Thailand and Myanmar have agreed to hold a meeting on November 25 and 26 to discuss cross-border river pollution affecting the Sai and Kok rivers.
Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said upon his return from Myanmar on Thursday evening that the Myanmar government had expressed its readiness to cooperate in addressing river pollution, following growing concerns over contamination in the two rivers.
Sihasak visited Myanmar on Wednesday, where he paid a courtesy call on Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing and held talks with his counterpart U Tin Maung Swe and Lt-Gen Yar Pyae, the defence minister and chairman of the National Solidarity and Peacemaking Negotiation Committee.
Sihasak said the meeting of the bilateral working group on river water quality had been brought forward at Thailand's request. It was originally scheduled for late November.
The two sides also discussed tensions along the Thai-Myanmar border after Myanmar's military operations affected the Thai side and left Thai people injured. Myanmar expressed regret over the incident and reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that its military operations would not affect Thailand. It also proposed a special meeting between the two countries' military representatives under the Regional Border Committee framework.
Other issues discussed included bilateral trade, investment, labour and energy cooperation, as well as Myanmar's political situation and efforts to promote national reconciliation.
The two countries also discussed cooperation against transnational crime, particularly scam operations along the border. Sihasak said Myanmar had expressed its willingness to work with Thailand and agreed to establish a bilateral working group to improve coordination and speed up joint efforts to tackle the problem.
