[Kabar-indonesia] AT/IPS: US Dilemma Over Thai Coup [+IHT: Ban the Politicians]

[JoyoNews at aol.com]

also: IHT: Democracy, Thai Style: Ban the Politicians [What remains in the 
aftermath of the coup is skepticism toward politics and democracy in general.]; 
and Cabinet to be finished this weekend, says post-coup Thai PM

Asia Times/Inter Press Service
Saturday, October 7, 2006

U.S. Dilemma Over Thai Coup 

By Thalif Deen 

NEW YORK - The bloodless coup against a democratically elected government in 
Thailand last month has forced the United States to review its military 
relations and suspend aid to one of Washington's long-standing political allies in 
Southeast Asia. 

The administration of US President George W Bush, which is seeking United 
Nations sanctions against the military government in neighboring Myanmar, has 
said the Thai military coup was a "U-turn" for democracy in that politically 
stable region. 

Thailand and Myanmar are both members of the Association of 
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), along with Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, 
Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. 

But an ASEAN diplomat at the UN says there is no justifiable comparison 
between the two military governments. "The situation in Thailand is quite different 
from Myanmar," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity. No doubt, he 
admitted, the coup was a setback for democracy, but Thai society is resilient and 
stable and will weather this setback. 

"They have many strong anchors, including Buddhism and a strong reverence for 
the king," he said, pointing out that "Thailand will remain a key member of 
ASEAN, and ASEAN will not do anything to place Thailand in the dock, especially 
so when they have taken the first steps to restore constitutional 
government". 

Since US law forbids military assistance to countries where a democratically 
elected government is ousted by a military junta, the Bush administration has 
already suspended some US$24 million in military aid to Thailand. 

The civilian government was ousted when prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was 
in New York to address the UN General Assembly. Instead of returning home, 
where he would be likely to face charges of corruption, Thaksin opted to fly to 
London, where he is in virtual political exile. 

Frida Berrigan, senior research associate at the Arms Trade Resource Center 
at the New York-based World Policy Institute, said the US government's fiscal 
year 2007 international-affairs budget request for military aid for Thailand 
praised the country as a "stable democracy" that "serves as both a model for 
development and democratization", and reminds readers that it was designated a 
"major non-NATO ally" in 2003. 

The comparison to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has put Thailand in 
the category of close US allies such as Israel and Egypt. "This request was 
prepared in the early months of 2006 and serves as a record of how quickly 
things shift," Berrigan said. 

She said the US State Department is seeking to pressure the Thai junta by 
suspending military aid and continuing "to urge a rapid return to democratic rule 
and early elections in Thailand". 

The aid freeze - including outright grants under the Foreign Military 
Financing (FMF) program and under the International Military Education and Training 
(IMET) program, as well as funding for peacekeeping operations and 
counter-terrorism - will continue until "a democratically elected government takes 
office". 

According to the London-based military magazine Jane's Defence Weekly, the US 
provision to suspend aid is outlined in Section 508 of the Foreign Operations 
Appropriations Act, which could shut down military cooperation between the 
two long-standing partners. "However, the obligations under Section 508 may be 
open to interpretation," the magazine noted. 

It can be argued that Thaksin was not, in fact, a "duly elected head of 
government". Although twice elected to power with substantial popular support, the 
magazine said, the snap election he called this April was boycotted by the 
opposition and declared void by the courts. 

Berrigan said that in each of the past few years, Washington has provided 
Thailand with more than $1 million in FMF and another $2 billion in military 
training through the IMET. The request also prioritizes increasing the 
"counter-terrorism capabilities of Thailand's elite special-forces units". 

"It is worth noting that the leaders of the military coup come from the ranks 
of the special forces," Berrigan said. 

In addition to receiving millions of dollars in US military aid, Thailand is 
also a significant buyer of US-made weapons systems - taking delivery of some 
$1.5 billion in military hardware in the past 10 years - including $179 
million worth of weaponry and hardware in 2004, and another $92 million in 2005. 

As recently as this April, Berrigan said, the US Defense Security Cooperation 
Agency announced the possible sale of $246 million worth of six MH-60S 
helicopters, engines and spare parts. 

Thailand's military budget hovers at about $2 billion a year - which means 
that taken together, US military aid, support for training, and weapons sales 
makes up about one-twentieth of the Thai military priorities - a sizable (but 
not overwhelming) chunk. 

