webfact Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 BURNING ISSUEPrawit's foreign policy blunders bringing Thailand into disreputeSUPALAK GANJANAKHUNDEETHE NATION BANGKOK: -- DEPUTY Prime Minister and Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan has been proven to be a novice in international relations. His foreign policy toward China is always wrong and counterproductive.The decision to repatriate "refugees" to please China over the past months has brought repercussions and worsened the reputation of this government, bringing general condemnation rather than applause.In July, Prawit decided to deport to China more than 100 Turkic Muslims believed to be Uighurs. The move prompted attacks on a Thai consulate office in Turkey and the bombing of the Erawan Shine in Bangkok. Timing of the latter might have been coincidental, but the government has failed to clearly prove that the violence was not connected to deportation of the Uighurs.The two incidents caused human casualties and damaged property, and it still remains unclear how Thailand could have benefited from the repatriation of more than 100 Muslims.Four months later, the government deported to China two Chinese activists who were recognised by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).Dong Guangping and Jiang Yefei were quietly repatriated from a Thai detention centre to China on November 14-15. Prawit claimed the two were wanted in Beijing on human trafficking charges and he was not aware the Chinese activists had UN "person of concern" status as refugees.Although Thailand is not a contracted party to the 1951 Convention on refugees, it is international practice not to repatriate people who face the threat of prosecution, torture or execution just because they have different political ideas from their government.Furthermore, those who want to handle international relations should understand the principle of non-refoulement - which forbids the return of a persecuted victim to his or her persecutor. This is not only a cornerstone of refugee law but also exists in many international laws, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The principle includes the right to life, to freedom from torture or cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment, and to liberty and personal security.If he really wanted to administer good foreign policy for this country, Prawit and his crew should have known that activists Dong and Jiang were dissidents. They were detained by Chinese authorities for activities commemorating the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown and challenged the government response to the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.Dong is a human rights defender and former political prisoner. He served three years in jail between 2001 and 2004 for promoting democracy in China. He was detained for eight months in July last year for his activities to commemorate the Tiananmen bloodshed.Jiang, who is the leader of the Thai branch of the Chinese democratic movement, fled to Thailand seven years ago after giving an interview to foreign media criticising the government's handling of the 2008 earthquake. He published satirical cartoons on social media during his exile in Thailand.The decision on their deportation was not made hastily. Prawit had plenty of time to seek information and consult with all agencies on the consequences of the decision. The two Chinese were arrested in October 28 for not having valid visas.The visa is no big deal in this case. Dong and his family arrived in Thailand in late September and received a UN letter of "protection" while their application for resettlement in a third country was underway. Jiang lived in Thailand for years before being granted refugee status in April this year. Both had no connection with human trafficking as claimed by Prawit.Unless this government wants to 'kow-tow' to China, Prawit has a lot of legal instruments to help deal with this case. International law and good practice on human rights are a priority. They could shield the military government from Beijing's pressure.If the Chinese mounted more pressure for extradition, proceedings still have to be conducted in accordance with Thai extradition law. It requires all concerned parties to go through a judicial process, not a decision by one man.Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Prawits-foreign-policy-blunders-bringing-Thailand--30273672.html-- The Nation 2015-11-25 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hgma Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 " It's not clear how Thailand has benefitted from the deportation order" Disturbing lines of comment! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
