Ethnic minorities are still pawns of the Junta

The country's ethnic minorities are still deeply affected by the country's foreign policy as the military junta cleverly toys with neighbouring countries which enjoyed the benefits of border trade and Burma's natural resources, experts say.

"The Burmese government sees [the conflict with] the ethnic minorities as the country's most important problem and uses its foreign policy to persuade China, Thailand and India to support it," said Pornpimol Trichote at the launch of her book "Myanmar's Foreign Affairs with Neighbouring Countries in the Ethnic Minority Context".

Meanwhile the Burmese government wants cooperation from China, India and Thailand to suppress the armed ethnic groups along its borders, but in exchange it has to accept demands from various business interests, said Pornpimol, senior researcher at Chulalongkorn University's Institute of Asian Studies.

China, which has good relations with Burma, wants to use the country for trade and as a route to the Indian Ocean.

India, which gave full support to the democratic movement in Burma in 1988, has done an about-face to support the junta as it also faces ethnic minority problems along the Burma-India border.

India launched its "Look East Policy" to improve its relations with Burma in 1992, the researcher said.

As for Thailand, Weerasak Futrakul, permanent secretary to the Foreign Ministry, said it had no choice but to sustain good relations with Burma as its natural gas supplies account for about 30 per cent of Thailand's consumption.

Weerasak said Thai-Burmese relations improved after Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's recent visit.

Niyom Wairatpanij, chairman of the Committee of Neighbouring Countries Trade Promotion, said Thailand would gain a lot more from border trade if it maintained a good relationship with Burma.

"About 20 million people who live in border towns consume Thai products. The more checkpoints for border trade open, the more we can sell our products," Niyom said.

He believes border trade can help the Burmese government to solve the ethnic minority problems.

"They don't want war if they live happily," he said.

Pornpimol agrees Thailand cannot refuse to build and maintain a good relationship with Burma as long as it has to

continue doing business with Burma, especially involving the country's natural resources.

"But Thailand's foreign policy with Burma needs to carefully consider how to build that relationship and not lose credibility in the eyes of the international community," she said.

Burma has one of the worst human rights records in the world for its suppression of ethnic minority groups and the democratic movement against the military junta.

Thailand has become home to about 150,000 refugees and more than 1 million migrant workers from Burma.

The Burmese military government has promised that it will hold a general election and turn over power to an elected government in 2010.

Weerasak suggested Thailand and the international community should wait for the Burmese junta's promise.

"What choice do you have?" he said, adding that instead of condemning the junta, it is better to help the Burmese people to have economic autonomy.