Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai visited the capital of Myanmar on Friday for talks with Min Aung Hlaing, head of the military junta, according to the Global New Light of Myanmar.
“Both sides cordially discussed cooperation among Myanmar, Thailand and Laos to reduce transboundary smog pollution, peace and stability in the border regions of both countries and plans to cooperate in the eradication of human trafficking, drug trafficking and arms smuggling,” the state-run news organisation said on its website.
Burning of maize fields by contract farmers in Myanmar and Laos as well as northern Thailand has been identified as a major contributor to the severe air pollution afflicting people throughout the area in recent weeks.
Mr Don, also a deputy prime minister in the caretaker government, was accompanied at the talks in Nay Pyi Taw by Mongkol Visitstump, the Thai ambassador to Myanmar.
Myanmar official media also reported that Pornpimol Kanchanalak, Mr Don’s special adviser for Myanmar, met with Ko Kolai, Myanmar’s minister for international cooperation.
They reportedly discussed issues including transport, tourism, energy, rural development and people-to-people connectivity as well as humanitarian assistance in disaster management.
Ms Pornpimol has been an advocate of greater engagement with the Myanmar military regime to find a way out of the crisis created since the coup two years ago. At a forum last year, she said that the sanctions and “cancel rhetoric” approach favoured by some countries was no longer productive.
