Rakhine is the most challenging issue for Myanmar, and Asean, including Thailand, should be more active to help solve the problem, Ye Htut, a former Myanmar Minister for Information and spokesperson for the president, said yesterday.
"I think the most challenging thing now is the Rakhine issue. That means if we cannot find a solution, I think Myanmar will become isolated, especially by the West," the senior visiting fellow of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore, said.
"Without the support of the West, we will have to rely too much on China economically and politically. Asean cannot ignore the problem," he insisted.
"Some say Asean should not interfere in members' internal affairs, but others believe we are a community. As a member of the family, you should be able to give your opinion on issues that matter," he added.
Asean has already started by giving humanitarian assistance via the AHA Centre, which is among the few organisations allowed to operate on the ground in the affected areas.
However, Ye Htut noted that the participating countries, however, must not use the issue in their domestic politics.
He suggested that to solve the problem related to the Rohingya, a Muslim minority in the country, and the conflicts in Rakhine, the stakeholders must deal with the issues of citizenship, immigration and security.
Besides the Rakhine issue, he expressed worries about the Myanmar economy and lack of foreign investment since many projects have been suspended by the government.
On a related note, he said Thailand will not have to worry about Myanmar migrant labourers moving back to their country over the next 10 years.
"Myanmar needs a lot of development projects to employ these people. Compared with Thailand, our economy is pretty small, and the wages are lower as a result," he said.
More workers, on the other hand, would likely want to come and work in Thailand, he said, adding that the Myanmar government needs to set up a proper mechanism to register and protect this workforce.
"Until 2011, the Myanmar government said they did not need to protect illegal migrant labourers because they left by themselves. But now the situation has changed," he said.
