Documented evidence shows that ThailandΓÇÖs relations with foreign countries began in the 13th century, during the time of the Sukhothai Kingdom, when it began trading with China. This is of course in addition to the relations it had with neighbouring states. Contact with the West began in the early 16th century. In 1516, Siam (as the country was known before the 20th century) concluded a commercial agreement with Portugal, the first of its kind between Siam and a European power. Later in the century, Siam entered into trade agreements with other European countries, namely, Spain, the Netherlands, England and France. In 1684, Siam sent a diplomatic mission to forge friendly ties with King Louis XIV. In response, in 1685, the French King dispatched Chevalier de Chaumont to sign a Treaty of Friendship with Siam.
The Colonial Era
At the height of European colonialism in the mid-19th century, preservation of its sovereignty and survival as an independent nation was the preoccupation of SiamΓÇÖs conduct of foreign policy.
During that time, Thai kings forged friendly relations with as many countries as possible while making all possible efforts to avoid confrontation with European powers by agreeing to their demands such as signing a number of unequal treaties, granting extraterritorial rights to European citizens, and, very reluctantly, ceding vast territories to Britain and France. Painful as the sacrifices were at that time, Siamese or Thai diplomacy led to the countryΓÇÖs survival as the only independent country in the region.
In the face of external threats, the leaders realized that the country must be modernized in the shortest time possible. During the reign of King Rama V (1868-1910), through his farsightedness and dedication to his people, Siam embarked on an ambitious and far-reaching modernization programme. Besides making state visits to observe modernization in several European countries, King Rama V sent his children to attend schools, universities and military academies in countries such as Russia, Germany, Britain and France. Upon returning to Siam, these Western-educated princes were subsequently responsible for the modernization of Siam. The Royal Court also hired many foreign technicians and advisers with relevant expertise to assist in the process of modernization, some of whom were given wide responsibilities and were rewarded with noble titles.
In World War I, Siam supported the Allies who were victorious. Subsequently, Siam signed the Treaty of Versailles and became one of the founding members of the League of Nations. With a stronger foothold in the international arena, Siam began to renegotiate the revision of unequal treaties concluded with the Western powers during the height of colonialism. The process took many years and it was not until 1937 that extraterritorial rights and foreign trading privileges completely disappeared.
The Post World War II Era
In the immediate post-war period, Thailand was engaged in a major diplomatic effort to secure membership of the United Nations. This foreign policy objective was achieved in December 1946 when Thailand was accepted as the 55th member of the United Nations. Since then, with its firm conviction that the United Nations is the foremost world body in which the international community works together to solve common problems, Thailand has been an active participant in various United Nations activities. It has served on the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and governing bodies of numerous specialized agencies, notably the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the International Labour Organization (ILO).
Bangkok has also been the site of many regional offices of United Nations agencies and other international organizations such as the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations ChildrenΓÇÖs Fund (UNICEF), and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization and its Secretariat (SEAMEO and SEAMES).
In recognition of ThailandΓÇÖs active role in United Nations activities, former Foreign Minister, the late H.R.H. Major- General Kromamun Naradhip Bongsprabandh (Prince Wan Waithayakorn) was unanimously elected to serve as President of the United Nations General Assembly in 1956.
Thailand in 1954 became a founding member, along with the United States, Britain, France, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines and Pakistan, of the now defunct Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO). The primary objective of this organization was to contain the spread of communism. The then widely-held domino theory suggested that if Thailand could be maintained as a strong and prosperous anticommunist bulwark, the growing communist threat in the region might be checked and contained.
At the same time, there also emerged the recognition that lasting peace and stability in Southeast Asia could best be guaranteed by the efforts of the regional countries themselves through the fostering of a sense of regionalism. The legacy of colonialism in Southeast Asia left behind a formidable obstacle to regionalism, but the formation of the Association of Southeast Asia (ASA) in Bangkok in 1961 by the Federation of Malaya, the Philippines, and Thailand was the first notable attempt to promote meaningful regional cooperation. But this effort was stifled in September 1963 by regional disputes following the establishment of Malaysia, the conflicting territorial claim of the Philippines and the opposition of Indonesia. These conflicts led to a tense period of confrontation and military clashes.
Under such circumstances, Thailand initiated the idea of forming another regional organization to replace the dormant ASA. As a result, the philosophy underlying ASA found a new expression on 8 August 1967 when the Foreign Ministers of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand affixed their signatures on the Bangkok Declaration at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand. The signing marked the beginning of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
ASEAN was conceived in Southeast Asia by Southeast Asians, with an aim to promote peace and to accelerate economic growth, social progress, and cultural development in the region through joint endeavour in a spirit of equality and partnership.
Later on, Brunei Darussalam officially joined the membership of ASEAN on 7 January 1984, Vietnam on 28 July 1995, Myanmar and Laos on 23 July 1997 and Cambodia on 30 April 1999, thus fulfilling the vision of the founders of having all 10 Southeast Asian countries in ASEAN.
