Thailand’s Foreign Policy towards Myanmar after Myanmar’s Military Coup in 2021

Abstract

This paper examines Thailand’s foreign policy towards Myanmar after the military coup in Myanmar in 2021. It uses the concept of linkage politics by James N. Rosenau as a framework of analysis to explain the relations between domestic and international considerations impacting on Thailand’s Myanmar policy. The factors that were examined are Thailand’s commitment on democracy and human rights, the closeness of the Thai and Myanmar armies, Thailand’s economic interests in Myanmar, the roles of ASEAN and the United Nations in protecting human rights violations in Myanmar, and the role of Myanmar’s military junta in bringing democratic reforms. After the military coup in Myanmar in 2021, Thailand’s Myanmar policy is to balance between promoting and protecting democracy and human rights and pursuing its economic interests in Myanmar. In order to keep a balance between the two interests, Thailand generally supports the United Nations’ decisions and resolutions and uses “quiet diplomacy” to support ASEAN’s roles in dealing with the crisis in Myanmar. However, the close relationship between the military leaders of Thailand and Myanmar after the military coup in Myanmar in 2021 has been criticized for not complying with ASEAN’s approach and the so-called Five-Point Consensus (5PC).