Celebrating 175 years of thai-us relations

The Nation

When Christopher Hill, the US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, was in Bangkok in March he asked a Thai audience whether they realised that the Thailand-US relationship was very special because it is the longest relationship the US has had with any country in Asia.

Reminders like these are necessary from time to time, as people in both countries tend to forget what has transpired over all these years.

These days, whenever Thailand and the US factor into the same story in the international press, the stories are usually about conflicts, sanctions, disagreements over extrajudicial killings, violations of human rights, policy on Burma and trade issues. From this vantage point, the past two years have been hellish for the two countries because of the political uncertainty in Thailand.

The US State Department's annual report on the human-rights situation in Thailand usually gives a good indication of the state of relations between the two countries. During the Thaksin years, Washington expressed its deep concern at the high number of deaths in the so-called "War on Drugs". Similar concerns were also expressed concerning the brutality in the three provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani. This cycle of atrocities is coming back with the government headed by Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, which has reiterated that it would take the same approach favoured by the Thaksin administration.

In a similar vein, as one of the US's five close allies in the Asia-Pacific region, Thailand has tried hard to live up to its commitments especially on issues relating to international peace and security, especially after the September 11 tragedy.

Within Thailand, the former US airbase at U-Tapao and a naval base in Sattahip were reopened and subsequently used to boost US forces in Afghanistan and the Middle East. They were also used as a hub for rescue operations after the tsunami in 2004.

As part of the international coalition of  the willing, Thailand dispatched an engineering corps to Afghanistan and later sent 450 troops to Karbala, Iraq, as part of the rehabilitation process there. After two Thai soldiers were killed, Thailand decided to end its Iraqi operations in September 2004. Its commitment as a major non-Nato ally has remained and Thailand reportedly played host to one of the many "black sites" where US Central Intelligence Agency officials were allowed to hold suspected terrorists in secret. This news, despite having made a big splash in the US, was not played up over here.

Fortunately the foundation of Thailand's most important bilateral relationship is rock solid and has withstood any strong wind or freak storm that's come its way. That is why there is good reason to celebrate the 175th anniversary of Thai-US relations. Indeed, now is a good time to ask whether this friendship will be as prosperous and amicable as it has been in the next 175 years. It is hard to predict that with any precision. After all, the world has changed so much since the collapse of the Berlin Wall. The US is no longer the only unchallenged power in the world. With the continually increased cost of energy, Russia's vast resources have brought it more foreign reserves and boosted its confidence. Not to be outdone are the two major Asian giants, China and India, who have made their presence felt throughout the region and the world.

Thailand has to balance its relations with these new powers. It is the same old game that Siam used to play a century or so ago. This time around the only difference is that it is being played by Asian countries and not the French or British colonialists who tried to gobble up Thai territory.

In that sense, Thai-US ties remain pivotal and all efforts must be expended to ensure that these relations are strengthened and made more resilient, able to withstand all these new challenges. Leaders from both countries must know how to manage their relations and deal with rising expectations, which often go unfulfilled. However, the two countries continue to have shared security and economic interests that hold them together. It is hoped that one day we will have an elected government that respects human rights and the rule of law. Our shared norms would then serve as an additional bond to strengthen this friendship further.