Speaking to local media, outgoing Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai, in a last-ditch attempt to uphold the junta’s status quo, doubled down by saying that the countries that chose to skip the meeting should be thanking Bangkok for its “track 1.5” diplomatic initiative blending government and academia.

Since the military putsch that overthrew democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government over two years ago, ASEAN has maintained an approach based on the Five-Point Consensus (5PC) peace initiative, which calls for the cessation of violence, inclusive dialogue and the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

But with the junta regime’s continued defiance, ASEAN in 2021 moved to bar all Myanmar political representatives from its high-level meetings, effectively excluding the junta leaders from engaging with the bloc except during visits from the chair’s special envoy.

Thailand, whose outgoing leaders similarly took power through a military putsch in 2014, took it upon themselves to step beyond the association’s boundaries to engage with their junta allies.

“The role of Thailand in this meeting is not the role of a caretaker government. It is an ongoing mission,” Don told the Bangkok Post, while also admitting he was aware that Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi was “upset” with the plan.

“We have been dealing with the issue for the sake of national interest,” Thailand’s longtime top diplomat said in an attempt to justify the outgoing government’s move.

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