On 19 January 2017, Ambassador Jukr Boon-Long met H.E. Dr. Win Myat Aye, Union Minister of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement of Myanmar and Vice Chairman of the Committee for the Union Enterprise for Humanitarian Assistance, Resettlement and Development in Rakhine (UEHRD) in a ceremony to handover Thailand’s cash assistance of 250,000 US dollars for resettlement efforts in Rakhine State. Also present at the ceremony were Dr. Aung Tun Thet, Chief Coordinator of the UEHRD Committee, and other high-level officers of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement of Myanmar.

The handover served to fulfill the pledge made by H.E. Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister of Thailand, to H.E. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, State Counsellor of Myanmar, during the bilateral meeting at the sidelines of the 31st ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Manila, the Philippines on 13 November 2017. This contribution is a reflection of the Royal Thai Government’s determination to render further support to the Myanmar Government as the situation in Rakhine State has entered another stage where the focus is now centered on the assistance towards the resettlement of displaced persons. 

Thailand’s assistance for Rakhine State is based on a multi-pronged approach. Apart resettlement, Thailand also contributed cash assistance for humanitarian relief efforts in Rakhine worth 200,000 US dollars through the Myanmar Government in January 2017 and 150,000 US dollars through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Myanmar in October 2017. In addition, Thailand has carried out wide-ranging development activities in Rakhine State mainly in the areas of education and agriculture with an aim to promoting better livelihood and well-being of all people in the area.

Thailand advocates genuine and constructive engagement of all stakeholders to build trust and to support the Myanmar Government in its bid to achieve peace, stability and reconciliation in Rakhine State.

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