[International] Thai Government Welcomes Min Aung Hlaing, Criticized for Ignoring Myanmar's Human Rights Crisis
RtiTalk 小編18d ago
According to Tai-Thai Times, several Thai civil society groups issued a joint statement on the 6th, criticizing the Thai government for hosting Myanmar's military junta leader Min Aung Hlaing. They believe this action is tantamount to recognizing his leadership, ignoring the human rights and humanitarian crisis faced by the Myanmar people after the coup, and demanding that the government adhere to the rule of law, international law, and human rights principles in its policy towards Myanmar.
The statement was jointly issued by the Thai-Myanmar Friendship Foundation, the Committee for Myanmar Democracy Movement, the Association for People's Rights and Freedoms, the Democratic Movement Committee, the World Peace Working Group, the Asian Development Cultural Foundation, and the Thai Civil Society Network.
The statement pointed out that Min Aung Hlaing visited Thailand from the 6th to the 7th and held talks with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. His regional visit was seen as an attempt to seek international and ASEAN recognition and rebuild political legitimacy.
The statement said that after the Myanmar military overthrew the elected government in 2021, it detained Aung San Suu Kyi and many elected officials, and took measures such as arrest, detention, torture, and forced conscription against people opposing military rule. The groups cited UN data indicating that over 5,000 people have died since the coup, and that the military continues to launch airstrikes on civilian areas, schools, and hospitals even after the earthquake.
The statement also noted that actual control in many parts of Myanmar is still divided between the military and ethnic armed organizations, and the military government has not yet fully grasped the national situation. Therefore, Thailand should not judge its representativeness solely based on official contact.
Relevant groups also mentioned that the Federal Criminal Court of Argentina had issued an arrest warrant for Min Aung Hlaing based on the principle of universal jurisdiction; the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court also applied to the judges on November 27, 2024, to issue an arrest warrant on suspicion of committing crimes against humanity against the Rohingya people. The statement argued on this basis that Min Aung Hlaing lacks democratic legitimacy to represent the Myanmar people.
The statement further pointed out that the Myanmar coup has caused multiple crises, including economic recession, armed conflict, poverty, and displacement, and has also increased the pressure of refugees and migrant workers on Thailand's borders. Civil society groups believe that even if the military government holds elections, it cannot replace a credible and internationally recognized political transition process.
The groups criticized that if the Thai government hosts Min Aung Hlaing with the protocol of a state leader, it could be used by the military government to strengthen its domestic rule and international image, and would also weaken Thailand's position in human rights and humanitarian diplomacy.
The statement concluded by urging the government to review its policy towards Myanmar, incorporate the safety, dignity, and democratic rights of the Myanmar people into bilateral relations, and handle future interactions in accordance with the principles of a state of law, rule of law, international law, and fundamental human rights. (Editor: Chung Chin-lung)
Source Link: https://www.rti.org.tw/news?uid=3&pid=224870
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