In justifying expanding economic ties with Burma, Mr Samak dismissed that country’s horrible record on human rights by saying: “Burma is a Buddhist country. Burma’s leaders meditate. They say the country lives in peace.” Coming just six months after the ruling junta ordered the brutal suppression of peacefully protesting Buddhist monks and their followers, Mr Samak’s statement is an affront not only to Buddhists but to all people of conscience.

The remarks came after a courtesy visit last Friday by Mr Samak to top Burmese generals including Senior General Than Shwe in Naypidaw, the new Burmese administrative capital, in which several development projects were discussed.

Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama said on Saturday that Thailand will push ahead with construction of the Tasang hydropower dam on the Salween River in Burma’s Shan State, about 130km from the Thai-Burmese border. According to Salween Watch, the reservoir will flood hundreds of square kilometres of land. Also discussed were the Tavoy deep-sea port on Burma’s Andaman coast to open trade and investment links with western Thailand.

While Mr Samak’s words on the talk show may not have been well thought out, clearly that is not the case with this government’s policy on Burma, which is pretty much a resumption of the one under deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, although Mr Thaksin at least had the good sense to keep it very low profile. The new out-in-the-open relationship will put the country squarely at odds with the European Union and United States, two of Thailand’s most important strategic and trading partners. Japan also has begun to take a tougher stance on Burma since the September crackdown, which left a 50-year-old Japanese journalist dead.

Meanwhile, the International Labour Organisation office in Burma has reported an upsurge in the military conscription of children, some as young as 10 years old. It can be argued that constructive engagement would be more productive than a total blacklisting of Burma. Yet there is no indication that any concessions to human rights or democracy were sought by Mr Samak, or that the junta would honour such concessions if they were given.

With the mission of the UN special envoy to Burma having ended in failure, the international community is wondering what can be done to pressure the junta to pay more heed to the plight of its own citizens. One possibility would be a high-profile visit by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The generals have shown they are sensitive to international pressure if the spotlight is bright enough.

In that regard, human rights activists are of the view that rather than boycott the Beijing Games, it would be better to turn the Olympic Village into a globally televised free speech zone on issues like Tibet, Darfur and Burma. Mr Samak’s comments may have earned Thailand a centre-stage position at that very dramatic venue.