Thailand’s strategic policy on Myanmar’s civil war

VENUE

The dialogues in the series will be held in hybrid mode, i.e. in-person on the ANU Campus, and virtually on zoom.

IN-PERSON: Institutes Boardroom, HC Coombs Extension Building, 9 Fellows Road, ANU, Acton, ACT, 2601.

ONLINE: Zoom. Please select the relevant ticket, in-person or online, according to your preferred attendance mode.

For more information on the MRC 2025 Dialogue Series please see the MRC website or contact the Chair:

• Zaw Yadanar Hein, zaw.hein@anu.edu.au

Thailand’s strategic policy on Myanmar’s civil war 

Four years after the coup in 2021, Myanmar is mired in civil war and political disorder. A series of military skirmishes between the Tatmadaw and opposition groups have sporadically broken out along the Thai-Myanmar borderlands. Thailand has faced the looming threat of an influx of refugees and other security issues such as illegal trade and boundary disputes.

Currently, the Thai government and its military have attempted to formulate a more effective Myanmar policy as well as play a more active role in relieving conflict in Myanmar. Nevertheless, Thailand also has specific strategic issues with Myanmar, leading to Thailand’s careful strategic policy orientation with the country.

In this seminar, Associate Professor Dulyapak Preecharush will explore Thailand’s policy towards Myanmar’s conflict and Thai-Myanmar strategic relations. Three interrelated domains are analysed to capture the complex strategic interaction between these two mainland Southeast Asian states:

• The power structure in Myanmar’s civil war and its effects on Thailand’s security system.
• Thai strategic interests in Myanmar and Thailand's Myanmar policymaking process.
• Policy recommendations for developing Thai-Myanmar strategic relations.

Speaker

Dulyapak Preecharush is an Associate Professor of Asian Studies at the Faculty of Liberal Arts, Thammasat University, and President of the Association of Regional Studies (Thailand). He is also the Advisor of Myanmar Affairs at the Asian Peace and Reconciliation Council (APRC). He completed his doctorate in Comparative Politics at the University of Hong Kong, with a visiting research fellowship at Cornell University's Southeast Asia Program. His notable book The Politics of Federalization in Myanmar, was published by Routledge in 2023.

Chair

Zaw Yadanar Hein, zaw.hein@anu.edu.au

The ANU Myanmar Research Centre Dialogue Series is a conversation concerning current research on Myanmar aimed at providing scholars with an opportunity to present their work, try out an idea, advance an argument and critically engage with other researchers. International and Myanmar researchers from any discipline are invited to contribute. The Dialogue Series is particularly seeking to provide a space for early career researchers wishing to receive constructive feedback. Each dialogue is one hour long, including a 30-minute presentation followed by a 30-minute Q&A. As a hybrid series, the Dialogues are presented in both virtual and in-person format, hosted by the ANU Myanmar Research Centre.

Image by May Co Naing