selftaopath Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 The incompetence here is just utterly mind boggling. On EVERY level incompetence/narrow-mindedness is glaringly evident. No wonder so many hide from reality/truth/facts, and embrace "appearance only" aka "face." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NongKhaiKid Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 Foreign policy blunders, really ? Doesn't foreign mean non-Thai so where's the problem ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z42 Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 Excellent commentary piece, I wish Thailand had more like the person penning this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkpanther99 Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Agree with all the comments here. It is an excellent piece. It is interesting this in The Nation also. It seems that the press from what is traditionally either side of the political divide have both been heavily critical of the govt in the recent weeks. The other major English language Bangkok based news outlet ran a pretty scathing editorial over the weekend on the army and corruption, and not for the first time. Maybe I'm reading too much into it but are cracks now starting to appear in this govt or maybe they have been there from the outset? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NongKhaiKid Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 LoS at it's best, or worst, people given posts for which they're unsuited because they're family, friends and cronies but at least are loyal. It's nothing new and will never change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waldroj Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Questionable foreign policy? Seems unfair on jovial old Prawit to single him out. The he entire junta (and its cronies) deserve ridicule for the inept way they've mismanaged Thailand over the past 18 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seastallion Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 (edited) Stick to your guns, Prawit. I mean, literally, stick to guns and ammo and cammo paint and military parades and all the fun big boy soldier stuff. Edited November 25, 2015 by Seastallion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneday Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 The blunders probably go a little higher up the latter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorn Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Agree with all the comments here. It is an excellent piece. It is interesting this in The Nation also. It seems that the press from what is traditionally either side of the political divide have both been heavily critical of the govt in the recent weeks. The other major English language Bangkok based news outlet ran a pretty scathing editorial over the weekend on the army and corruption, and not for the first time. Maybe I'm reading too much into it but are cracks now starting to appear in this govt or maybe they have been there from the outset? Yes definitely seems like some shadowy figure has given the go ahead for the press to be more critical of the general lately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaltsc Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 (edited) "DEPUTY Prime Minister and Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan has been proven to be a novice in international relations. " He has been overheard mumbling to himself: "If all those other idiot nations only understood Thainess, the world would be a better place." Edited November 25, 2015 by jaltsc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
selftaopath Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 LoS at it's best, or worst, people given posts for which they're unsuited because they're family, friends and cronies but at least are loyal. It's nothing new and will never change. One of the many reasons Thailand is a lost cause when it comes to change which benefits the populace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snackbar Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 There is an acceptance for cheating here. It starts at university where post graduate qualifications are bought and paid paid for. Likewise careers. People are appointed on recommendation rather than the best candidate. Those in top positions don't have the experience or academics know how to do the job because they are cheats. Subordinates do not question their superiors. The result is Thailand today, wasted resource, industrial accidents, daily road fatalities, the god delusion, superstition, and a heard mentality. Persecute the cheats, eliminate the privileged untouchables, allow free speech and empower the public. How hard can it be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chainarong Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 To be honest anything concerning the Junta Administration of Thailand would need to be handled with contempt , not only have they shown they are inept at running a country unless severe restrictions are implemented to protect their arse under the disguise of law, very few countries in the west would find the Junta approach to happiness palatable at all, for an outfit that started out pushing all the right buttons to a shoddy group of miss fits, Thailand will for decades to come rue the day that the Prayut - O lead Junta ever seized power, Prawit's problem is just another of the Juntas problem , X Generals have never made good political leaders as the population is not obliged to salute them, not yet anyhow............................. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MZurf Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Fear not. English John will be around forthwith to explain to us what a stellar performance Prawit has given, and any blunders are caused by Thaksin anyway! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatsujin Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 " It's not clear how Thailand has benefitted from the deportation order" Disturbing lines of comment! Discount on the subs they are buying? