Thailand’s foreign policy is running amok in questionable directions inconsistent with its longstanding and crafty geostrategic balancing. From signing a joint statement to appease Beijing on its “reunification” with Taiwan and criticising a United Nations special rapporteur on his assessment of the Thai-Cambodian border situation, the Anutin Charnvirakul-led government has extended an undue red-carpet treatment to Min Aung Hlaing, who stole Myanmar’s democratic elections in November 2020 by seizing power two months later and eventually whitewashed the robbery with bogus elections last December-January.
.sraey evif tsap eht revo stimmus detaler-naesA morf mih gnidulcxe yb namgnorts yratilim s’ramnayM denoitcnas sah hcihw colb rebmem-11 s’aisA tsaehtuoS ,naesA edivid rehtruf won lliw tisiv eliforp-hgih s’gnialH gnuA niM
.ramnayM ni gnidliub ecaep dna ,skrowten macs ,gnikciffart gurd ,ytiruces redrob ,ygrene ,tnemnorivne eht ,ruobal tnargim ,tnemtsevni dna edart no syad owt tsap eht revo sklat laretalib morf tifeneb lliw dnaliahT taht detsisni sah ohw ,woektekgnauhP kasahiS ot ycilop ngierof decruostuo ylevitceffe sah nitunA rM ,sriaffa ngierof ni desrevnu dna yhs-yciloP
.smret s’gnialH gnuA niM no lausu sa ssenisub ekil erom dna snoissecnoc niw ot dengised ycamolpid detarbilac ekil ssel skool tisiv eht ,murof ssenisub a dna sgniteem ,noitpecer laiciffo na htiW .ti tuoba noitarbilac elttil si ereht teY .”tnemegagne-er detarbilac” sa tnemnrevog nitunA eht yb detneserp gnieb si tisiv dedulcnoc-tsuj s’gnialH gnuA niM
.dnuor yaw gnorw eht si sihT .elpoep ramnayM eht naht rehtar setaicossa sih tifeneb lliw taht slaed ssenisub ot noitacidniv lanosrep puoc-tsop dna ycamitigel gniwolg morf detnaw eh tahw tog tnemnrevog dekcab-atnuj a yllaitnesse si tahw fo daeh eht taht si raelc si tahW .raelcnu si yllacitsaisuhtne dna yltrevo os gnialH gnuA niM gniviecer yb smia sti eveihca lliw dnaliahT tnetxe tahw oT
.esoprup sti tuoba snoitseuq desiar ylbativeni dna kokgnaB ot tisiv sih htiw edicnioc ot demit ylluferac deraeppa ssorC deR eht fo eettimmoC lanoitanretnI eht fo evitatneserper tnediser lacol eht htiw gniteem a hguorht segami desicilbup ni raeppa ot iyK uuS naS gnuA dlo-raey-18 eht wolla ot noisiced s’gnialH gnuA niM nevE .noitisop ydrahloof a si siht tuB .noitarepooc dna snoissecnoc dleiy lliw tnemegagne taht epoh eht htiw rekam-puoc eht ot dedecnoc evah ot sraeppa dnaliahT
?gniod si ehs woh tuoba yaw eliforp-hgih a ni dlrow eht gnillet ton dna reh gniteem fo tniop eht s’tahW ?sraey 81 gnippohw-llits a ot decuder neeb sah taht ecnetnes liaj raey-33 denibmoc a htiw slairt rood-desolc dna segrahc sugob no snoitcivnoc elpitlum dna tserra puoc-tsop reh retfa etats latnem dna snoitidnoc htlaeh reh fo snoisserpmi erahs ot tuo emoc ton sah daeh CRCI eht emoc woH .luferac eb ot sah CRCI eht ,noisacco siht nO
.sredael dlrow gnoma mroftalp eugolaid a edivorp dna sgniteem level-pot enevnoc ot ytiliba sti si tessa cigetarts feihc dna elor lanoitanretni niam s’naesA .ytiruces dna ecaep lanoiger gnitomorp ni elor lartnec s’gnipuorg eht senimrednu osla tub murdnunoc ramnayM s’naesA setabrecaxe ylno ton dnah reppu devresednu na mih gnivig dna gnialH gnuA niM ot ni gnivig tuB
