Junta-installed Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont will soon have a chance to test his diplomatic skills and restore some of Thailand's international credibility, which was damaged by the coup last month.

Surayud may be widely accepted at home as a new leader with the honesty and courage to clean up the country after a litany of abuses by the toppled Thaksin Shinawatra over the past five years.

But the international community looks at Thai politics through different eyes. Many countries, such as major ally the US, described the coup as a major setback to Thai democracy and insisted on a quick return to elections.

From some, the coup has taken Thailand from the most advanced democracy in the region to the same level as military-ruled Burma, whose generals are not comfortable to associate with foreign leaders. With military power, the Council for National Security is able to help Surayud subdue voices opposing the coup at home, but the junta's hand cannot stretch beyond Thailand's borders to shape international opinion.

The military-appointed premier carries the burden to improve Thailand's image and restore its democratic credibility abroad when he attends international forums in China, the Philippines and Vietnam in late October, November and December.

The Foreign Ministry's permanent secretary Krit Garnjana-Goonchorn has briefed Surayud about his first forum at the 15th Asean-China summit in China's Nanning on October 30. The next forum is the Apec meeting in Hanoi, and the last one this year is the Asean summit in Cebu in the Philippines in December.

Essentially, the Asean-China summit is no big deal for Surayud because it is a commemoration of 15 years of formal relations between the regional superpower and the 10-member regional grouping.

All friends of the Kingdom are no strangers to military coups and authoritarian states. Some Asean countries have military rulers. Chinese premier Wen Jiabao sent a warm letter of congratulation to Surayud offering backing for his leadership. Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia sent similar letters.

Further, Surayud is not following a tough act in China. Predecessor Thaksin made some mistakes and violated diplomatic protocol several times in China, such as when he congratulated President Hu Jintao before he formally took office in front of a full politburo line-up in 2003.

The tough task will come in Hanoi during the Apec summit on November 18-19 when leaders of 21 countries across Asia and the Pacific, including the US, will gather to discuss a wide range of issues.

Among members, Australia and the US are the harshest critics of the Sept 19 coup. Washington, as required by law, imposed a sanction to cut US$24 million (Bt900 million) of military assistance to Thailand last week. The mood in Washington is unchanged, as the latest statement on Wednesday said the US remained concerned by restrictions on civil liberties and provisions in the draft constitution that appear to give the military an ongoing and influential role in decision-making.

Alphabetically, Surayud (T for Thailand) will sit next to President George W Bush (U for United States) at the Apec meeting. The spotlight will be on the pair and all eyes will capture whether they exchange a warm handshake or whisper to each other.

The US as a country and President Bush as an American are not alien to Surayud, who had a military education at the US Joint Staff College, but the diplomatic world is different. The career soldier-cum-prime minister needs to employ other skills to convince world leaders his government will steer Thailand towards democracy.

Many soldiers who seized power from elected governments in the past - such as Suchinda Kraprayoon, who knew nothing about diplomatic protocol - damaged the country's reputation and credibility during such meetings.

Hopefully, General Surayud is better than those previous generals and has the capability to restore Thailand's integrity in the international community - or at least to make it no worse.

Luckily for Surayud, his predecessor Thaksin, who presented himself as an international leader, did much to hurt the country's credibility during his term. He is not the toughest act to follow.

Supalak Ganjanakhundee,

Sopaporn Kurz

The Nation