MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th March, 2021) Evacuation flights for Thai citizens have been planned by Thai Embassy in Myanmar's Yangon due to COVID-19 threat and have nothing to do with the current political situation in the country, Thai Foreign Ministry clarified on Friday.
In the aftermath of the military coup in Myanmar, the country has been struggling with violent clashes between security forces and the opponents of the military regime since February 1.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs would like to clarify that the evacuation of Thai citizens from Myanmar has been an ongoing effort by our embassy in Yangon in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The planned flights are not for the evacuation of Thai citizens from Myanmar due to the current political situation in the country," the ministry stated.
The ministry also notified that the next flights have been scheduled for March 12 and March 16 with Myanmar Airways International. Thai citizens wishing to leave Myanmar on board these flights should immediately contact Thai embassy in Yangon, the statement said.
Earlier on Wednesday, Vietnam evacuated over 400 of its citizens from Myanmar. The Vietnamese government portal did not state the reason for the evacuations, but instead cited an abstract from the speech given by Vietnamese Foreign Minister at the informal meeting of foreign ministers of ASEAN from March 2. The minister then urged both sides of conflict in Myanmar to show restraint and stop the escalation of violence in the country.
