Thai editorial: When the pressure is on, Asean falls apart

[webfact]

EDITORIAL
When the pressure is on, Asean falls apart
The Nation

The regional bloc needs to forge collective approaches to security challenges at home and abroad

BANGKOK: -- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) badly needs to pay more attention to new challenges in the security landscape of both this and more far-flung regions of the globe, addressing them with intensive collective discussion.

Though a few commercial airliners have been shot down over the past decades, the downing in Eastern Europe last month of a passenger jet belonging to a national flag carrier from Southeast Asia was especially shocking for our region. On board the Malaysia Airlines flight were not only Southeast Asians but also Europeans and Australians, making it an international incident in which many countries and their governments are involved.

The plane was attacked in the skies over eastern Ukraine, where Russia-backed rebels are battling for territory against the pro-Western government in Kiev. The incident took place amid long-standing tensions between the West (Europe and the United States) and Russia over Moscow's perceived ambitions to retain its Soviet-era sphere of influence.

Asean had paid little attention to the conflict in that part of the world until Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 became a victim of the fighting. Malaysian is an active member of Asean, and it is impossible for the regional grouping to leave its member to struggle alone.

The challenge for Asean is to establish a collective stance to effectively deal with the case. Asean ministers meeting last week in Nay Pyi Taw released a joint communiqué calling "for those responsible for the heinous act be held to account and swiftly brought to justice". The grouping is unlikely to make any further comment on the conflict in Ukraine, but it must nevertheless push harder in seeking justice for its member Malaysia.

Closer to home, regional powerhouse China is expanding its influence and power not only in Southeast Asia but also across the world. China has initiated economic cooperation with many of its regional neighbours but is also mired in conflict - specifically territorial disputes in the South China Sea - with many Asean members.

China and Asia's dynamic growth over the past decade has drawn attention from global players. The United States, the world's superpower, has made it clear that it wants to increase its presence in the Asia-Pacific region. Washington's foreign-policy "pivot" to Asia has brought more geopolitical pressure to the region.

But Asean's response to these new conditions has been minimal, with no fine-tuning of its policy or stance. At last week's meeting in Nay Pyi Taw, for instance, Asean foreign ministers failed to deliver any concrete proposals to deal with the tensions in the South China Sea.

A proposal from Manila for a Triple Action Plan, which would include a freeze on all provocative activities in the trouble waters, got the cold shoulder from its Asean neighbours and China. Asean's response was complicated by the fact that the Philippines' proposal was almost identical to that suggested by the US.

Nevertheless, Asean must take some form of concrete action to prevent conflict in the South China Sea.

A meeting on the sidelines of the Nay Pyi Taw summit between Asean officials and their Chinese counterparts likely made some progress as Beijing agreed to what they called an "early harvest" for their free trade agreement. But, both sides retain different definitions of the term early harvest, and negotiations likely left Asean with little time to push harder on measures to prevent an escalation of tensions in the South China Sea.

The Nay Pyi Taw summit illustrated that, once again, though Asean leaders and officials meet quite often, they still don't have a strong collective stance when it comes to dealing with pressure from major powers.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/When-the-pressure-is-on-Asean-falls-apart-30240725.html

[thenation]2014-08-12[/thenation]

[noitom]

Too much puffing, bluster, and double talk.

[Arkady]

I was informed that a Singapore Airlines flight was on the same flight path 20 minutes behind the MH flight.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[trogers]

They came together with this thought in their minds - 'I will sleep with you for the money, and not for the love'

There are still too much suspicions built up from historical conflicts among neighbouring ASEAN countries to allow them to unite beyond the opportunities to make money.

[Arkady]

They came together with this thought in their minds - 'I will sleep with you for the money, and not for the love'

There are still too much suspicions built up from historical conflicts among neighbouring ASEAN countries to allow them to unite beyond the opportunities to make money.

This is true. Thai children are indoctrinated with fake history about their ancestors' valiant defences against the Burmese marauders. Their parents feed Burmese slave labourers to shrimps for export to Europe. The Singapore military practices for an invasion by Malaysia. Singapore and Indonesia both still fret about the two Indonesian marines that were hanged by Lee Kwan Yew in the 60s for sabotage. Cambodians and Thais still kill each over a few square metres of mountainside.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

Asean = Big smoke no fire.

