I’ll step away, if only briefly, from my recent Myanmar fixation, with a few Bangkok notes. But I’m so consumed with thoughts of Myanmar lately, that I don’t expect that condition to subside anytime soon. Two weeks ago I was invited to my friend Jan’s birthday party at Elefin, a Thai restaurant and coffee house on Sukhumvit Soi 1. I had never been to Elefin before and was pleasantly surprised at how nice it was: tasty food and coffee, excellent service, and attractive décor. Also in attendance was Jeffrey Wachtel, Waddy Wachtel’s cousin. Who, you might ask? I suppose you would have to be a fan/student of 1970s/1980s American rock music to know about Waddy Wachtel. He was, and still is, one of the more famous studio musicians around. He has played with the likes of Fleetwood Mac, Warren Zevon, James Taylor, and Jackson Browne. Cousin Jeffrey reports that Waddy recently completed a tour with Stevie Nicks. Meanwhile, Jan the travelling man is getting ready for his next trip; off to Taiwan later this month.

Earlier this week, I received e-mails and text messages from my friends So Peng Thai and Chamrong in Cambodia. They were both shocked to hear the reports about monks in Myanmar being beaten and killed. Like in Myanmar, monks in Cambodia are highly respected figures.

Another Cambodian resident, Dave Perkes, was in town this week. Dave runs the Peace of Angkor Villas in Siem Reap, one of the finest and best-run hotels in town. Dave was returning from his first trip through Laos, an experience that he enjoyed immensely. Earlier this summer he attended the annual world music festival in Sarawak, Malaysia. Like Laos, he loved the festival and the rainforest surroundings and plans a return trip next year.

Of all the comments about the current Myanmar crisis, one of the most accurate assessments came this week from Lee Hsien Loong, Singapore’s Prime Minister. Responding to calls for Myanmar to be ousted from ASEAN (the organization comprised of various Southeast Asian countries), or to be subjected to additional sanctions, Lee Hsien Loong had this to say:
“It is better (for Myanmar) to be inside the family than outside. So ASEAN will continue to engage Myanmar, as we encourage and help it to move forward. We have to be mindful of the realities of the situation. First, sanctions against a regime that is ready to isolate itself are more likely to be counter-productive. Second, the military, as a key institution (in Myanmar), has to be part of the process of any lasting solution.”

And that is the cold hard reality. Despite the world’s outrage at Myanmar’s military junta, the Tatmadaw aren’t going anywhere any time soon. Like it or not, if you want socioeconomic changes in Myanmar, they are the ones you are going to have to deal with. One hopes that Aung San Suu Kyi will take advantage of the crack in the door that the junta has opened (in the form of an offer to hold talks) and is able to negotiate something, anything. Would that not be better than nothing at all? But all I’ve heard thus far from the opposition and political analysts is a chorus of skepticism in regards to the junta’s sincerity in holding such talks. But shouldn’t the opposition be trying to take advantage of even the slightest opportunity for dialogue with the junta? It has to start somewhere and this offer, even with the conditions set, certainly represents a start.