Thailand After Pad Protests

[toptuan]

Ten or twenty million Baht to repair the grounds of Government House don't begin to assess the bigger picture of the damage done to this country in the last six months. IMHO the more worrisome damages are intangible and expressed in some recent editorials I've come across, and wanted to bring to the attention of the TV readership.

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From Today's Bangkok Post:

Hubbub of Trouble

By Boonsong Kositchotethana

Deputy As

The seizure of Bangkok's two airports and an air control tower by supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy raises a serious question about the security of Thailand's main aviation infrastructure and the gateway to the Kingdom. COMMENTARY

Regrettably, the police put up little or no resistance when these anti-government protesters rampaged through the terminals of Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports and raided Suvarnabhumi's air control tower - all in three different timeframes in a rather loosely coordinated plot. Adding insult to injury was the army's ignoring the call for reinforcements, thus easing the way for PAD demonstrators to fulfil their aim of removing the Somchai Wongsawat administration at any cost.

Airport and airline officials as well as hired security guards simply melted away, pulling down the shutters and abandoning their posts at the approach of PAD members, some of whom carried sticks and baseball bats.

Clearly, the airports' security was blatantly breached and the chaotic scenes beamed into homes around the globe have informed the world that our airports are unsafe. Those images will certainly take a very long time to fade away.

The fact that even bare-handed demonstrators can lay siege to top security establishments also informs terrorists how easy it would be to carry out their evil missions in Thailand. The confidence in Thailand's safety has been shattered, and will take a very long time to rebuild.

After the PAD supporters finally retreat, some 70 airlines which operate through the 155-billion-baht Suvarnabhumi Airport will have to seriously reassess the security risk factor and ask themselves whether they still want to resume operations through Thai airports and be exposed to insecurity.

Many passengers going through Suvarnabhumi, the majority of them tourists, have become angry, annoyed and even felt threatened. They are likely to choose other holiday destinations next time. It can easily be anticipated that many of those discretionary travellers may never come back to Thailand at all and potential newcomers will decide to go elsewhere.

The dream of making Bangkok the aviation hub of Southeast Asia has been shattered, and the Airports of Thailand Plc's aspiration to make Suvarnabhumi, which was opened in September 2006, among the top 10 international airports in the world next year, is now laughable.

It is not difficult to understand why several international airlines will shift their regional operations away from Suvarnabhumi to rival airports like Singapore's Changi Airport or Kuala Lumpur International, where security and safety have not been an issue, let alone being more efficient while providing economic incentives in terms of lower airport service payments.

This shameful and disastrous turn of events will only serve to chase airlines, which have played a pivotal role in spinning Thailand's economic wheels, away quicker than they otherwise might have.

Air traffic through Thailand looks set to slump anyway because of the faster-than-expected deterioration in the global economy.

The PAD's tactic of closing airports to press its political agenda is not unprecedented; in fact just three months ago the PAD's supporters blockaded the airports in Phuket, Hat Yai and Krabi, wreaking havoc on the southern tourism industry.

But this time around, the seizure of Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang will have far more disastrous effects than they may - or may not - have imagined.

Obviously, the government and authorities failed to learn anything from the previous senseless and embarrassing blockades, having failed completely to come up with any measures to tackle such an untoward political problem which served only to underscore the fact that Thailand's airports are unsafe.

The government, PAD and the armed forces have been busy playing their own games and have been insincere in unlocking the political stalemate which continues to devastate the country economically and politically.

The PAD has succeeded in taking our economy hostage, forcing Thailand to pay massively for its political agenda.

The confidence in Thailand's safety has been shattered, and will certainly take a very long time to rebuild.Security and safety issues at Thai airports need swift and drastic reform to reach the same standards adopted by airports in more civilised countries, if Thailand wants to rebuild its travel industry in particular and the economy in general. We cannot afford to allow any more airport seizures.

Edited December 3, 2008 by toptuan

[toptuan]

Also from Today's BKK Post...

Problems Abroad

By Pavin Chachavalpongpun

The political face-off between the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) and the Somchai Wongsawat government has not only seriously caused great political instability, but also tremendously damaged the country's international standing and reputation.

The political crisis is no longer limited within the domestic realm. It has far-reaching implications on Thailand's foreign affairs.

