The recent violation of Thai airspace by a Myanmar MiG-29 fighter jet: Understanding Thailand's unusual response

Abstract

Foreign aircraft trespassing national airspace is considered a violation of state sovereignty and tends to precipitate serious responses, ranging from shooting down offenders to diplomatic protests. In late June 2022, a Myanmar MiG-29 fighter jet flew over Thailand's Phop Phra district, made a low pass, and fired at ethnic-minority armed groups stationed along the border. The incident was a clear-cut airspace incursion, apparently intended to incite retaliation from Bangkok. However, despite the harshly worded initial response in a press release issued promptly by the Royal Thai Air Force, the Prayut government attempted to minimize the seriousness of the Myanmar fighter jet's actions. This unexpected reaction triggered considerable public criticism. Nevertheless, given Thailand's complex positioning in the Thai–Myanmar borderlands, the mitigated response might have had a certain logic, especially if, as some onlookers suggested, the intrusion was intentional.