Thailand is now ruled by a military junta, which has handpicked the country's interim prime minister. Does that mean Thailand and Burma are on an equal footing? I hope not.
If the two countries embark on a race for political reform, democratisation and the drafting of a new constitution, Thailand will certainly cross the finish line first. Burma's military leaders, who took power in the bloody coup of 1988, are just marking time. That's for sure.
The good news is that, unlike in former times, the two juntas are not ready to embrace each other. Maybe they never will. Burma was embarrassed to learn that democracy-minded army leader Gen Surayud Chulanont was chosen as Thailand's new prime minister. I still remember when Gen Suchinda Kraprayoon and Gen Sunthorn Kongsompong staged a military coup in 1991, formed the National Peace-keeping Council and were hurriedly congratulated by Burma's then-ambassador to Thailand, Nyunt Swe.
Prime Minister Surayud has not yet visited Burma, although Thai Foreign Ministry sources suggest he may do so in the middle of this month and may be looking for a suitable date. Gen Surayud and his foreign minister, Nitya Pibulsonggram, hinted to the foreign press in Bangkok this week that a Burma visit was in the pipeline but did not say when. "Whether or not we will go to Myanmar, the answer is yes," Mr Nitya said.
Shortly after his appointment on Oct 1, the prime minister toured the region, visiting Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and China, but not Singapore, Brunei and Burma.
This week he was visiting Brunei and Singapore, but Burma is still off his schedule. In China, he met Burmese Prime Minister Gen Soe Win.
Gen Surayud commands respect among Burmese ethnic minorities because of the sympathy he is known to harbour for them and for his recognition of the plight of refugees along the volatile border. Some ethnic leaders who took refuge in Thailand reportedly sent congratulatory message to Gen Surayud on his appointment as prime minister.
When he was army chief in the late 1990s, he adopted a tough stance toward Burmese cross-border incursions and stemmed the flow of drugs coming from Burma's Wa hills and Shan State. Relations between the two countries hit a bad patch as troops massed around the not yet demarcated border, leading to serious skirmishes. He also initiated military exercises along the border with Burma, resulting in angry protests from the leadership in Rangoon.
Against this background, Gen Surayud might well be thinking twice before undertaking a visit to Burma.
He was noticeably reluctant to visit Burma and shake hands with military leaders there while he was army chief. Other Thai military leaders regularly paid courtesy visits to Burma and forged friendly relations with Burmese leaders. Gen Surayud is no friend of the regime in Burma, and Burma's top brass feel the same way about him.
Nevertheless, as prime minister, Gen Surayud may have to play a diplomatic game with the regime's leaders.
At his meeting with the foreign press in Bangkok earlier this week, he said his government would maintain the policy followed by the previous government towards Burma. According to AFP reports, Gen Surayud said: "I can say on a broad policy of Thailand and Burma that we still carry on what the previous government has committed with the Burmese on the bilateral issues."
But he also said that his government had a timeline to draft a new constitution and return to democracy, while observing that no sign of such a development was visible in Burma. He is correct.
Gen Surayud is well aware of the political landscape in Burma, in contrast to Thai politicians who have a poor understanding of Burmese politics or who lack the ability to comprehend them.
This may be a broad departure from previous Thai governments, not only the one headed by ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra but also those others who were prepared to deal with the Burmese military regime.
There have been increasing calls from human rights organisations, NGOs, and the international community for the Thai government to look into the situation of Burmese refugees and migrant workers living in Thailand. As fighting between Burmese troops and ethnic insurgents continues unabated, increasing numbers of internally displaced persons are seeking refuge in the jungle and along the Thai-Burmese border. Thailand's answer to that problem is the installation of a better government in Burma.
Ethnic leaders, former activists, Burma-support groups and NGOs working and living in Thailand have long memories of the contortions of Thai-Burma relations. They are cautious and acknowledge the existence of an unpredictable Thai policy towards Burma. They have witnessed how many Thai politicians and successive governments defended the Burmese regime in the face of condemnation by the UN and the international community. They have seen how Burma's leaders used Thailand as a shield to deflect outside pressure.
But don't get me wrong. Because Gen Surayud is at the helm, I don't want to see any fireworks along the border. It is important to maintain good and cordial relations with Burma and the suffering Burmese people.
Yet it must be said that any hasty meeting between members of Thailand's new government and Burma's Snr-Gen Than Shwe will send a wrong signal.