A delegation of leading think tanks from the European Union were given situation briefings by Thailand-based experts on transnational organised crime, Myanmar’s conflict and Thailand’s regional security outlook and domestic politics.

The Bangkok dialogue took place on October 1, 2026 organised by Hanns Seidel Foundation.

The EU delegates comprise:

Dr. Felix Heiduk, Head, Asia Research Division, German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), Germany

Jan-Hein Chrisstoffels, Senior Research Fellow, Clingendael Institute, Netherlands

Matej Šimalčík, Executive Director, Central European Institute of Asian Studies (CEIAS), Slovakia

Carsten Berger, Development Policy Adviser in the Office of Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Stefinger, Member of the German Bundestag and Chair of the Committee on Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany

Dr. Sense Hofstede, Research Fellow and Head of the Brussels Office of the China Team, Association for International Affairs (AMO), Czech Republic

Damian Wnukowski, Head of the Asia-Pacific Programme, Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM), Poland

Iryna Kosse, Leading Research Fellow, Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting (IER), Ukraine

Dr. Ivan Nagornyak, Policy Fellow, European Policy Institute in Kyiv (EPIK), Ukraine; Pro Bono Adviser to Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration

Stefan Burkhardt, Head of Division South/Southeast Asia, Institute for International Cooperation, Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF), Munich

Michael Siegner, Resident Representative Indonesia, HSF, Jakarta

Achim Munz, Resident Representative Thailand & Myanmar, HSF, Bangkok who acted as the moderator.

They were briefed on the latest regional scam activities and the Thai and international efforts to battle scam centres in Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and the Philippines by Jason Tower, Senior Expert, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC).

Tower warned of the spread of scam centres globally given the crackdowns along Thai borders and increasing use of AI.

The outlook on the volatile Thai domestic politics was given by Dr. Lalita Hanwong Department of History, Faculty of Social Sciences, Kasetsart University. While Thailand’s positioning on the world disorder was presented by Pana Janviroj, Executive Director, Institute for Strategic Policy (ISP).

Nyantha Maw Lin, Founder, Anagat Initiatives gave background briefings on the ongoing conflicts in Myanmar and the intensifying geopolitics surrounding the country.