She also said that Thailand announced a 10-year military buildup in 2005, 
allocating $6.6 billion to beef up its armed forces. 

Asked whether Thailand would turn to non-US sources for its arms 
requirements, Berrigan said: "Even before the US freeze, China and India have been 
courting Bangkok." 

She said China had sent Thailand two missile-armed offshore-patrol boats, 
with combat systems manufactured by a subsidiary of British Aerospace, and there 
are plans for two more. 

In January, she pointed out, India hosted Thai military personnel in a 
multilateral maritime exercise that also included Indonesian, Malaysian, Sri Lankan, 
Bangladeshi and Myanmar naval units. 

--------------------------------------------

International Herald Tribune
October 6, 2006

Democracy, Thai Style: Ban the Politicians  

By Thomas Fuller 

BANGKOK Sometime in the next few weeks, 100 delegates from around Thailand 
will gather here to draft a new constitution, a fresh start for the country 
after the military coup last month.
 
But first the ground rules: politicians need not apply.
 
Politics is a dirty word in many countries, but mistrust runs so deep here 
that anyone who has been a member of a political party or has held political 
office during the past two years is banned from doing what would in other 
countries be seen as their primary job - writing the supreme law of the land. "This 
is democracy Thai style, not European style," said Pramuan Ruchanaseree, the 
co- founder of the Pracharat political party and thus disqualified from taking 
part. "No one trusts politicians."
 
The tanks and soldiers that the generals sent onto the streets of Bangkok 
nearly three weeks ago are now back in their barracks. What remains in the 
aftermath of the coup is skepticism toward politics and democracy in general and a 
feeling that academics, ordinary citizens and military officers are the ones 
best placed to lead the country and chart its future in the coming months.
 
In the days ahead, Surayud Chulanont, the retired general appointed by the 
military as prime minister, will announce his cabinet. Not surprisingly, most of 
the names mentioned so far are civil servants, career military officers and 
corporate executives - but not politicians.
 
Persistent vote-buying has tainted electoral politics here and the 
allegations of corruption in the administration of Thaksin Shinawatra, the prime 
minister ousted in the coup, reinforced the notion that Thai politics is a mercenary 
system where those who serve also serve themselves to lucrative cuts of 
government contracts.
 
"Thais have not as yet absorbed the core values of democracy," said Gothom 
Arya, a former election commissioner, who is now director of research at Mahidol 
University. "They see a lot of shortcomings. The core values are difficult to 
understand. It has not been part of our way of life."
 
According to the road map set out by the coup makers, Surayud's government 
will rule for about another year, until the new constitution is written and 
fresh elections can be held, a very familiar cycle in a country where coup leaders 
have shredded the country's Constitution seven times in the past.
 
In the meantime, Thailand is still technically under martial law and there is 
a ban on any political activity, a measure ostensibly designed to keep 
Thaksin and his allies out of the picture - but which covers all political parties, 
including those that opposed Thaksin.
 
Thailand's ambivalence toward a return to democracy is in sharp contrast to 
the unequivocal moral clarity espoused by its longtime ally, the United States, 
which described the military takeover as a "U-turn" for the country. More 
broadly the Thai coup is the latest setback for the idea that democracy is a 
universally desired global elixir: Add the military takeover here to the debacle 
of nation-building in Iraq and deep skepticism toward democracy in places like 
Russia, where last year only 28 percent of Russians said it was the best 
system for the country.
 
What is perhaps surprising in the Thai case is that many academics have long 
theorized that democracy would grow deeper roots in societies that had 
experienced sustained periods of economic growth. Thailand has enjoyed several years 
of relative prosperity: the economy has been growing at a healthy annual pace 
of 4 or 5 percent, prices for major exports such as rubber and rice are high, 
and both tourism and the country's car industry are thriving.
 
What sets Thailand apart from other developing countries in the region is the 
role of the monarchy. King Bhumibol Adulyadej is adored by most Thais, and 
his 60 years on the throne have provided a country with a sense of security and 
continuity. As a corollary, though, Thais often worry about what will happen 
when he is gone.
 