[chainarong]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

 

I was informed that a Singapore Airlines flight was on the same flight path 20 minutes behind the MH flight.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

 

You were informed correct , although that was the last SIA flight across that sector, as were everyone else, the question the companies need to address over war torn area's , save fuel or safe flight, you can never know for sure how much advanced weapons some of these idiots posses, end of story

[chainarong]

Knowing all the participants in this org, I wouldn't expect too much from any except the usual FTP, arguments will be plenty and help in need will be limited to the more affluent countries, China give them their due do help in times of disaster, but as an org ,as they say, you can choose your friends but not your relations, how would you go dealing with someone like Surapong, I rest my case. 

[NongKhaiKid]

 

They came together with this thought in their minds - 'I will sleep with you for the money, and not for the love'

There are still too much suspicions built up from historical conflicts among neighbouring ASEAN countries to allow them to unite beyond the opportunities to make money.

This is true. Thai children are indoctrinated with fake history about their ancestors' valiant defences against the Burmese marauders. Their parents feed Burmese slave labourers to shrimps for export to Europe. The Singapore military practices for an invasion by Malaysia. Singapore and Indonesia both still fret about the two Indonesian marines that were hanged by Lee Kwan Yew in the 60s for sabotage. Cambodians and Thais still kill each over a few square metres of mountainside.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

 

ASEAN nations have always practised selective blindness too - we don't see what you do your people and you don't see what we do to ours.

[MaxLee]

 

 

When the pressure is on, Asean falls apart

 

ASEAN never existed in Thailand, nor did they ever care in the land of fraud   

[chotthee]

Asean = Big smoke no fire.

 

Only Thailand think it is a fire.

It is a no event in all other 11 countries.

[rreddin]

Asean = Big smoke no fire.

 

Asean = confused thinking. Acording to ASEAN's website, it is an economic community with the (unrealistic) goal of economic integration by the end of next year. It was not intended to be a successor to SEATO.
 

[laolover88]

What a mess of an article!!. Bit like the proposed so called ASEAN

[h90]

I was informed that a Singapore Airlines flight was on the same flight path 20 minutes behind the MH flight.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

 

Austrian Airlines flew the same route....I did in the reverse direction a few days ago.

[Time Traveller]

The ASEAN plan was always going to be grounded in fantasy. 10 countries each with different languages, different religons, different levels of development and different security threats.

 

While EU could share a single approach to dealing with outside aggression from non-member countries to single member nations (eg Russian/Ukraine), ASEAN could never have a common approach on dealing with outside (Chinese) threats to it's own member countries.   

 

ASEAN is unworkable and doomed to fail.

[Thanet]

So Asean is a bit like the EU then? 

[luckyman]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

 

 

They came together with this thought in their minds - 'I will sleep with you for the money, and not for the love'

There are still too much suspicions built up from historical conflicts among neighbouring ASEAN countries to allow them to unite beyond the opportunities to make money.

This is true. Thai children are indoctrinated with fake history about their ancestors' valiant defences against the Burmese marauders. Their parents feed Burmese slave labourers to shrimps for export to Europe. The Singapore military practices for an invasion by Malaysia. Singapore and Indonesia both still fret about the two Indonesian marines that were hanged by Lee Kwan Yew in the 60s for sabotage. Cambodians and Thais still kill each over a few square metres of mountainside.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

 

I agree. And on top of that, Thailand has only signed 30% of all revelant multilateral ASEAN agreements while we are 5 months away from the official launch. I donot expect much of it. 

 

Also, Thailand does not aim to make alot of friends outside ASEAN either, since they confirmed yesterday to be eagerly willing to supply Russia a lot of goods and services, to compensate for the US-EU led sanctions.

[Krataiboy]

Yeah China, you just pin your ears back and listen. One more provocative move in the South China Sea from you and we'll. . . we'll. . .

[belg]

there is no T in asean ... :)

 

 

[wwest5829]

Finished, "On China" by Kissenger earlier. Now reading, " When China Rules the World". I encourage others to join in trying to look at the rise of China as regards the region and the world. More power to China in entering world relations, politically and economically. China deserves a lot of credit for feeding its vast population (no, I am not forgetting the very serious missteps by the Chinese Comminunist Party).

But now we need to seriously reflect of China's historical, political outlook and dealings. China can choose to be a major positive player or listen to the domestic voices that will lead it to increasing confrontation with international law, international economic, and political agreements. What is that old Chinese curse? "May you live in interesting times". To ignore China's history and current actions is to court more serious confrontations in the future.

For my money, China must be confronted by a united regional front of the countries directly involved in China's unilaterally claiming 80 to 90 percent of the South China Sea. Other countries are involved in recognition of international resources and trade routes.