On 25 March 2024, the handover ceremony of humanitarian assistance for the people of Myanmar between the Thai and Myanmar Red Cross Societies was held on the Thai side of the 2^nd Thailand - Myanmar Friendship Bridge, Mae Sot, Tak Province, Thailand.

The Thai Red Cross District Branch of Mae Sot handed over 4,000 relief bags, carrying rice, dried food, and other essentials for about 20,000 people to Chairman of Myanmar Red Cross Society, Myawaddy District.

Also present as witnesses at the ceremony were H.E. Mr. Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Thailand, representatives from local authorities and local communities of Tak Province and Kayin State. The Executive Director of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) was also at the ceremony to witness the handover.

Following the handover ceremony, the convoy carrying the relief bags travelled across the 2^nd Thailand-Myanmar Friendship Bridge to the three pilot locations in the Kayin State for distribution. AHA Centre will provide technical support for monitoring of the distribution at the pilot destinations, in partnership with local partners, to ensure that the distribution is effective, credible and transparent.

This handover of humanitarian assistance is a bilateral initiative between Thailand and Myanmar to meet the need of the displaced people in Myanmar. As a close neighbor of Myanmar, Thailand is strongly committed to doing everything that is possible to help the people affected by the conflict in Myanmar without discrimination.

This pilot project symbolizes the goodwill from the Thai people to the Myanmar people. Its success was a result of close cooperation between the Thai and Myanmar Red Cross Societies, with the full support of relevant Thai and Myanmar agencies and local communities in Tak Province and the Kayin State, including ethnic groups in the area.

This pilot project is also part of ASEAN’s collective effort in advancing the ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus, which received full support from all ASEAN member states at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Retreat in Luang Prabang, Lao PDR on 29 January 2024.

Building on this pilot phase, Thailand would consult closely with relevant partners on ways to further increase humanitarian assistance to support the affected population in Myanmar, especially those living near the Thai - Myanmar border.