"It's lucky in Thailand that the king is beloved by the people," said 
Pramuan, who was interior minister from 2002 to 2004. "The soldiers are below the 
king. And people trust soldiers more than politicians. This is our social 
heritage," Pramuan said.
 
So far only a tiny group of students and academics are demanding an immediate 
return to democratic rule. In recent days they have staged demonstrations 
that attracted more journalists than actual protesters.
 
More typical is the opinion of Napa Pruetarat, an 18-year-old medical student 
at Chulalongkorn University: the coup was justified, she said, because 
Thailand is not ripe for full-fledged democracy. "I think the coup was good," she 
said. "If we want to follow the democratic path Thailand needs to be more 
developed."
 
In opinion polls, interviews and newspaper editorials Thais say they are 
optimistic that the new prime minister, Surayud, will be less corrupt than the 
previous, elected governments. Criticism by leaders from places as diverse as 
Australia, Malaysia, Japan and the European Union is shrugged off by Thais, who 
say that the coup has been misunderstood.
 
The Nation newspaper is hosting an online forum titled "Can foreigners ever 
understand Thai politics?"
 
This was also the gist of an interview given by Anand Panyarachun, who served 
as interim prime minister after the previous military coup - in 1991. Anand 
told the Thai-language Mathichon newspaper that the coup was a hiccup and 
justified it by saying that Thaksin's government had stripped the democratic system 
of its meaning.
 
"Thailand had lost the essence of its democracy," Anand said. "What was left 
was merely the form: having a Constitution, a Parliament and the 
administrative, legislative and judiciary branches. But there was nothing democratic in its 
essence."
 
More blunt is the assessment of Thira Silpasanong, a 56-year-old restaurant 
owner in Bangkok.
 
"It was well known that Thai politicians were seen as dirty, corrupt and 
selfish," Thira said. "The purpose of the coup was to rid them from the system."
 
Not everyone in Thailand buys that argument. Prinya Thaewanarumitkul, one of 
the country's leading constitutional lawyers, says the practice of coup 
d'états in Thailand is a bad habit that needs to be kicked. "If we didn't have this 
coup the Thai people could have learned more about democracy and politics and 
about how to develop," he said.
 
The most serious consequence of the coup, Prinya said, was the suspension of 
civil liberties. Because Thailand is still under martial law, the military can 
now legally open mail, censor the media, tap telephones, barricade streets or 
detain anyone indefinitely without trial.
 
"They can block any street, declare a curfew, destroy any house without 
compensation," Prinya said.
 
A key test of the coup makers' intentions, he said, will be how long martial 
law is maintained. The last time around - after the 1991 coup - the interim 
government lifted martial law after two months.
 
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AFP, October 6, 2006

Cabinet to be finished this weekend, says post-coup Thai PM

Thailand's military-backed premier Surayud Chulanont confirmed that his 
cabinet line up of 35 ministers would be completed this weekend, but refused to 
disclose any names.

"I think all the names of all the ministers are expected to be complete 
either on Saturday or Sunday," the former general told reporters.

But he declined to say how many ministers may hold dual positions, or 
speculate on any names, saying only that the selection will go "according to 
procedure".

"I am listening to comments from all parties and adjusting whatever I can 
adjust, but I am also restricted by the short time frame," said Surayud, who was 
installed last weekend by the junta that overthrew prime minister Thaksin 
Shinawatra on September 19.

So far, two leading banking figures have confirmed they will join Surayud's 
government, and several other bankers are reportedly considering it.

Central bank chief Pridiyathorn Devakula is widely expected to be finance 
minister, while Bangkok Bank executive chairman Kosit Panpiemras has also 
confirmed that he will accept a cabinet position.

Other names emerging include former ambassador to Washington and trade 
negotiator Nit Pibulsongkram as foreign minister, and Piyasvasti Amranand, former 
head of the National Energy Policy Council, as energy minister.

However pressure groups have urged Surayud to stay away from figures tainted 
by previous controversies, local media reported Friday.

The Nation newspaper quoted Saree Ongsomwang, from the Foundation for 
Consumers, as saying that Nit failed to listen to the Thai people when negotiating a 
Thai-US free trade agreement.

She also questioned the possible inclusion in the cabinet of Piyasvasti, who 
may prove unpopular because of his role in pushing the failed privatization of 
the nation's biggest utility, the Electricity Generating Authority of 
Thailand.

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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