Thailand's Relationship with Singapore Suffers Setback over Thaksin Dispute

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The following appears in THE NATION:

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TIES WITH S'PORE SUFFER SETBACK

 

High-Level Meetings Canceled as Govt Retaliates over Thaksin Visit; City-State 'Saddened' by Reaction

 

Thailand yesterday decided to suspend indefinitely all high-level meetings with Singapore, including a ministerial dialog next month, to protest the island's insensitivity to Thailand's political situation, Foreign Ministry spokesman Kitti Wasinond said yesterday.

 

An informed government source said this diplomatic retaliation could also affect the planned summit later this year between the leaders of the two countries if the situation does not improve.

 

Yesterday's move was a retaliation against Singapore for permitting ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to meet deputy premier S Jayakumar and to use the island-state as a launching pad to attack the government.

 

"We informed the Singaporean [ambassador] that we are concerned by the political movements made by Thaksin," Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont told reporters after Thai Foreign Ministry officials met Ambassador Peter Chan.

 

"Singapore should be more cautious about allowing such movements as we have already revoked Thaksin's diplomatic passport," Surayud said.

 

In response to Thailand's move, the Singaporean Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying they were "saddened" by the Thai action and expressed hope that Bangkok will respect the island-state's position "as a sovereign country."

 

"The Thai government did not notify us that Dr Thaksin has been charged for any offence. There is also no restriction on where he can travel to," the statement said.

 

"He [Thaksin] had chosen to make a visit to Singapore on his own. Dr Thaksin had asked to meet Deputy Prime Minister Professor S Jayakumar, who is an old friend. It was purely a social and private meeting. No official calls or meetings were arranged." The statement went on to say: "There is no reason for Singapore to turn Dr Thaksin away. Prior to Singapore, Dr Thaksin had also visited several other countries without any protest by the Thai government."

 

Krit Garnjanagoonchorn, permanent secretary at the Foreign Ministry, yesterday summoned Singapore ambassador Chan to lodge Thailand's protest.

 

"The main reason behind our measures was because Singaporean President SR Nathan had told PM Surayud on November 9, 2006, that Singapore will not betray [Thailand] and will not do anything to damage the trust and understanding between the two countries," Kitti said.

 

Informed sources told The Nation the decision to hit back at Singapore was reached after Surayud asked the Foreign Ministry to assess the damage caused by Thaksin's meeting with Deputy Prime Minister S Jayakumar, as well as his interviews with CNN and the Wall Street Journal (Asia) on Monday's night.

 

Last week in Cebu, Chan informed Foreign Minister Nitya Phibulsonggram and Krit Garnjanagoonchorn that Thaksin would be visiting Singapore for four days on a private visit and that Jayakumar would host him a private lunch. No immediate action was taken after the message was relayed to the Thai side. But Thaksin appeared to have crossed the threshold when he went to the foreign media during his visit to attack the government and the junta.

 

A Thai source said Thaksin's visit was at the invitation of Singapore.

 

In his interview with Wall Street Journal, Thaksin discredited the Thai government's economic policies and also derided the power seizure that deposed him from power on September 19.

 

Thaksin also took a political pot-shot during his five-minute stint on CNN and reminded the audience that he was democratically elected.

 

Thaksin also denied the government's accusations that he had any link with a series of bomb blasts on 31 December 2006.

 

Thai officials said they were shocked to learn that a senior Singapore official would be giving a private lunch to Thaksin following hot on the heels of the revoking of his diplomatic passport and the ill-feeling caused by the Shin Corp-Temasek deal.

 

"It shows Singapore's insensitivity to Thailand," said one of the sources.

 

The move is expected to set a precedent for other countries over how to handle Thaksin's visit and meeting in their respective country.

 

China was said to be "more than understanding" when informed about the revoking of Thaksin's diplomatic passport.

 

After his return from Cebu on Monday, Surayud hinted at yesterday's action, saying some diplomatic action might have to be taken in response to Thaksin's meeting with Jayakumar in Singapore.

 

At the Asean summit meeting in Cebu, Nitya informed his counterpart George Yeo about the revoking of Thaksin's diplomatic passport. Nitya was told that it was a private visit. Asean has a visa-free voluntary scheme for its citizens.

 

The indefinite suspension of the important summit retreat between the two leaders scheduled for later this year represents a low-point in Thai-Singapore relations. Both countries are key Asean members that have cooperated closely on issues related to economic integration and political deliberations.

