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BANGKOK: The Thai military has denied the supply of rice to units of the Myanmar armed forces and said on Saturday (March 20) that any food sent across the border was part of normal trade.
Myanmar’s military faces international condemnation for a February 1 coup and the bloody crackdown on protests against the military regime in which nearly 250 people were killed.
Thailand has expressed concern about the bloodshed.
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Direct Thai assistance to the Myanmar military would likely draw criticism from supporters of the overthrown government headed by Aung San Suu Kyi. The Nobel Peace Prize winner has been detained in Myanmar since the coup.
Thai media reported that the Thai military had supplied 700 sacks of rice to Myanmar army units on Myanmar’s eastern border, citing an unidentified security official as saying it was on the order of the Thai government.
“The Thai Army is not supplying the Myanmar Army and there has been no contact from the Myanmar Army requesting assistance or demanding assistance from us because they have their own honor,” Major General Amnat Srimak, commander of the Thai Army, said in a statement. Naresua Force. statement.
“If there is anything, I think there is regular trade at normal border crossings,” Amnat said. “We will not block this if the conduct is not against the law and follows customs procedures.”
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A Thai government spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. The Myanmar military did not respond to calls seeking comment.
Thai media said Myanmar army units sourcing near the border had been cut off by forces from the Karen National Union (KNU), an ethnic minority insurgent group that agreed to a ceasefire with the Myanmar government. in 2012.
A KNU spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. The KNU has supported the democratic movement in Myanmar and has condemned the coup and repression by the military.
Myanmar’s junta has defended its coup by saying that the November 8 elections won by Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy were fraudulent and its claims were ignored by the electoral commission. He has promised a new election but has not set a date.
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Thai media showed images of what appeared to be sacks of rice loaded onto trucks at the border. Images seen by Reuters showed men, some in camouflage uniforms, crossing into Thailand and checking their temperatures.
Border trade between Thailand and Myanmar has been severely restricted since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Residents told a Reuters reporter that the crossing shown in the images was not a normal trade route.
