As tension lingered in the air, the Royal Thai Navy stirred the pot with a Facebook post that painted a grim picture—a photo of their crew members, highlighted in a red square, who found themselves in an unwanted predicament on the sun-kissed shores of Myanmar. The four, who hail from Thailand, had been swept up in a diplomatic tango, waiting in anticipation for their release. With the New Year bells poised to ring and revelry in sight, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra stepped into the limelight with reassuring words for the nation. In a press briefing on a crisp Wednesday, she projected a palpable sense of optimism, indicating the likelihood of the quartet’s release shortly post-New Year, sticky Myanmar legal proceedings notwithstanding. She added with an air of assurance, “Presently, their safety remains uncompromised.” Her remarks painted a picture of intricate diplomatic choreography, hinting at a meeting on December 19 between…
