CEBU: Thailand's foreign minister said on Thursday (Jan 29) that he hoped Myanmar's recent election would be the "start of a transition" that could lead to sustainable peace in the civil war-torn country. Speaking on the sidelines of an ASEAN retreat in the central Philippines, Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said he hoped the polls might pave the way to peace. Loading Loading"It's not a perfect election, but we hope that it will be the start of the transition," he told reporters, with the end goal of a "sustainable solution". "But we hope that by way of engagement and by way of their positive response ... we can bring about positive changes. Theresa Lazaro, foreign minister of current ASEAN chair the Philippines, said "a good number" of the bloc's members held similar views, which she called "pragmatic".