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB24 Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 As usual, the ignorant horde of Thai bashers jump at anything negative and vent their feelings. Well here is mine towards you: To all those who feel the need/desire to 'jump' all over anything negative towards Thailand or the PM - why dont you instead jump on a plane back home?? And take with you your ignorant Expat/Western views on Democracy and Religion what is right and wrong in the Thailand. This is Thailand !! You are not a Thai citizen. You cannot vote. You have no 'rights'. You cannot stay as long as you like. You are a VISITOR. And anything else I wish to say about you would be edited !! You may well feel insulted - I DONT CARE. Stop insulting Thailand. This is THEIR country - not yours. Yes - there are many things wrong here. SO WHAT !! Imagine going to Fiji on a two week holiday and then complaining every day about the military takeover that stopped a civil war/anarchy, and complaining that Fijians all do 'silly' things and behave 'silly' !! Wake up !! There are problems everywhere in the world - you can get shot at school in USA . If you want the perfect place to live your 'un-enriched' lives - then go home and think about where that is, and then move there. Thailand is not 'perfect' - but I for one love it this way !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snackbar Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 (edited) The communication device you use to express your view was designed, developed in a free society. Assembled in a communist country and bought by you thanks to capitalism. Without free speech, scholars, philosophers and collusion your view would not be available to the masses. Yet you feel these principle are abhorant. What's it to be? Conformity, subservience, repression and stagnation? Or free speech, empathy and social development? Edited November 25, 2015 by Snackbar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Srikcir Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 As usual, the ignorant horde of Thai bashers jump at anything negative and vent their feelings. Well here is mine towards you: To all those who feel the need/desire to 'jump' all over anything negative towards Thailand or the PM - why dont you instead jump on a plane back home?? And take with you your ignorant Expat/Western views on Democracy and Religion what is right and wrong in the Thailand. This is Thailand !! You are not a Thai citizen. You cannot vote. You have no 'rights'. You cannot stay as long as you like. You are a VISITOR. And anything else I wish to say about you would be edited !! You may well feel insulted - I DONT CARE. Stop insulting Thailand. This is THEIR country - not yours. Yes - there are many things wrong here. SO WHAT !! Imagine going to Fiji on a two week holiday and then complaining every day about the military takeover that stopped a civil war/anarchy, and complaining that Fijians all do 'silly' things and behave 'silly' !! Wake up !! There are problems everywhere in the world - you can get shot at school in USA . If you want the perfect place to live your 'un-enriched' lives - then go home and think about where that is, and then move there. Thailand is not 'perfect' - but I for one love it this way !! Thank you for your headful comments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tx22cb Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 As usual, the ignorant horde of Thai bashers jump at anything negative and vent their feelings. Well here is mine towards you: To all those who feel the need/desire to 'jump' all over anything negative towards Thailand or the PM - why dont you instead jump on a plane back home?? And take with you your ignorant Expat/Western views on Democracy and Religion what is right and wrong in the Thailand. This is Thailand !! You are not a Thai citizen. You cannot vote. You have no 'rights'. You cannot stay as long as you like. You are a VISITOR. And anything else I wish to say about you would be edited !! You may well feel insulted - I DONT CARE. Stop insulting Thailand. This is THEIR country - not yours. Yes - there are many things wrong here. SO WHAT !! Imagine going to Fiji on a two week holiday and then complaining every day about the military takeover that stopped a civil war/anarchy, and complaining that Fijians all do 'silly' things and behave 'silly' !! Wake up !! There are problems everywhere in the world - you can get shot at school in USA . If you want the perfect place to live your 'un-enriched' lives - then go home and think about where that is, and then move there. Thailand is not 'perfect' - but I for one love it this way !! We are not insulting Thailand - just the unelected usurpers. You might find that the majority of Thai citizens agree with these anti-pseudo-government sentiments ..... if only they could voice their feelings in an election or a referendum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarryP Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Agree with all the comments here. It is an excellent piece. It is interesting this in The Nation also. It seems that the press from what is traditionally either side of the political divide have both been heavily critical of the govt in the recent weeks. The other major English language Bangkok based news outlet ran a pretty scathing editorial over the weekend on the army and corruption, and not for the first time. Maybe I'm reading too much into it but are cracks now starting to appear in this govt or maybe they have