With the ASEAN Community to be introduced in 2015, Thailand has to
prepare itself for the up-coming changes. There will be a lot more cooperation
between the members in this region.
Everybody will have to somehow
play a role and fit into the new environment. The Royal Thai Navy as well will
have to prepare itself and play a part in the new community.
The word “ASEAN” stands for
Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It was first established in 1967, with
an aim of strengthening relationships among the 10 member countries. Objectives
of the establishment include accelerating economic growth, social progress,
cultural development among its members, protection of regional peace and
stability, and opportunities for member countries to discuss differences
peacefully.
Plenty of changes are about to
come with the introduction of ASEAN Community. The Royal Thai Navy will play an
important role in cooperating with other nations. The cooperation envisages all
aspects in navy activities such as preventing threats that could harm the
region. There are 2 kinds of threats, traditional and non-traditional. The
traditional threat is an existing issue that is going on in the region such as
maritime boundary dispute, while the non-traditional threat ranges from
terrorism, piracy, drug and weapon smuggling, to law violation and natural
disaster. Other cooperation activities include humanitarian assistance,
disaster mitigation, anti-terrorism, and marine resources utilization.
The biggest issue in ASEAN that
the Thai Navy is expected to play a corrective role is the maritime boundary
dispute. None of the ASEAN nations want to give up what they think is
rightfully theirs. This is a very sensitive issue and seems to be an ongoing problem
that is nowhere close to a conclusion. Despite all the threats and problems,
the Thai Navy will have to revise its strategies and policies to be consistent
with the ASEAN community as the motto of ASEAN states “One Vision, One
Identity, One Community”.
After a seminar on the topic of
the “Thai Navy’s role in ASEAN community”, Professor Dr. Surakiat Sathirathai,
former Deputy Prime Minister and former Foreign Minister, has revealed that
Thailand is still lacking behind other ASEAN nations in many aspects. For
example, Thai people don’t know the laws and regulations of other ASEAN
countries, or there are a lot of Thai people who do not have a clear perception
of what ASEAN Community will bring to them and the nation as a whole.
Dr. Surakiat added that trust is
the main factor that will drive the formation of ASEAN Community to a success.
Therefore, trust needs to be built between the members. Successful cooperation
and communication are based on trust.
In conclusion, as ASEAN Community
is coming in 2015, Thai people immediately need to be educated and informed of
what will happen or what advantage or disadvantage people could gain from the
formation in order to prepare themselves for the inevitable changes.
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