Thai Prime Minister faces ASEAN Credibility Test
Thailand's Prime Minister faces a tough test this weekend as he hosts the delayed leaders summit of the Association of South East Asian nations.
A lot is riding on it for Abhisit Vejjajiva the fresh-faced Oxford graduate who rose to office in controversial circumstances just over two months ago. As his neighbouring counterparts get set to arrive for the summit Mr Abhisit is talking up his government but protesters continue to dog him about his legitimacy. He's accused of being closely linked to the protest group which shutdown Bangkok's airports last year.
PERCY: The flags are flying, the roadside flowerbeds are meticulously groomed police officers are everywhere. In Hua Hin and nearby Cha Am Beach .. everything looks just about ready to greet the ten ASEAN leaders and their large entourages. This seaside area is popular with Thai holiday makers.
And it is home to Thailand's revered king, Bhumipol Adulyadej, for much of the year. Now it is the setting where the Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, is hoping to rebuild the kingdom in the eyes of its neighbours.
PONGSUDIHRAK: He has to show that in the eyes of the world, that Thailand somehow has a normality here, that it is back to business, that he has leadership, that he has legitimacy and that Thailand is ready to move forward.
PERCY: Professor Thitinan Pongsudhirak is a political commentator at Chulalongkorn University.
PONGSUDHIRAK: That would be doubtful I think that the Red Shirts are now protesting, that a lot of people still have questions about what happened in Thailand, because the ASEAN meeting was postponed because of the crisis in December.
PERCY: Mr Abhisit has been criticised for taking the ASEAN summit out of Bangkok and away from red-shirted protesters who this week returned to the streets in Bangkok. Their numbers are small by comparison to the yellow-shirted protesters of the People's Alliance for Democracy or PAD, which forced an embarassing and costly shutdown of Bangkok's main airports last week. The red shirts are demanding that Mr Abhisit and his government step down.
They've also been baying for the Foreign Minister, Kasit Piromya, who rallied alongside the PAD last year. Yesterday when police revealed a list of PAD leaders they might charge over the airport shutdown, Mr Kasit was not on the list. He faced the sack if he was charged, and it comes just in time for key meetings between ASEAN foreign ministers in the coming days.
KASIT: And I don't see the logic of not liking me, such a very nice person and serving the society to the best of my ability.
PERCY; Mr Kasit seemed to be in a good mood as he addressed reporters late yesterday. He'll be hosting a series of high level meetings today ahead of tomorrow's leaders summit. Human rights is on the agenda, in particular the setting up of an ASEAN body to deal with human rights abuses.
But the controversy surrounding hundreds of Burmese Rohingya refugees, cast out of Burma, and mistreated by the Thai military, will not be on the formal agenda. Critics are concerned that the group's policy of keeping out of each other's domestic matters, will hinder progress on finding a solution to the refugee problem.
Mr Kasit says the issue will be addressed informally.
KASIT: I think we are an ASEAN family, anything of concern we can talk to one another without making demands and questioning. So the fact that we could have human rights body, I think we will have a forum where we can discuss in an open, friendly manner in the future the concerns that we have for each other's well being. ASEAN is making much of its new charter .. a lengthy document which sets out the commitments and obligations of each country.
PERCY: ASEAN is making much of its new charter, a lengthy document which sets up the commitments and obligations of each country. But it's only been in effect since December, and it remains untested.
Professor Thitinan Pongsudhirak, from Chulalongkorn University again.
PONGSUDHIRAK: ASEAN now is facing a reckoning that is set up by itself and the charter reads very well. It was well conceived, but now comes the hard part, the actual implementation, execution and this is something that the ASEAN members may not all be ready to face, especially Burma-Myanamar on the human rights body.
PERCY: The ASEAN Secretariat is boasting of unprecedented access at this summit by civil society groups.
There will be a number of meetings involving leaders and civil groups .. who'll be able to get their message through on some of the thornier issues affecting ASEAN. But in reality, it's the economy which will dominate this summit. Across the region exporters are having to shutdown factories and production facilities. Tens of thousands of workers have already been laid off because of a dramatic drop in global demand. And, few countries are optimistic about achieving even moderate growth this year.
Source - Road Australia