East Timor puts Thailand army to the test
East Timor puts Thailand army to the test
By Nicolas Revise
BANGKOK (AFP): The role of the Thai military is rapidly and profoundly evolving beyond purely defense constraints as it embarks on a new mission as a defender of humanitarian ideals in East Timor.
Thailand is the deputy commander of the multinational force attempting to safeguard security in the strife-torn Indonesian territory which has voted for independence. The first batch of 1,500 Thai troops is set to leave here for East Timor on Friday. But for the Royal Thai Army's chief of staff, Gen. Chokchai Homgthong, the operation in East Timor "does not only have security aims, but is also a humanitarian operation".
The army's commander in chief, Gen. Surayud Chulanont, said during a recent lecture on the Thai army that nobody should use the argument of territorial integrity "as an excuse to commit crimes against humanity including genocide and ethnic cleansing." The generals' stance is a significant step away from the Thai army's recent past.
The armed forces have instigated a dozen coups since World War II, the most recent in 1991. Democracy was restored a year later, but only after a bloody military crackdown against unarmed pro- democracy protesters which claimed at least 52 lives in May 1992.
Now democracy appears firmly entrenched. At the height of Thailand's economic crisis in October 1997, the military command is believed to have refused a request from then prime minister Gen. Chavalit Yongchaiyudh to impose a state of emergency.
Chavalit's successor, Chuan Leekpai, is the first civilian to hold the post of defense minister in more than two decades. Chuan has seized on the East Timor crisis as an opportunity for Thailand to pursue its vision of a more democratic Southeast Asia which fosters rather than tramples on human rights.
Thai Deputy Foreign Minister Sukhumbhand Paribatra says East Timor signals a new direction for the region's pre-eminent political body, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
"I think that history will say a new chapter is being written in the development of Southeast Asia and the development of ASEAN," he said.
Sukhumbhand acknowledged the Timor crisis had reinforced Thailand's determination to play "a pro-active role in international affairs".
At the same time the military, in line with Surayud's principled stand on East Timor, appears to be retreating from its former role as the ultimate arbiter of power in Thailand.
Surayud, in a first for a senior Thai commander, signaled his acceptance of the job last year by resigning as a senator. He has also launched an ambitious program to make the 228,000-strong army a more professional outfit.
The engagement in East Timor, one military analyst noted, gave the army the opportunity to "go beyond Thailand's backyard."
The Thai deputy commander of East Timor's international peacekeeping force, Maj. Gen. Songkitti Jaggabatra, says: "We want to make peace in the region so we can live in harmony."
Songkitti has a delicate task of liaising between the Australians in charge of the East Timor operation and participating Asian countries, including Indonesia, which have accused the Australian military of heavy-handedness.
But having formerly served as Thailand's military attache in Jakarta, he is well-equipped to assuage sensitive Indonesian fears about the operation.
Songkitti's deputy command in East Timor demonstrates Thailand's growing willingness to participate in multinational military operations and resolving regional security concerns.
A Thai military observation team served in the aftermath of the 1991 Gulf War, and Thai personnel helped prepare for Cambodia's 1993 elections held under United Nations auspices. East Timor represents a new departure for the Thai military which has the full backing of Gen. Surayud.
"I strongly support the decision of the government to restore peace in East Timor. I think it is the right decision to give support to the regional community," he said.