The visit took place only days after the UN special envoy, Ibrahim Gambari, ended a five-day visit empty handed, having not achieved anything toward national reconciliation and democracy in the country. The international community expects Thailand, as Burma's immediate neighbour and the next chair of Asean, to do more. During last year's Asean meeting, Thai ministers were bombarded by questions as to why Thailand, which has big business interests in Burma, has not done more to push the junta toward democracy and human rights protection. Tough action from Bangkok sometimes backfires, souring relations between the two neighbours. But this reality should not prevent the government from taking action to move Burma in the right direction.
The Thai government has to use a calculated and delicate approach, to ensure that it balances the interests of the people against international calls for intensifying pressure on the junta. The newly announced policy of "neighbourly engagement" with the junta, to balance the extreme approaches of sanctions and full engagement, should be seen as a mechanism to push things forward. However, the Asean tradition of "non-interference" is actually a policy to maintain the status quo.
The government wants to see "all inclusiveness" in Burma's political process but declined to say if opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi should be allowed to participate. Such a stance will ensure nothing changes. If this elected government really believes in democracy for Thailand, it should also believe that democracy will be a good thing for Burma. It's good to know that Samak will share information about the Thai constitution. The Burmese junta will hold a referendum to endorse the military sponsored constitution in May. But the PM, who is bitter at the current Thai constitution, should know that the text of a constitution is more important than the referendum process. The military-drafted constitution, which bars Aung San Suu Kyi from participating in the political process, is absolutely undemocratic. If the prime minister feels the prohibition of 111 Thai politicians from politics is unfair, the same logic should apply to the disbarring of Aung San Suu Kyi.
Samak wanted to concentrate on business talk with the Burmese generals - on investment protection and energy cooperation. This is fine for relations, but he shouldn't forget that doing pure business with Burma is impossible. Good diplomats know that business is an effective tool to achieve political goals. Let the prime minister, who claims to love democracy, exercise his ideology and skill to bring about democratic change in our neighbour. That will be the only sustainable way to improve relations with Burma.