been there from the outset? I too have noted that the Bangkok Post seems to be getting more daring in its criticism of the regime/junta and its handling of so many things that go tits up. I think it is very telling that at least a few daily publications are no longer kowtowing to threats of the junta. The amount of bungling going on by those in power is seeing them lose support so perhaps the press is willing to take the risk of saying things as they are for a change. On a similar vein, there are arguments being bandied about that all political TV channels should be banned, e.g. red and yellow tv. In my view they should have never been allowed from day one due to their polarizing the population with bullshit. But people are starting to understand that now and the "Bring Happiness Back to the People" every Friday night is also starting to receive a lot of derision, as it should be. Although only a single program, it is now no different to those very channels that should be banned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGareth2 Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 As usual, the ignorant horde of Thai bashers jump at anything negative and vent their feelings. Well here is mine towards you: To all those who feel the need/desire to 'jump' all over anything negative towards Thailand or the PM - why dont you instead jump on a plane back home?? And take with you your ignorant Expat/Western views on Democracy and Religion what is right and wrong in the Thailand. This is Thailand !! You are not a Thai citizen. You cannot vote. You have no 'rights'. You cannot stay as long as you like. You are a VISITOR. And anything else I wish to say about you would be edited !! You may well feel insulted - I DONT CARE. Stop insulting Thailand. This is THEIR country - not yours. Yes - there are many things wrong here. SO WHAT !! Imagine going to Fiji on a two week holiday and then complaining every day about the military takeover that stopped a civil war/anarchy, and complaining that Fijians all do 'silly' things and behave 'silly' !! Wake up !! There are problems everywhere in the world - you can get shot at school in USA . If you want the perfect place to live your 'un-enriched' lives - then go home and think about where that is, and then move there. Thailand is not 'perfect' - but I for one love it this way !! mmmmm What is a forum for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elgordo38 Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Agree with all the comments here. It is an excellent piece. It is interesting this in The Nation also. It seems that the press from what is traditionally either side of the political divide have both been heavily critical of the govt in the recent weeks. The other major English language Bangkok based news outlet ran a pretty scathing editorial over the weekend on the army and corruption, and not for the first time. Maybe I'm reading too much into it but are cracks now starting to appear in this govt or maybe they have been there from the outset? Yes definitely seems like some shadowy figure has given the go ahead for the press to be more critical of the general lately.I rather agree. These guys have been flirting with a section 44 and yet the powers that be remain silent. Are they giving the marionettes more movement? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MZurf Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 As usual, the ignorant horde of Thai bashers jump at anything negative and vent their feelings. Well here is mine towards you: To all those who feel the need/desire to 'jump' all over anything negative towards Thailand or the PM - why dont you instead jump on a plane back home?? And take with you your ignorant Expat/Western views on Democracy and Religion what is right and wrong in the Thailand. This is Thailand !! You are not a Thai citizen. You cannot vote. You have no 'rights'. You cannot stay as long as you like. You are a VISITOR. And anything else I wish to say about you would be edited !! You may well feel insulted - I DONT CARE. Stop insulting Thailand. This is THEIR country - not yours. Yes - there are many things wrong here. SO WHAT !! Imagine going to Fiji on a two week holiday and then complaining every day about the military takeover that stopped a civil war/anarchy, and complaining that Fijians all do 'silly' things and behave 'silly' !! Wake up !! There are problems everywhere in the world - you can get shot at school in USA . If you want the perfect place to live your 'un-enriched' lives - then go home and think about where that is, and then move there. Thailand is not 'perfect' - but I for one love it this way !! Ah, another "if you don't like it go home" post. How original!! "You may well feel insulted - I DONT CARE." Nothing you can write will insult me - trust me on this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dap Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 (edited) As usual, the ignorant horde of Thai bashers jump at anything negative and vent their feelings. Well here is mine towards you: To all those who feel the need/desire to 'jump' all over anything negative towards Thailand or the PM - why dont you instead jump on a plane back home?? And take with you your ignorant Expat/Western views on Democracy and Religion what is right and wrong in the Thailand. This is Thailand !! You are not a Thai citizen. You cannot vote. You have no 'rights'. You cannot stay as long as you like. You are a VISITOR. And