Supreme Commander gives aid money to Myanmar following Rakhine unrest

A boat carrying 73 Rohingya refugees was intercepted by Thai authorities off the sea in Phuket on Jan. 1, 2013. (Photo: AP)

By NNT

BANGKOK – A fund of 200,000 US dollars has been presented by the Supreme Commander of Thailand to Myanmar to support the rehabilitation process in its restive state of Rakhine. 

At the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters, Gen Thanasak Patimapragorn, Supreme Commander and Deputy Chief of the National Council for Peace and Order, hosted a ceremony to offer humanitarian aid money of 200,000 dollars or about 6 million baht to the Myanmar government. The assistance was aimed to help the neighboring country in the effort to restore normalcy in Rakhine State, which was previously plagued by sectarian violence. 

The ceremony was also joined by Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs Sihasak Phuangketkeow while Myanmar Ambassador to Thailand U Win Maung accepted the money on his country’s behalf. 

On this occasion, the Myanmar Ambassador expressed gratitude to Thailand for its continuous assistance. The Thai side, meanwhile, affirmed its willingness to support national development and reform processes within Myanmar, especially the ongoing mission to resolve the situation in Rakhine State.