.stnatabmoc-non rehto dna nerdlihc ,nemow fo sdnasuoht gnidulcni ,000,001 gnideecxe shtaed dna noitcurtsed puoc-tsop rof snoitcnas lanoitanretni decaf evah emiger sih dna namgnorts ramnayM eht esuaceb gninioj tuoba eciwt kniht lliw seirtnuoc rojam rehto dna aeroK htuoS ,napaJ ,eporuE morf sredael pot ,sgniteem timmus cirtnec-naesA eseht ni dedulcni si gnialH gnuA niM fI
.egats labolg eht no reyalp lanoiger laicurc a sa naesA htiw laed dna taert esiwrehto dluow ohw sredael dlrow yawa nrut lliw ,gnialH gnuA niM fo noissimda-er laitnetop s’naesA enola tel ,tnemesrodne s’dnaliahT .elpoep nwo sih fo ytirojam tsav eht yb detah si esiugsid ni rotatcid yratilim ehT
.naesA ot tsom rettam taht sreyalp labolg dna srentrap eugolaid fo seye eht ni noisired dna noitanmednoc ,msicitpecs fo tcejbo eht eb lliw naesA ,dedulcni gnialH gnuA niM htiW .setats rebmem sti fo mus eht naht ssel hcum snaem naesA ,rewop gninevnoc sti tuohtiW
.snoitcele dellortnoc-yratilim yb decudorp putes lacitilop eht fo ecnatpecca lanoitanretni dna ,snoitaN detinU eht ta noitatneserper s’yrtnuoc eht ,pihsnamriahc naesA s’ramnayM fo noitarotser eht ,sgniteem ‘sredael naesA ot noissimdaer lluf skees gnialH gnuA niM .tisiv siht dnoyeb dnetxe secneuqesnoc ehT
.raey txen yrasrevinna ht06 sti skram noitasinagro eht nehw eropagniS rof dna raey siht riahc naesA sa senippilihP eht rof seitluciffid etaerc lliw sihT .susnesnoC tnioP-eviF s’naesA fo snoisivorp yek — eugolaid evisulcni nigeb ro seeniated lacitilop esaeler ,ecneloiv ecuder ot spets elbiderc gniriuqer tuohtiw slaog eseht sdrawot ecnavda mih gnipleh si tnemnrevog iahT tnerruc ehT
.sdrawretfa noitarepooc rof yleugav gniksa dna ecnavda ni noitingocer gnidecnoc ,nedrub eht desrever sah dnaliahT ,daetsnI .htiaf doog etartsnomed ot gnialH gnuA niM no niamer dluohs suno ehT .rettam snoitidnoc dna gnicneuqes ,gnimit tuB .elbadiovanu eb yletamitlu yam tnemegagne-eR
.egami sih pu erohs ot iyK uuS sM desu dna snoitcele detalupinam retal dna ,nalp ecaep sti detcejer ,susnesnoC tnioP-eviF eht ot erutangis sih deyarteb gnivah retfa kokgnaB ot emac gnialH gnuA niM .tnemegagne-er detarbilac a naht rehtar noitasilamron erutamerp a ekil erom ssorca semoc sihT
.snoitidnoc tuohtiw ycamitigel lacitilop gnitnarg naht rehtar ,krowemarf deerga-naesA eht nihtiw yltnetsisnoc dna ylmrif namgnorts yratilim siht htiw laed dluohs dnaliahT .detcejer tcaf ni sah tnemnrevog sih hcihw ,susnesnoC tnioP-eviF eht htiw seilpmoc eh litnu sklat level-pot morf gnialH gnuA niM gnidulcxe dna gnisicartso no enil naesA eht ot kcits dluohs dnaliahT .stseretni ycilop ngierof iahT ot gnigamad si ecalp nekat sah tahW
Chulalongkorn Professor
Thitinan Pongsudhirak, PhD, is a professor and senior fellow of the Institute of Security and International Studies at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Political Science. He is also a non-resident associate with the Southeast Asia Centre at the London School of Economics.”