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Asia and Oceania
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INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Thailand's relations with neighbours
Foreign policy has focused primarily on enhancing ties with ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) neighbours, China and India. Thailand is a founder member of ASEAN, and takes a leading role in the region. Thailand assumed the Chair of ASEAN in 2008. The Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr Surin Pitsuwan, is Thai.Thailand's biggest foreign policy challenge has been Burma. The long, fluid border between the two countries sees large numbers of refugees, illegal immigrants and drugs pass from Burma into Thailand. There have been occasional cross border skirmishes between their respective armed forces and terrorist incidents, with several dozen deaths. The Thai/Burmese border was closed between May and October 2002 after one such incident. In December 2003 Thailand initiated the 'Bangkok Process' with Burma and other 'Like Minded Countries' to take forward the process of National Reconciliation in Burma, but this made no progress and is now dormant.
Relations with Cambodia deteriorated sharply in January 2003 when anti-Thai riots erupted in Phnom Penh leading to the burning down of the Thai Embassy and the premises of a number of Thai businesses. Tensions flared again in July 2008 with a territorial row over the Preah Vihear temple, which is in Cambodia but is surrounded by disputed territory.
Thailand's relations with the international community
Thailand was a close ally of the West during the cold war and is a long-term member of the United Nations. It is increasingly active in the international arena and looks to maintain a balance between key partners: US, Australia, China, Japan, EU and ASEAN. Thai armed forces have undertaken peacekeeping duties in Kosovo, Sierra Leone, East Timor, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Iraq and Burundi. Thailand was granted partner status in the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in November 2000 and held a seat on the UN Commission on Human Rights from 2001-2003. The US granted Thailand the status of Major Non-NATO Ally in January 2004.
Thailand's relations with the UK
The Bowring Treaty of 1855 agreed to establish a British Consular presence in Siam. The first resident British envoy to Siam arrived in 1875. We have had constant diplomatic relations with first Siam and later Thailand ever since.
The UK/Thailand bilateral relationship is close. The UK is, perhaps, the best known of all the European countries. There is a sense of shared traditional values between the two nations, which manifests itself in close educational and cultural contacts.
UK development assistance
Small scale technical assistance is provided through the British Embassy Bangkok from Foreign and Commonwealth Office programme budgets. Recent support has covered a wide range of areas, including combating the commercial sexual exploitation of children, promoting HIV/AIDS awareness, protecting Thailand's unique biodiversity, supporting Burmese refugees in Thailand, and providing peacekeeping and Rules of Engagement training for the Royal Thai Armed Forces and professional rights-based training for the Royal Thai Police.
The Department for International Development (DFID) does not have a bilateral aid programme for Thailand, although they provide support for Burmese refugee camps in Thailand along the Thai-Burmese border (see below). Thailand has also benefited from regional DFID programmes on HIV/AIDS and human trafficking. DFID support to anti-trafficking has been channelled through Save the Children (SCUK) (£2.5m Apr 2006-Mar 2009) and the International Labour Organisation (£6m May 2003-Oct 2008). These regional programmes include work in Cambodia, China, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as Burma in the case of SCUK. Both organisations have been undertaking analysis and rights protection work for vulnerable women and children migrants in Thailand. They focus on advocacy for migrants who are wrongfully imprisoned or who are exploited at work as well as trying to integrate legal migrants into communities in Thailand – for example working on securing access to primary education and health. The programmes include work with sex workers (including children where identified) but the majority of programming focuses on protection of the far larger numbers of vulnerable migrants in other sectors (for example agriculture and fisheries, and services). Thailand is primarily a destination area for trafficking, although both ILO and Save the Children have also looked at how trafficking routes transit and in a few cases (particularly amongst hill communities in the North) have origins in Thailand.
UK support to Burmese refugees on the Thai side of Thailand-Burma border
DFID is providing support through a grant of £1.8m over three years to the Thai Burma Border Consortium (TBBC) working among displaced Burmese (mainly Karen) people in the refugee camps. DFID’s contribution to TBBC helps to ensure access to adequate and appropriate basic livelihoods through provision of food, shelter, cooking fuel and non-food items for 166,000 refugees.
Diplomatic representation
The British Embassy in Bangkok is staffed by 35 UK-based diplomats and 123 locally engaged staff, covering political, economic, commercial, consular and visa issues. The British Ambassador to Thailand, Mr Quinton Quayle, is also accredited to Laos. The Royal Thai Embassy in the UK opened in July 1882, when Prince Prisdang was received in audience by Queen Victoria, at which he presented his credentials as Envoy of the King of Siam. The Thai Ambassador to the UK is His Excellency Mr Kitti Wasinondh.UK support to Burmese refugees on the Thai side of Thailand-Burma border
DFID is providing support through a grant of £1.8m over three years to the Thai Burma Border Consortium (TBBC) working among displaced Burmese (mainly Karen) people in the refugee camps. DFID’s contribution to TBBC helps to ensure access to adequate and appropriate basic livelihoods through provision of food, shelter, cooking fuel and non-food items for 166,000 refugees.
Recent high-level visits
We enjoy regular dialogue with the Thais at Royal, Ministerial and official level. HM The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh paid a highly successful state visit to Thailand in 1996. Tony Blair met the then Thai Prime Minister, Chuan Leekpai in 1998 in the margins of ASEM II in London. HRH The Duke of York visited Thailand in December 1999 to participate in the King's auspicious 72nd birthday celebrations, in 2005 following the tsunami and in June 2006 representing Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at HRH The King's 60th Anniversary of accession to the throne celebrations, and in December 2007 to celebrate HRH The King’s 80th birthday.
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