As of Tuesday morning, a Thai court dissolved the ruling party and banned PM Somchai Wongsawat from politics, plunging the kingdom into further uncertainty. Although the PAD responded to the verdict by suspending their protest until further notice, the damage to the country has been done.

The loss of revenue from tourism is enormous, indeed as much as that of Thailand's image as one of the ultimate tourist destinations in the world. More than 350,000 passengers have reportedly remained stranded in Thailand since the closing of the airports. Countless foreign tourists voiced their disappointment in the way the PAD has held the country hostage and the government's inability to solve the crisis.

Some US Congressmen have warned that Thailand is slipping into becoming a failed state. A failed state is defined as a state whose central government is so weak or ineffective that it has little practical control over much of its territory. Max Weber once said that a state could be said to succeed if it maintains a monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force within its borders. When this is broken, such as through the domination of warlords and terrorists, the very existence of the state becomes dubious; and the state could become a failure.

Within Asean, at least three members - Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia - suggested that Thailand give up its chairmanship this year due to its escalating political violence. Thailand is thus being put on a par with Burma, whose government was forced to relinquish its chairmanship in 2005 because of its legitimacy crisis.

Unable to cope with the increasing violence, the Thai government has decided to postpone the Asean summit to March 2009.

Cambodia quickly tied Thailand's political crisis with its military aggression over the territorial disputes near the Preah Vihear temple. Prime Minister Hun Sen even lectured Thailand on how to solve its troubles in a democratic way.

With Thailand sinking into deep turmoil, many doubt if it could exercise leadership in Asean, particularly at this juncture of the launching of the Asean Charter.

Meanwhile, Thailand, once a vital player that helped promote democratisation in Burma, has found itself lacking in moral authority to preach to its neighbouring military state. The PAD, despite its name bearing the term "democracy", has initiated the idea of "New Politics" whereby future parliaments would consist of 70% appointed members and 30% elected. The new political paradigm is scarily analogous to the future political structure of Burma, where a portion of parliamentary seats is reserved for the military.

As the political division is getting wider, compromise is becoming a rare commodity. Can Thailand, experiencing this difficulty all by itself, have any legitimacy to urge the Burmese junta to search for political reconciliation with its opposition and ethnic minorities?

The PAD, however, is not the only player that has tainted the country's international credibility. Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, now a fugitive, has been strident in further inflaming the political situation in Thailand on the global stage.

In his interview with an American journalist in Dubai last week, he warned that a military coup would lead to inevitable bloodshed.

He let the world know that Thailand has plunged deeply into an anarchic state, with the rule of law being bluntly rejected by the opposition.

Although it may be true, the fact that Thaksin is painting a gloomy picture of the current political situation so as to serve the little legitimacy he has left, has further put Thailand in the international limelight. In June 2006, Thaksin, while still in power, sent a personal letter to US President George W Bush, lamenting the democratic situation in his home country.

"Having failed to provoke violence and disorder," Thaksin said, "my opponents are now attempting various extra-constitutional tactics to co-opt the will of the people."

The political conflict at home has also made the work of Thailand's diplomatic missions aboard more difficult. The profound political division is clearly evident inside the Foreign Ministry.

One ambassador is said to have recently challenged the headquarters' instruction on how to explain to foreigners in a way that would play down the fatal incident of Oct 7, in which the police used excessive force against protesters.

The ambassador emphasised that it did not matter where his political stance was. What really mattered was the fact that diplomats, like other professions, must have integrity and ethical professionalism.

The prolonged political bickering has effectively hampered the country's active foreign policy. Thaksin's foreign policy initiatives have been much criticised for being unsustainable. It has already been an uphill task for Thai diplomats to continue Thaksin's past policies.

Now, with the country falling further into turmoil, the Foreign Ministry is preoccupied with having to explain to the outside world about the domestic situation, as well as protecting the country's image, which has seemed to be a mission impossible.

A good image and a solid reputation take years to blossom. Sadly, it has been snatched away in the blink of an eye. The notion of Thailand as the "Land of Smiles" is becoming obsolete. It is fast turning itself into a land of misery and strife.

Edited December 3, 2008 by toptuan

[nunoreisgoncalves]

Hello. My name is Nuno and i'm a portuguese photographer and i'm looking for mp3 files of thai people protesting against the government to create a short video with pictures of PAD supporters.

can you please help me with this request?

Looking forward to hear from you.