Can new style of Thai diplomacy work?<\/p>\n
By Suthichai Yoon<\/p>\n
BANGKOK: There is nothing wrong with resorting to \"megaphone
\ndiplomacy\" if it gets two neighbors to move on to the next stage
\nof \"personal diplomacy\". And there is nothing wrong with
\n\"personal diplomacy\" if it doesn't end up in the form of logging
\nconcessions, hotel construction contracts or fishing permits
\ngranted to individuals from our side of the border.<\/p>\n
Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai's \"forward engagement\"
\npolicy can certainly replace his predecessor Surin Pitsuwan's
\n\"flexible engagement\" if it allows both Thailand and the military
\ngovernment of Myanmar to tell each other to \"put your own house
\nin order\" to avoid creating unnecessary trouble on the border for
\nyour neighbor.<\/p>\n
The military junta of Myanmar has obviously taken note of the
\nnew style of Thai diplomacy through Prime Minister Thaksin
\nShinawatra's \"cross-border diplomacy\" expounded almost off-the-
\ncuff two weeks ago in the border town of Chiang Rai.<\/p>\n
His was a typically populist approach which went down well
\nwith many a Thai seeking an end to the drug flow from the
\nMyanmarese side of the border. Thaksin was apparently bent on
\nshowing that he was changing the game of Thai diplomacy by
\ntalking straight and getting tough.<\/p>\n
The new premier, after launching the high-profile and widely-
\npublicized \"workshop\" on drugs, caused a stir by deliberately
\ndelivering a stern message to the other side of the border.<\/p>\n
He departed from the old \"good neighbors\" tradition of not
\nposing embarrassing questions in public by saying that he would
\ndemand explanations from Myanmar's generals over the deadly flow
\nof drugs from jungle refineries controlled by Wa minority groups.
\nThaksin, the no-nonsense CEO, was getting down to business. The
\nprevious undeclared \"don't-ask-because-you-won't-get-an-answer\"
\npolicy was unceremoniously thrown out the window.<\/p>\n
In another act in his unusual push for policy transparency,
\nthe prime minister even de-classified Army intelligence on the
\ndramatic expansion of the once sleepy town of Mong Yawn on the
\nother side of the border.<\/p>\n
It was the first time that Thai authorities, in the presence
\nof the prime minister, had publicly hurled charges of possible
\nconnivance between the Wa warlords and the authorities in
\nYangoon. Reporters were even told of pictures taken of several
\nMyanmarese generals inspecting Mong Yawn's vast expansion -- a
\ngesture of condoning what Thai officials consider to be
\ninexcusable.<\/p>\n
The junta's angry reaction wasn't unexpected, although its
\ncall for Thailand to put its own house in order instead of trying
\nto make Yangoon a \"scapegoat\" for its drug problems was more
\nrhetorical than substantive. Thaksin's immediate response
\nobviously didn't help pacify the junta. \"Of course, we have been
\ntrying to put our house in order, but dust keeps blowing in from
\nthe North.\" That's as diplomatic as the new Thai CEO can get in
\nsuggesting that you can't live in peace if things aren't settled
\nnext door.<\/p>\n
Blunt talk isn't necessarily bad or counterproductive if the
\nobjective is clear. Tough political talk should be aimed at
\nbringing the neighbor to the negotiation table where real
\nsubstantial bilateral issues, and not \"personal grievances\" or
\n\"vested interests\", are ironed out.<\/p>\n
Personal diplomacy, of course, should be employed if
\nfamiliarity among senior officials on both sides paves the way
\nfor candor and dispenses with deep-rooted mutual suspicion.<\/p>\n
The convening of the Regional Border Committee won't resolve
\nwhat basically constitute national-level conflicts. It's not just
\nborder disagreement over demarcation. Nor is it purely a case of
\nThailand being flooded with illegal Myanmarese migrants -- which
\nhas in itself become a problem of growing magnitude in political,
\neconomic and social terms here.<\/p>\n
The paramount sticking point is the drugs issue, which goes
\nbeyond the Thai-Myanmarese context. It's a worldwide problem and
\nPremier Thaksin, with no skeletons in the closet on this
\nparticular issue, should engage the world community in this
\nhighly critical problem.<\/p>\n
Myanmar has to convince not only Thailand but the
\ninternational community that it's serious about tackling the
\ndrugs issue. In other words, the new Thai government has to
\nperform where the previous administration failed.<\/p>\n
To be effective in the long term, any Thai strategy towards
\nour western neighbor has to be based on the concept that it's
\nMyanmar against the world -- and not just one of those normal
\nirritants two neighboring countries usually encounter.<\/p>\n
Thai authorities, of course, aren't innocent of any
\nshenanigans along the border. But if the new premier is
\ndetermined to get a fresh start on this front, he will have to
\nembark on a major overhaul of the security and foreign policy
\nestablishment to ensure consistency and clear direction to
\nachieve national goals.<\/p>\n
\"Personal diplomacy\" in this particular case got a bad name in
\nthe past because it was seen to be a case of
\n\"you-scratch-my-back-and-I-scratch-yours\" for certain Thai senior
\nofficials and their Myanmarese counterparts.<\/p>\n
Taking the cue from Yangoon and, in the name of good
\nneighborliness, Thailand should take up the gauntlet and adopt a
\nnew, constructive policy towards Myanmar: I clean up my house and
\nyou clean yours.<\/p>\n
-- The Nation\/Asia News Network<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/can-new-style-of-thai-diplomacy-work-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }