Thailand is lukewarm on a visa exemption proposal raised by Myanmar for free entry of the two countries's nationals.
Myanmar Foreign Minister Wanna Maung Lwin raised the issue in talks with Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul on the sidelines of the meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Hua Hin on Wednesday.
But Mr Surapong said waiving visas for the two countries needed to be thrashed out by other agencies who were already concerned about Myanmar citizens illegally entering the country to work.
Thailand urged Myanmar to speed up the process of nationality identification for Rohingya migrants in the kingdom as the six-month deadline for their stay had long overrun.
The deadline ended in June and Myanmar has not completed its verification of the Rohingya detained in Thailand.
About 2,000 Rohingya migrants are in Thailand, 1,700 of them being detained in camps or immigration offices and the rest fleeing from the shelters.
Mr Surapong quoted the Myanmar minister as saying that Myanmar officials found that only 10% of the migrants in two detention centres came from the country and claimed that the rest were from Bangladesh because they could not speak Burmese or locate the place from where they fled the country.
Mr Surapong said Thailand would work with other countries and international organisations including Bangladesh, Myanmar, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to find a solution on sending them back or settlement in a third country.
A Foreign Ministry source said the issue was ignored by other countries.
"Since the mass influx of these migrants into Thailand last January, no country has offered any help to Thailand to tackle this problem,'' the source said.
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Source: http://www.news.myanmaronlinecentre.com/2013/08/15/thailand-cool-on-myanmar-visa-plan-2/
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