By Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation
Published on September 18, 2008
Newly elected Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat badly needs to pick the right person as foreign minister as Thailand faces many major challenges. The wrong selection would be a big blow to the country's international credibility.
People in Bangkok might dislike or disagree with Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen for raising the question of Thailand's ability to chair the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) amid the current political turmoil.
Hun Sen is not alone in expressing concerns over the repercussion of Thai domestic problems on Asean, which is at the crossroads of transforming itself from an ad-hoc grouping into a rules-based organisation.
When Thailand took the chairmanship from Singapore after the annual ministerial meeting in July, the international community and media raised a sharp question about whether the Kingdom could steer the group during its 18-month term while facing political instability.
Singapore's Foreign Minister George Yeo, who then chaired the group, kindly and optimistically replied that Thailand had a lot of professional and capable civil servants in the foreign service so that members could be assured that Asean was in the right hands.
It's true that officials at the Foreign Ministry have the ability to handle Asean and have prepared well for the Asean Summit in mid-December. The first meetings of Asean's standing committee and senior officials under Thailand's chairmanship have already been held. The standing committee was briefed on the progress of preparation for the coming summit, with member countries expressing satisfaction with the steps taken.
Career diplomats alone might be able to host an Asean summit, but Thailand's foreign affairs extend beyond organising a meeting of 10 heads of government. There are many other issues requiring political policies and decisions.
Asean itself must have good leadership and the right decisions to handle many issues including human rights and Burma's political stalemate. Political will is a necessity.
Moreover, Thailand also has border trouble with neighbour Cambodia relating to areas where Khmer and Hindu temples are located. The conflicts over Preah Vihear and Ta Muen Thom temples have not been resolved yet. Phnom Penh raised the third dispute over Ta Kwai.
Former foreign minister Tej Bunnag did a good job when he negotiated to have border disputes handled by the normal mechanism of the Thai-Cambodian Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary (JBC), but the job has not finished yet. His meeting with Cambodia counterpart Hor Namhong in Cha-am last month required many follow-up meetings to resolve the problems step by step. The JBC itself is a ministerial mechanism. Border demarcation is a technical issue that requires policy guidelines and political decisions.
Cambodia might raise the issue again when its foreign minister is in New York late this month for the United Nations General Assembly and the sideline meeting of Asean foreign ministers. Thailand really needs a keen foreign minister to deal with the situation in New York. Former deputy prime minister Sahas Bunditkul, who represented Thailand at an Asean meeting in Singapore in July, used his experience in dealing with the Cambodian diplomatic bombshell.
The experience of the past seven months under Samak Sundaravej's administration has taught a lesson that the selection of the foreign minister really matters. The different backgrounds of two former ministers, Noppadon Pattama and Tej Bunnag, made a big difference to the ministry's work. New PM Somchai, who was also in Samak's Cabinet, has already learned the lesson and political consequences of a wrong selection.
The Nation
Published on September 18, 2008
Newly elected Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat badly needs to pick the right person as foreign minister as Thailand faces many major challenges. The wrong selection would be a big blow to the country's international credibility.
People in Bangkok might dislike or disagree with Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen for raising the question of Thailand's ability to chair the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) amid the current political turmoil.
Hun Sen is not alone in expressing concerns over the repercussion of Thai domestic problems on Asean, which is at the crossroads of transforming itself from an ad-hoc grouping into a rules-based organisation.
When Thailand took the chairmanship from Singapore after the annual ministerial meeting in July, the international community and media raised a sharp question about whether the Kingdom could steer the group during its 18-month term while facing political instability.
Singapore's Foreign Minister George Yeo, who then chaired the group, kindly and optimistically replied that Thailand had a lot of professional and capable civil servants in the foreign service so that members could be assured that Asean was in the right hands.
It's true that officials at the Foreign Ministry have the ability to handle Asean and have prepared well for the Asean Summit in mid-December. The first meetings of Asean's standing committee and senior officials under Thailand's chairmanship have already been held. The standing committee was briefed on the progress of preparation for the coming summit, with member countries expressing satisfaction with the steps taken.
Career diplomats alone might be able to host an Asean summit, but Thailand's foreign affairs extend beyond organising a meeting of 10 heads of government. There are many other issues requiring political policies and decisions.
Asean itself must have good leadership and the right decisions to handle many issues including human rights and Burma's political stalemate. Political will is a necessity.
Moreover, Thailand also has border trouble with neighbour Cambodia relating to areas where Khmer and Hindu temples are located. The conflicts over Preah Vihear and Ta Muen Thom temples have not been resolved yet. Phnom Penh raised the third dispute over Ta Kwai.
Former foreign minister Tej Bunnag did a good job when he negotiated to have border disputes handled by the normal mechanism of the Thai-Cambodian Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary (JBC), but the job has not finished yet. His meeting with Cambodia counterpart Hor Namhong in Cha-am last month required many follow-up meetings to resolve the problems step by step. The JBC itself is a ministerial mechanism. Border demarcation is a technical issue that requires policy guidelines and political decisions.
Cambodia might raise the issue again when its foreign minister is in New York late this month for the United Nations General Assembly and the sideline meeting of Asean foreign ministers. Thailand really needs a keen foreign minister to deal with the situation in New York. Former deputy prime minister Sahas Bunditkul, who represented Thailand at an Asean meeting in Singapore in July, used his experience in dealing with the Cambodian diplomatic bombshell.
The experience of the past seven months under Samak Sundaravej's administration has taught a lesson that the selection of the foreign minister really matters. The different backgrounds of two former ministers, Noppadon Pattama and Tej Bunnag, made a big difference to the ministry's work. New PM Somchai, who was also in Samak's Cabinet, has already learned the lesson and political consequences of a wrong selection.
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