A High Price to Pay for PM’s America Trip By Paritta Wangkiat*

Posted by AsiaViews | Oct 9, 2017 | 0 |

The Bangkok Post

Oct 6, 2017

Photos of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha shaking hands with US President Donald Trump at the White House were plastered across the front pages of most, if not all, mainstream media this week. They have also been doing the rounds on social media.

During a dinner speech on his trip to the US, Gen Prayut referred to his counterpart as his “true friend”.

Of course, it’s a political triumph for the leader of the military regime whose visit, due to the way he rose to power in 2014, would not be so acceptable in other Western countries.

It is inconceivable that he would have been invited to the US in such a capacity during the former Barack Obama administration. At the time Thailand was taking flak for overlooking human trafficking, causing its ranking in the annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report to be downgraded to Tier 3.

Any form of cooperation with Washington, including military ties, was restricted.

But Gen Prayut’s visit on Tuesday, his first official trip to the US after staging the coup three years ago, has been touted as a “win-win” friendship with both sides saying they are committed to boosting trade, investment and their economic partnership.

But was it really such a grand success?

Regarding arms procurement deals with the US, the government has not provided full details of its latest purchase, but speculation is rampant the military will keep running up large bills as long as the junta rules the roost. Since the 2014 coup the military’s budget has soared as never before.

Earlier this year, the regime spent 36 billion baht on Chinese-made submarines for the navy despite public concern about overspending and the regime’s growing reliance on Beijing, which has stepped in to fill the post-coup diplomatic vacuum.

Now it seems the regime has been gifted an excuse to buy more weapons and equipment to keep a balance between its ties with China and the US — two of the world’s largest arms exporters, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

The arms industry is a formidable growth engine for both superpowers, but perhaps not the best one for taxpayers.

Given the relative peace in the region, we feel frustrated by the regime’s boost in arms spending. If this is a win-win deal for the two nations’ governments — as the regime’s public relations team insists — it isn’t for us as taxpayers and ordinary folk.

The other trade item, coal, is no less controversial.

Gen Prayut was accompanied on his US jaunt by leading figures from Thai business empires including Siam Cement Plc (SCG), Charoen Pokphand and PTT Global Chemical (PTTGC) (petrochemicals) and Banpu Plc (coal mining and power operations).

A deal was soon inked for the country to import 155,000 tons of coal from the US.

SCG announced this would be used in the production of its cement. The company said it was switching sourcing partners from Indonesia to the US in search of “good quality” coal.

The move seems to support Mr Trump’s “America First” campaign promise. During the campaign he pledged to help the flagging coal industry, a sunset industry, in the US as the world turns its back on filthy fossil fuels, which have been blamed for global warming.

While some critics say Gen Prayut is on a “Thailand First” mission, environmentalists warn the deal to import coal from the US will make it difficult for the country to fulfill its commitment to fighting global warming and climate change in accordance with the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Even if the premier’s US trip is hailed as a triumph, it comes with a high environmental cost.

Especially striking is Gen Prayut’s interview with reporters after his meeting with Mr Trump. The premier said Mr Trump did not quiz him on when the general election would be held, a key step on the march to democracy.

So now the world’s leading democracy is acting like a rubber stamp for a military regime, despite its bruised records on human rights.

All of which calls to mind the old Thai adage, “Money is so strong it can bend steel”.

This was the case on Tuesday when Thailand inked various deals and gained crucial recognition — and by extension, legitimacy — from the world’s leading superpower.

Some netizens noted that such success comes at a high price. I couldn’t agree more.

*The writer is a Bangkok Post reporter. (https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/1337543/a-high-price-to-pay-for-pms-america-trip)

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EXTRICATING NDONESIAN CHILDREN FROM ISIS INFLUENCE ABROAD

Indonesia urgently needs to revisit the possibility of repatriating the neediest of its young citizens stranded abroad, whose families had earlier joined ISIS. Most of these children are in camps in northern Syria but there are also small numbers in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Iraq. “Extricating Indonesian Children from ISIS Influence Abroad”, the latest report from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) argues that the government could begin by bringing back small groups of unaccompanied children under ten years of age, who pose minimal security risk and are most vulnerable to deteriorating conditions in the camps.“The problem is that health and security conditions are worsening by the day in the Syrian camps, and the children are growing older,” says Dyah Kartika, IPAC analyst. “They need access to schools, a nurturing environment, and medical attention. If the government waits too long, the children will be further exposed to ISIS ideology.” The new report examines a 2019 list of Indonesians in camps and prisons run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Indonesian government has been trying to verify their citizenship, but with pseudonyms, misspellings and bad transliterations, it is a daunting task. At the time the data was collected, between March and June 2019, there were 555 Indonesians in SDF camps and prisons, including 367 children. Among the children, approximately 277 were under the age of ten and 34 were unaccompanied. In June 2021, there are fewer than ten children who are both unaccompanied and under the age of ten that could be prioritized for return. Bringing back children of ISIS families is no easy task. The report analyses the main challenges faced by the Indonesian government. These include definitional issues, bureaucratic competition, the difficulty of verifying nationality, evaluating the toll of exposure to conflict, assessing security risk, and finding relatives or others willing to provide care once the children are returned. In addition, COVID has meant stringent restrictions on travel, placing further obstacles in the way of repatriation. There are several models for rehabilitation of children exposed to violent extremism in Indonesia that could be modified to accommodate the needs of children repatriated from abroad. The report examines these models and argues that the government does not need to have every detail of rehabilitation programs in place before it starts extricating children from ISIS influence. It can start by bringing back the most vulnerable children and then modify programs as needed.

“It’s important that the government see these children as victims” says Dyah. “They deserve a chance to be children again.”

A High Price to Pay for PM’s America Trip By Paritta Wangkiat*