anything else I wish to say about you would be edited !! You may well feel insulted - I DONT CARE. Stop insulting Thailand. This is THEIR country - not yours. Yes - there are many things wrong here. SO WHAT !! Imagine going to Fiji on a two week holiday and then complaining every day about the military takeover that stopped a civil war/anarchy, and complaining that Fijians all do 'silly' things and behave 'silly' !! Wake up !! There are problems everywhere in the world - you can get shot at school in USA . If you want the perfect place to live your 'un-enriched' lives - then go home and think about where that is, and then move there. Thailand is not 'perfect' - but I for one love it this way !! Bad hair day? Edited November 25, 2015 by Dap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkkworker Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 This is an interesting piece. Firstly, it is in English, well written and conforms perfectly to western style journalism standards. This, in itself, is odd. Why is so much effort put into this English article? Perhaps just lucky for us, finally, an English journalist on Thailand has emerged. Secondly, it freely disagrees with the government’s actions and points of view. This is odd although considered normal in the west, but here, it is odd. The author backs up strong points with strong examples to fortify their position. Lastly, from a communication perspective, the persuasion of this article is to show intelligent criticism of a government. It makes things normal. It appears you have normal free speech. It appears you have normal rights. It appears you have a normal government. I am not sure if that was the goal of this piece from the authors/publishers, but from the moment I started reading this article, I felt something is different. Damn, we get a normal article and I find it difficult to just accept it as that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacemand Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 As usual, the ignorant horde of Thai bashers jump at anything negative and vent their feelings. Well here is mine towards you: To all those who feel the need/desire to 'jump' all over anything negative towards Thailand or the PM - why dont you instead jump on a plane back home?? And take with you your ignorant Expat/Western views on Democracy and Religion what is right and wrong in the Thailand. This is Thailand !! You are not a Thai citizen. You cannot vote. You have no 'rights'. You cannot stay as long as you like. You are a VISITOR. And anything else I wish to say about you would be edited !! You may well feel insulted - I DONT CARE. Stop insulting Thailand. This is THEIR country - not yours. Yes - there are many things wrong here. SO WHAT !! Imagine going to Fiji on a two week holiday and then complaining every day about the military takeover that stopped a civil war/anarchy, and complaining that Fijians all do 'silly' things and behave 'silly' !! Wake up !! There are problems everywhere in the world - you can get shot at school in USA . If you want the perfect place to live your 'un-enriched' lives - then go home and think about where that is, and then move there. Thailand is not 'perfect' - but I for one love it this way !! Its not like the Thai citizens can vote either Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbthailand Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 As usual, the ignorant horde of Thai bashers jump at anything negative and vent their feelings. Well here is mine towards you: To all those who feel the need/desire to 'jump' all over anything negative towards Thailand or the PM - why dont you instead jump on a plane back home?? And take with you your ignorant Expat/Western views on Democracy and Religion what is right and wrong in the Thailand. This is Thailand !! You are not a Thai citizen. You cannot vote. You have no 'rights'. You cannot stay as long as you like. You are a VISITOR. And anything else I wish to say about you would be edited !! You may well feel insulted - I DONT CARE. Stop insulting Thailand. This is THEIR country - not yours. Yes - there are many things wrong here. SO WHAT !! Imagine going to Fiji on a two week holiday and then complaining every day about the military takeover that stopped a civil war/anarchy, and complaining that Fijians all do 'silly' things and behave 'silly' !! Wake up !! There are problems everywhere in the world - you can get shot at school in USA . If you want the perfect place to live your 'un-enriched' lives - then go home and think about where that is, and then move there. Thailand is not 'perfect' - but I for one love it this way !! Ignoring the fact that criticism of a military junta's actions is not criticism of Thailand, there is your point that people here are just visitors, well, I and others are not just visitors. We have our families here and we do have a voice in our communities and we do have reasons to wish for, and work for a better future for our kids. Of course, we don't need to do that, but we chose to... Because unlike other Thai citizens, we and our families do have the option to "jump on a plane" as you so eloquently put it, ... but we chose not to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snackbar Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Doesn't one board a plane, as in boarding gate? Be more fun to have jumping gates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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