Thaksin's APEC no-show would be great disservice

The Nation/Asia News Network. Bangkok

It will be a great disservice to Thailand for Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra not to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit hosted by Chile later this month. This amounts to a missed opportunity for him, as a representative of the Kingdom of Thailand, to exchange views with other world leaders on a wide range of critical issues, such as the war on terror, trade liberalization and the looming energy crisis.

Thaksin will skip this year's APEC meeting, due to his concern about the escalating violence in the South. He will send Gen. Chavalit Yongchaiyudh or another key Cabinet member on his behalf. This year's summit will be held from Nov. 20-21 in Santiago.

An informal forum, the agenda is set by the host and participants. Therefore, the presence of the top leaders are important to gain a country's recognition at the meeting and effectively influence the agenda.

For such a loose forum, the regional grouping has proven effective in pressing its global agenda, because of the flexibility of that very looseness. That's why it is so important for Thaksin to appear at APEC himself, to keep up the momentum.

For instance, the forum has been successful in pressing for World Trade Organization (WTO) progress in trade liberalization. Moreover, it provides a forum for leaders to discuss sensitive issues candidly.

Right after 9/11, President George W Bush attended the APEC summit in Shanghai to drum up support for the war against terror. U.S. delegates have also used the forum to pressure Chinese officials for a more flexible yuan currency regime.

Thailand has played an active role in APEC, which as a group accounts for roughly half of the world's trade. Bangkok hosted the 1992 APEC meeting, which commissioned a group of eminent personages to draft a paper outlining APEC's direction. Thailand also supported an initiative to create Asia Bonds, to reduce exchange-rate risks and avoid a repetition of the 1997 financial crisis.

Last year, Thailand hosted the APEC meeting yet again. That time, Thaksin identified himself with APEC by using a close-up photo of himself to promote the meeting in advertisements that appeared in international periodicals around the world.

Thaksin proceeded to treat the world leaders to a spectacular display of illuminating fireworks, concluding the fanfare with the Royal Barge ceremony.

The U.S. and China have also taken advantage of the APEC forum. This year, Bush intends to discuss the Central American Free Trade Agreement, awaiting ratification by the U.S. Congress, with his counterparts from Latin America.

Chinese President Hu Jintao has already made clear his Latin American trip is to secure energy sources.

Thailand is in the middle of free-trade negotiations with several APEC members, including Japan, New Zealand, Peru and the U.S. Therefore, Thaksin could use the forum to discuss the direction of world trade with APEC leaders and seek assurances from his U.S. and Japanese counterparts that bilateral free-trade agreements will benefit all parties.

Moreover, the timing could not be more crucial for Thaksin to explain the escalating violence in the South to APEC leaders, both Bush and those from Muslim nations, especially Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Thaksin should take this opportunity to allay fears over the violence at Tak Bai. Otherwise, suspicions over human-rights violations could lessen Thai influence on the international stage.

The APEC forum would also be the perfect venue for Thaksin to promote Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai's candidacy for the United Nations secretary-general post. Thaksin's absence will probably cost Surakiart votes from the Pacific rim, especially host Chile's vote.

Judging by last year's large budget and surplus of publicity in promoting Bangkok's APEC summit, the Thaksin government apparently has been aware of the importance of the meeting.

We hope Thaksin's interest in APEC did not evaporate along with last year's fireworks smoke.