PM talks trade, security with Turnbull

By THE SUNDAY NATON/AFP

 

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, fifth from left, takes part in a photo session with Australian Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull, sixth from left, and other Asean leaders during the special Asean-Australia Summit in Sydney.

 

THE THAI and Australian prime ministers held a bilateral meeting for the first time in five years during the Asean-Australia special summit in Sydney, with focus on upgrading the economic relationship and regional security cooperation.

 

Thai premier General Prayut Chan-o-cha also invited Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to visit Thailand prior to the start of the special summit.

 

Thailand has also expressed support for closer economic and security cooperation between Asean and Australia, especially in areas of innovation and sustainable development in the Indo-Pacific region. 

 

Thailand will also play an important role on this crucial matter when the country takes over the Asean chair next year, according to Deputy Government Spokesman Lt-General Weerachon Sukhondhapatipak.

 

He said Thailand and Australia will celebrate the 70th anniversary of their bilateral relations in 2022 when Thailand is also scheduled to be the chairman of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec).

 

Thailand has also invited Australian companies to invest in its Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) mega-development programme covering Rayong, Chon Buri and Chachoengsao provinces.

 

As the last state visit by an Australian leader took place more than 20 years ago, Prayut issued an invitation for the Australian premier to visit Thailand, Weerachon said. He said Australia has also been very active in boosting its relations with Asean countries for mutual benefit in the Indo-Pacific region. 

 

Weerachon said Australia also thanked Thailand for its support for the memorandum of understanding on regional cooperation to combat terrorism.

 

Meanwhile, Australia warned Asean leaders yesterday that the use of encrypted messaging apps to plan terrorist attacks is the greatest threat facing intelligence agencies in modern times, as they vowed closer cooperation to counter extremism, AFP reported. The Asean-Australia special summit in Sydney heard that use of the “dark web” was a spiralling problem and countries in the region must work together to keep on top of it.

 

Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton told the meeting “the use of encrypted messaging apps by terrorists and criminals is potentially the most significant degradation of intelligence capability in modern times”.

 

He said the only way to deal with the problem, and the increasing use of the Internet by groups like Islamic State to radicalise and recruit new members, was to work together. “We have to be constantly alert, constantly working with our neighbours in the region,” said Prime Minister Turnbull, pointing to the increasingly transnational nature of terrorism.

 

“Sharing of intelligence is critically important. As we all know, what may appear to be a not especially important, not especially consequential piece of intelligence, may be the piece that connects the jigsaw for somebody else’s investigation.

 

Malaysia's prime minister also warned his Southeast Asian neighbours that the Rohingya refugee crisis in Myanmar could become a serious security threat for the region. 

 

Hundreds of thousands of the Muslim-minority Rohingya have fled Myanmar’s troubled Rakhine state after authorities launched a brutal crackdown on insurgents six months ago that the UN has called “ethnic cleansing”.

 

Myanmar has vehemently denied the allegations, insisting it was responding to attacks by Rohingya militants in late August.

 

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak raised fears that so many desperate and displaced people could fall prey to extremist groups like Islamic State.

 

With Myanmar’s de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi sitting just metres away, Najib said in Sydney that it was no longer a domestic issue for Myanmar.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30341168

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-03-18

3 hours ago, rooster59 said:

As the last state visit by an Australian leader took place more than 20 years ago

That must tell you a lot of what the Australian leadership thinks of Thailand I would guess

4 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Thai premier General Prayut Chan-o-cha also invited Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to visit Thailand

PM Prayut could take Malcolm Turnbull to visit the ex Australian operated Kingsgate mine while at the same time explaining to him how he uses his Article 44 to breach trade agreements and take foreign investors companies from them.

Wasnt  Prayuth and all his coup thugs banned from entering Australia ?  Why is that dreadful  human rights abuser Ang sun Ky or whatever her stupid name is allowed in Australia.  ?  PM  Turnbull is really desperate for votes leading up to the next election.  The hypocracy of western governments is appalling.

 

I suppose money rules and we will get the bad end of the stick in any new trade talks.  Zero tariffs for Asian  exporters  and 300% for us and dont forget the wealth tax, sales & sin tax and uplift and corruption  brown bag pay offs on the docks and airports.

Edited March 18, 20188 yr by lanista

22 minutes ago, lanista said:

Wasnt  Prayuth and all his coup thugs banned from entering Australia ?  Why is that dreadful  human rights abuser Ang sun Ky or whatever her stupid name is allowed in Australia.  ?  PM  Turnbull is really desperate for votes leading up to the next election.  The hypocracy of western governments is appalling.

