's leadership told Sihasak the money is meant for workers' families, not the government. Thailand raised concerns about the official exchange rate used for these transfers, which could mean losses for workers. Min Aung Hlaing said Myanmar would consult its Labour Ministry and central bank on the exchange rate issue.

Sihasak warned that if workers struggle to meet the rule, they may be unable to renew their passports and could slip into irregular work in Thailand. He said Thailand wants migrant workers to keep legal status so they receive proper rights and protection. Our earlier story on Thailand's migrant worker permits explains why legal status matters for both workers and employers.

Min Aung Hlaing and ASEAN re-engagement

Sihasak said Myanmar's leaders welcomed Thailand's "Calibrated Re-engagement" plan, which aims to gradually restore Myanmar's role in ASEAN. Thailand would like Myanmar to return to ASEAN meetings at foreign minister level, as its recent participation has been limited to lower-level officials. "Myanmar must also make efforts to return to ASEAN," he said.

Myanmar also signalled it may let Thailand help arrange talks with ethnic armed groups, including the Karen National Union and the Karenni National Progressive Party, possibly with Thailand as a venue. Both sides said more coordination would be needed before any such talks take place.

Image: Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing pictured in April 2019. Photo by Vadim Savitsky, mil.ru, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 4.0.