 

This informal retreat has been the main forum for leaders of both countries to engage in a tete-a-tete on pivotal bilateral and regional issues. The fourth summit retreat was scheduled later this year in Singapore. The first was held in Phuket in 2003, the second in Sentosa Island 2004, and the latest summit was held in Chiang Mai in 2005.

 

Another important bilateral meeting, known as Thai-Singapore Civil Service Exchange Programme (CSEP) has also been suspended.

 

Singapore Foreign Minister Yeo was scheduled to fly in for the CSEP meeting in early February. This programme started in 1998 and was aimed at strengthening cooperation between the civil service sectors as part of the "strategic partnership" banner.

 

Thailand has provided airstrips for the Singaporean air force to train their combat jetfighters as well as other defence cooperation. The island also participates in the Cobra Gold military exercise, under the Thai-US military co-operation.

 

Bilateral trade between the two countries in 2005 amounted to nearly US$13 billion (Bt466 billion).

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And this, also from THE NATION:

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Overall Economic Picture not Affected by Sour Ties with Singapore: Pridiyathorn

 

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Pridiyathorn Devakula insisted that Thailand's abolition of high-level diplomatic cooperation with Singapore would not hurt the overall economic picture.

 

He noted that the government would ensure fair treatment to the Singaporean investors who are doing business in Thailand.

 

"The diplomatic ties do not concern the overall economic picture. Our treatment to Singaporean investors would not be biased," he told reporters.

 

He was also pleased with Thailand's better rankings in the Heritage Foundation's economic freedom index, saying that boosting the freedom is the government's obligation. In Asia, Thailand is ranked 9th, from 12th in the previous year.

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And this, from the BANGKOK POST:

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SINGAPORE 'REGRETS' THAI RETALIATION

 

Singapore (dpa)

 

Singapore's government on Wednesday said it regretted Thailand's decision to cancel its foreign minister's visit to Bangkok, which was made in response to ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra's visit to the city-state.

 

"The Singapore government hopes that Thailand can appreciate Singapore's position," a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said, adding that there was no reason for the city-state to turn Thaksin away.

 

"The Thai government did not notify us that Dr Thaksin has been charged with any offence," it said, adding that there is no restriction on where he can travel.

 

Thailand on Tuesday informed Singaporean Ambassador Peter Chan that it was cancelling a visit to Bangkok by Foreign Minister George Yeo planned for later this month and was also cancelling civil aviation cooperation talks.

 

The Thai government called the city-state's stance toward Thaksin "inappropriate" and expressed concern over a meeting between Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister S Jayakumar and Thaksin last week.

 

An earlier statement issued by the Singapore foreign ministry described Jayakumar as an old friend of Thaksin and said their meeting was "purely social and private."

 

Thaksin "had chosen to make a visit to Singapore on his own," the latest ministry statement said. "Thai nationals do not require visas to visit Singapore. There is no reason for Singapore to turn Dr Thanksin away."

 

Singapore also noted that Thaksin had visited several other countries "without any protest by the Thai government," referring to trips to China, Hong Kong and Indonesia.

 

"We are therefore saddened that the Thai government has chosen to take this course of action," the foreign ministry said. "We hope Thailand will respect Singapore's position as that of a sovereign country. We value the longstanding friendly relations with Thailand."

 

Thaksin was ousted by the military in a bloodless coup on September 19, while he was attending an annual UN summit of leaders in New York, and has been living in exile since. The military appointed a new government to take his place.

 

Thailand's new prime minister, Surayud Chulanont, said Singapore's ambassador was told the city-state should be more cautious about allowing such movements "since we have already revoked Thaksin's diplomatic passport."

 

The meeting between Thaksin and Jayakumar, "even though it was a low-key affair, sends the wrong signal to the Thai public," said a Foreign Ministry spokesman.

 

Relations between Thailand and Singapore have been strained since January last year when Temasek Holdings, the Singapore government's investment arm, bought Shinawatra's 49 per cent holding in Shin Corp, Thaksin's business empire, for 1.9 billion dollars in a tax free deal. Many Thais saw the purchase as selling off national assets to a foreign company.

 

Thailand's military-appointed government last week revoked Thaksin's diplomatic passport, making it difficult for him to travel without visas.

 

While in Singapore Thaksin gave an interview to CNN - censored in Thailand - in which he vowed to stay away from Thai politics in the future. He also denied any involvement in the New Year's Eve bombings in Bangkok that killed three people and injured 40.