 

I suppose money rules and we will get the bad end of the stick in any new trade talks.  Zero tariffs for Asian  exporters  and 300% for us and dont forget the wealth tax, sales & sin tax and uplift and corruption  brown bag pay offs on the docks and airports.

In your little rant, you might also have mentioned Rodrigo Duterte, President of the Philipines, Hun Sen, P.M. of Cambodia, the Sultan of Brunei, also Laos and Vietnam for human rights violations. Not just Aung San Suu Kyi.

You are obviously, and perhaps understandably, a disgruntled Aussie. Hypocrisy thrives in the political arena and it's not just your current P.M. that is guilty, but almost all politicians and leaders where they say one thing and do another. 

3 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

That must tell you a lot of what the Australian leadership thinks of Thailand I would guess

 

Or maybe Aussie leaders don't last long enough in power to do many state visits!

 

Julie Bishop, their wonderful FM has visited though.

 

HE the Australian Ambassador was on TV this morning. A very good interview with emphasis very much on the past close relationship, current close relationship and future close relationship between Thailand and Australia. Military as well as economic.

They should have talked about making it easier to get your Thai wife a visa to do seasonal work there.

2 hours ago, ratcatcher said:

In your little rant, you might also have mentioned Rodrigo Duterte, President of the Philipines, Hun Sen, P.M. of Cambodia, the Sultan of Brunei, also Laos and Vietnam for human rights violations. Not just Aung San Suu Kyi.

You are obviously, and perhaps understandably, a disgruntled Aussie. Hypocrisy thrives in the political arena and it's not just your current P.M. that is guilty, but almost all politicians and leaders where they say one thing and do another. 

To be fair on Ianista, I think he targeted Aung San Suu Kyi as many of us were hoping she would stand for justice for the people of Myanmar, unfortunately she has turned out to be nothing more than a puppet of the ruling Junta.

As far as Thai Aus trade goes. I always liked the little cans of Tuna all flavoured nicely with chilli or other spices.

 

Now informed with the truth of the terrible abuses of workers on the Thai fishing boats, I no longer buy these products. 

 

There are no alternatives from elsewhere, please make a choice on what you purchase.

Once again these nobs don't miss an opportunity to kindly inform us that the terrifying terrorists are out to terrorise us.

Since both these slippery customers will be looking to sustain their PM-ships next year, this could well be a classic case of mutual ego-greasing . . . a pretty desperate one, by Turnbull, though, it has to be said.

1 hour ago, Oziex1 said:

To be fair on Ianista, I think he targeted Aung San Suu Kyi as many of us were hoping she would stand for justice for the people of Myanmar, unfortunately she has turned out to be nothing more than a puppet of the ruling Junta.

With apparent "silent" agreement from Myanmar's Buddhist neighbour? The kingdom seems to pay lip service to human rights abuse but is silent when it comes to their neighbour? 

4 hours ago, ratcatcher said:

In your little rant, you might also have mentioned Rodrigo Duterte, President of the Philipines, Hun Sen, P.M. of Cambodia, the Sultan of Brunei, also Laos and Vietnam for human rights violations. Not just Aung San Suu Kyi.

You are obviously, and perhaps understandably, a disgruntled Aussie. Hypocrisy thrives in the political arena and it's not just your current P.M. that is guilty, but almost all politicians and leaders where they say one thing and do another. 

So why did you leave out South Africa, Zimbabwe;  Russia; Saudi Arabia; etc etc ?????

12 minutes ago, Kimber said:

So why did you leave out South Africa, Zimbabwe;  Russia; Saudi Arabia; etc etc ?????

Simply because they are not in ASEAN. 

36 minutes ago, Kimber said:

So why did you leave out South Africa, Zimbabwe;  Russia; Saudi Arabia; etc etc ?????

I don't think that they are in Asean...

Just now, lvr181 said:

With apparent "silent" agreement from Myanmar's Buddhist neighbour? The kingdom seems to pay lip service to human rights abuse but is silent when it comes to their neighbour? 

The junta is a human rights abuser.

Trade and security will continue to dominate long after Turnbull and Prayut are gone, In the back ground the dealers do the job not the politicians................................. 

On ‎18‎/‎03‎/‎2018 at 7:38 PM, ratcatcher said:

Simply because they are not in ASEAN. 

My point being that it's not just SE Asia