Published on January 31, 2005

Thailand’s “double standards” in its foreign policy may hamper future relations with the United Nations and damage Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai’s chances of becoming the next secretary-general of the world body.

This was the unanimous view of panellists in the discussion “UN Reform and the Role of Thailand”, held on Saturday at Thammasat University.

They argued that criticisms heaped on the UN by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand’s deteriorating human rights record, and the lack of respect by the government for civil society would all hamper Surakiart’s bid.

Speakers pointed to what they saw as Thaksin’s “egotism” in the aftermath of the tsunami disaster by refusing financial support from foreign countries. They said the prime minister’s stance had not been consistent.

“UN members will not buy Thailand’s proliferating double standards,” said Asda Jayanama, a former ambassador to the UN. “While we’ve accepted money from tennis players, we’ve refused to accept assistance from foreign governments. We need to be more consistent.”

Kavi Chongkittavorn, assistant group editor of the Nation Multimedia Group, argued that Thailand’s international reputation was at its lowest in recent memory. “Unlike in the past four years, Thailand once used to be pro-active in the UN,” he said.

Surat Hochaiyakul, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University, concurred, suggesting that the Kingdom needed to forge better relationships with the UN in tangible ways.

He said Thailand’s refusal to recognise the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice in the Hague did not augur well for the country’s ambition to gain a more prominent role in the international arena.

Others pointed to Thaksin’s “The UN is not my father” comment following the world body’s criticism of his government’s controversial war on drugs, which ended with the deaths of nearly 3,000 people under questionable circumstances.

The United States, one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council which can make or break Surakiart’s chance, also came in for its own share of flak from Thaksin after US government officials expressed similar concerns. The PM referred to Washington as a “useless friend”.

Some critics said Thaksin’s bid to groom Surakiart as a strong candidate to become UN secretary-general when Kofi Annan’s term expires at the end of 2007 was purely for domestic consumption. Nevertheless, judging from the aggressive campaigning by Thai diplomats, it appears that Surakiart clearly fancies himself as a potential shoo-in, others argued.

Post your comment to this story here