Human rights defenders specialising in Burma are confident Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will yield to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's demands that he help to improve the situation for Burmese at home and in Thailand.
The pair held talks on Monday in Phuket, where the US secretary of state visited areas that were ravaged by the Dec 26 tsunami.
Sunai Phasuk, of Human Rights Watch, said yesterday he was sure Mr Thaksin would give in to Ms Rice's demands so Thailand could again stand among those countries which cared about human rights.
Mr Sunai said since Mr Thaksin became prime minister four years ago, the human rights situation for Burmese has worsened. This forced the US government to put Thailand on last year's list of countries which did not promote human rights and democracy.
''I think Prime Minister Thaksin wants the Bush government to acknowledge and to give credit to his government again in order to receive future benefits,'' he said.
Nakhon Ratchasima Senator Kraisak Choonhavan, chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, said he hoped Mr Thaksin and his government will work harder to promote democracy, national reconciliation and human rights in Burma.
Sen Kraisak called on the prime minister to seek cooperation from China and India to help solve problems in Burma because the two Asian giants were a major influence there.
Furthermore, he said, the Thai government must clearly set a date for the next meeting with Burma after the first Bangkok Process had ended in failure a few years ago.
Thailand should also enlist other Asean countries to help solve the Burma question, Mr Kraisak said. Asean must keep a close watch on the national convention in Burma, and impose a deadline for its implementation and for the release of National League for Democracy leader Aung San Sui Kyi and other political prisoners.
The junta's drafting of the convention should be a prerequisite for Rangoon to serve as chairman of Asean.
''I still have doubts if Burma will succeed with its national convention while many political prisoners and opposition leader Aung San Sui Kyi have not yet been released,'' he said.
Mr Kraisak put the blame on the Thai government for failing to protect the rights and liberties of Burmese pro-democracy groups taking refuge in Thailand. He said many had been forced into hiding because they were fearful of being arrested and deported by the government.
He cited the forced repatriation of about 1,000 Burmese people, 200 of them children, last week at the Mae Hong Son checkpoint into Burma as the example of not protecting the rights and liberties of the Burmese.