Changing Realities
The 1970s
The advent of the 1970s marked drastic changes in regional and global political configurations which brought about new challenges for ThailandΓÇÖs policy makers. On the international front, world politics was transformed from bipolarization toward multi polarization with the return of China to the world arena and with Japan and Western Europe increasingly asserting their political and economic roles.
On the regional level, the United StatesΓÇÖ withdrawal from Vietnam created a vacuum of power as well as a sense of uncertainty and anxiety over United States defence commitments on mainland Southeast Asia. The communization of the three Indochinese states and the prediction of the falling dominoes represented a lurking danger to the security of the free nations in the region, and to Thailand in particular.
To keep pace with the changing international environment, Thai foreign policy underwent a major metamorphosis which continues to provide the basis for the conduct of present-day Thai diplomacy.
First, it adopted an omni directional policy trend by seeking diplomatic, commercial, and cultural relations with all nations, regardless of their political ideology and economic system. Notably, in 1975, Thailand and China established diplomatic relations and exchanged ambassadors which led to further realignment and reconciliation of international relations within the region.
Second, regionalism came to play an increasingly visible role in Thai foreign policy. The first summit meeting of the ASEAN countriesΓÇÖ Heads of Government in Bali in 1976 further advanced the process of regional cooperation in Southeast Asia, particularly with the signing of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia which constitutes a code of conduct based on peaceful coexistence and relations among the nations of the region. The spirit of the Bali Summit marked a major watershed in that it further solidified political and economic cooperation among ASEAN states.
Third, Thailand adopted a more flexible foreign policy. With regard to its relations with major powers, it sought to forge an ΓÇ£equidistantΓÇ¥ policy, that is, a more equal relationship based on more balanced interests with all of them. The declaration of the concept of Southeast Asia as a Zone of Peace, Freedom, and Neutrality (ZOPFAN) by the ASEAN Foreign Ministers in 1971 is but one example of this, forming a blueprint for cooperation in the maintenance of peace and stability in Southeast Asia among the ASEAN countries.
Pragmatism and flexible responses to evolving international events are key attributes that enabled Thailand not only to be the domino that did not fall but also to emerge on a stronger footing, as an active participant in the international community.
The 1980s
The issue that preoccupied Thai foreign policy for most of the 1980s was the Cambodia conflict which posed a threat to regional peace and stability. The tragic events in Cambodia during that period revived the so-called Domino Theory with Thailand cast in the role of the front-line state. At the time, the security situation in Southeast Asia was fraught with a high degree of uncertainty.
As the neighbouring state which stood to be affected the most, Thailand felt compelled to take a leading role in finding a comprehensive political settlement to the Cambodian problem based on self-determination of the Cambodian people.
The strategy that Thailand pursued was to work with its ASEAN partners to mobilize international support for the cause of peace in Cambodia through the United Nations.Year after year, ASEAN-sponsored resolutions on the Cambodian problem received overwhelming and increasing support in the United Nations General Assembly, leaving no doubt as to the legitimacy of the ASEAN position. Eventually, Thailand and ASEANΓÇÖs determination and resolve paved the way for a negotiated settlement among the Cambodian parties under the leadership of Samdech Prince Norodom Sihanouk, culminating in the Paris Peace Accord of 1991.
In recognition of its active role in and support for the causes of the United Nations, Thailand was elected to serve as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for 1985 1986, the first time that the country had been accorded this honour since joining the United Nations in 1946. Throughout its eventful tenure, Thailand was able to contribute towards the resolution of conflict and the enhancement of development in many parts of the world.
The 1990s
The final decade of the 20th century saw unprecedented peace and prosperity in Southeast Asia, as well as a major economic crisis that dealt a serious setback to the regionΓÇÖs economic development.
In the early part of the decade, with the problem of CambodiaΓÇÖs occupation finally settled, a new era of hope dawned for Southeast Asia. Countries of the region began turning their attention away from confrontation towards cooperation in economic development and improvement of the well-being of their peoples. Former adversaries cast aside their differences and stepped up efforts to build cooperation and friendship for mutual development. It was time, Thailand announced to the world in 1991, to transform the battlefield into a marketplace. The most important vehicle for doing so was to be ASEAN, which had by then become a main pillar of Thai foreign policy.
By this time, ASEAN counted among its membership some of the fastest-growing economies in the world, one of which was Thailand. To build collective economic strength based upon the individual achievements of ASEAN members, Thailand proposed an ASEAN Free Trade Area which would transform the entire ASEAN region into one huge market by the year 2003.
While ASEAN adjusted itself internally to consolidate its achievements, it also set out to strengthen its role outside Southeast Asia. The Cold WarΓÇÖs end had created a window of opportunity to move towards the building of a new regional role based on cooperative security and multilateral security dialogue. Hence, in 1994, Bangkok hosted the first meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), an informal dialogue on regional security which brings together ASEAN, its dialogue partners and interested countries from outside Southeast Asia. Bangkok also saw the signing of the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) in 1995, which is a testament to ASEANΓÇÖs greater sense of responsibility for the security of the region by ridding Southeast Asia of weapons of mass destruction.
