ICBMS4 Plenary Session 4: “Regional Responses to Myanmar – Thai Foreign Policy, ASEAN Roles, and the Chinese Enclosure,” Sunday 3 August, 9:00 – 10:30 at the Main Conference Room (UNISERV 2F).

The plenary session explores critical dimensions of regional dynamics toward Myanmar through lenses of geopolitics, Thai foreign policy, ASEAN’s engagement, and the influence of Chinese interests.

Firstม Dr. Dulyapak Preecharush will discuss “Geopolitics and Thailand-Myanmar Relations,” analyzing the implications of geopolitical dynamics and great power competition on Thai-Myanmar relations and Thailand’s responses. Next, Dr. Fuadi Pitsuwan presents “ASEAN and Thailand’s Roles in Resolving the Myanmar Crisis,” addressing the current challenges, opportunities, and evolving roles of Thailand and ASEAN’s approach to Myanmar. Finally, Dr. Pinkaew Laungaramsri will discuss “Dark Zomia: Myanmar Frontier and the Chinese Enclosure,” her analysis of the proliferation of illicit enterprises operated by Chinese syndicates in the Myanmar-Thai border region. She argues that Myanmar’s “indigenous Zomia” has increasingly been transformed into “Dark Zomia”—a non-state space of runaway criminals evading China’s state-making project. The session aims to present diverse perspectives on the diplomatic, geopolitical, and socio-economic dimensions shaping regional responses to Myanmar