Former Thai PM to Visit His “Brother” Than Shwe

02 November, 2009
By LAWI WENG

The chairman of Thailand’s opposition Puea Thai Party, Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, is to visit Burma this month amid warnings from the Democrat-led Bangkok government not to do anything that would complicate relations with Naypyidaw.

Chavalit’s visit to Burma follows a controversial trip he made recently to Cambodia, where Prime Minister Hun Sen told him Thailand’s fugitive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra would be welcome to live there, safe from extradition.

The Bangkok English language daily Bangkok Post quoted Chavalit as saying he would meet junta leader Snr-Gen Than Shwe and Prime Minister Gen Thein Sein, both of whom he admired. “"Gen Than Shwe and I are like brothers to each other,” he was quoted as saying. “As for Gen Thein Sein, we are each other's fans.”

Chavalit is a former Thai Prime Minister who worked to end Burma’s isolation in the international community after the violent suppression of the uprising in Burma in 1988. He was involved in business deals with the Burmese junta in timber, fishing and hotel construction.

On his second visit to Burma in 1989 Chavalit agreed to repatriate student activists who fled to Thailand after the crackdown.

In another controversial move recently, Chavalit said the current Thai government was wrong to condemn the Burmese junta over opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s house arrest.

The Puea Thai Party said Chavalit would be going to Burma and, later on, to Malaysia “to mend fences with neighboring countries.”

Democrat Party spokesman Buranat Samutarak warned Gen Chavalit, however, to avoid taking any steps which could complicate Thailand’s relations with two of its closest neighbors.

Supalak Ganjanakhundee, a senior reporter with the Bangkok English language daily The Nation, told The Irrawaddy on Monday: “Perhaps he [Chavalit] just simply wants on this trip to discredit the Thai government for its failure to solve any problem in Burma.” Chavalit couldn’t solve Burma’s problems, either, Supalak said.