Conscious of the need to enhance the interdependence among regional states, ASEAN has upgraded its economic cooperation through the main instruments of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA), ASEAN Investment Area (AIA) and ASEAN Industrial Cooperation (AICO).
ThailandΓÇÖs economic success and growing confidence allowed it to play a more pro-active role in international affairs. Once a net recipient of foreign aid, Thailand began to provide development assistance to neighboring countries and beyond. In Cambodia, even before world attention was drawn to the problem of anti-personnel landmines, ThailandΓÇÖs army engineering corps was helping to remove landmines and develop the neighbouring countryΓÇÖs infrastructure.
Recognizing the potential of newly emerging markets, Thailand has been pursuing a Look West policy, to seek closer economic ties with countries to the west of Thailand, including South Asia, Africa, and Latin America. At ThailandΓÇÖs initiative, the Bangladesh-India-Myanmar-Sri Lanka- Thailand Economic Cooperation forum (BIMST-EC) was established in 1997. Thailand also aims to foster closer relations with the developing world in general, such as through the Non-Aligned Movement, to which Thailand gained membership in 1993, and the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), to which Thailand became an observer in 1998. To advance its Look West policy and develop closer ties with countries of the South, Thailand became an observer to the Organization of American States (OAS) in the same year, and a member of the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) in 1999.
While the financial crisis in 1997 dealt a serious blow to ThailandΓÇÖs meteoric economic growth, Thailand remains firm in its determination to contribute to the well-being of the region and the international community.
Thai Foreign Policy in the 21st Century
ThailandΓÇÖs peace and prosperity have always depended upon an ability to conduct effective diplomacy based on a combination of farsighted pragmatism in the face of constantly evolving international and regional environment. The new millenium is marked by increasing complexities of globalization which are giving rise to new realities brought about by such problems as global economic slowdown, the digital divide and volatility of financial flows. Realizing these challenges, the Royal Thai Government has applied a new approach in conducting its foreign policy as being pro-active and forward-looking. Described as ΓÇ£forward engagement,ΓÇ¥ this approach is a grand strategy of ThailandΓÇÖs foreign policy which serves to expand the scope of cooperation to encompass all dimensions of mutual interests as well as to forge ties with countries across the globe so as to bring about sustainable peace and economic prosperity for our peoples.
Subsequently, the international strategic landscape has been redrawn by the tragic events of September 11th 2001, creating far-reaching ramifications on global and regional stability. Thailand recognizes that in order to thrive in this rapidly changing world, it will have to draw on its own strength as well as works towards stronger partnership with ASEAN and other like-minded nations in the world community.
Since ASEAN now encompasses all 10 countries of Southeast Asia, Thailand believes that a revitalized ASEAN will be indispensable to long-term peace and prosperity in the region. The 1997 economic crisis, coming at about the same time as ASEANΓÇÖs membership expansion, has generated increased pressures and new challenges that the regional grouping must address. This does not detract, however, from the tremendous potential of ASEAN, both collectively and at the level of its individual members. Thai foreign policy at the beginning of the 21st century is therefore likely to continue its emphasis on realizing the full potential of ASEAN for the benefit of the entire Southeast Asian region.
The ASEAN Vision 2020 adopted in the 1997 statement as well as the Hanoi Plan of Action adopted at the Hanoi Summit in 1998 will guide the future direction of ASEAN. Thailand, on its own part, is interested in ensuring that ASEAN becomes a ΓÇ£community of caring societiesΓÇ¥ reflecting its own national vision and its concern for social development. Reinvigorating of ASEAN continues to be a cornerstone of ThailandΓÇÖs foreign policy. Intra-ASEAN mechanisms such as ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA), ASEAN Investment Area (AIA), Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) are working towards a common objective, which is to further strengthen ASEANΓÇÖs solidarity and relevancy.
In addition to ASEAN, Thailand would have to strengthen its economic links with countries in the region and beyond through its active participation in such important fora as APEC, ASEM and WTO, all of whose objectives are aimed at promoting free trade and investment as well as a free and fair multilateral trading system.
An emerging development which Thailand has supported has been the increased cooperation between ASEAN, China, Japan, and South Korea. A first summit meeting between the ASEAN leaders and the leaders of China, Japan and South Korea took place in Kuala Lumpur in December 1997, paving the way for subsequent meetings at various levels. Thailand greatly values cooperation within the scope of ASEAN+3 as an expression of the ASEAN countriesΓÇÖ recognition of the need to manage the growing interdependence between the nations of East Asia.
In June 2002, Thailand successfully launched an Asia-wide cooperation framework called Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD). 17 Foreign and Economic Ministers from Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand were present at the first ACD meeting. Myanmar was not able to send a representative but is included from the beginning. The ACD is an informal and non-institutionalized forum, which is built upon AsiaΓÇÖs potentials and common strengths by supplementing and complementing existing regional cooperative mechanisms. Entrusted by the first ACD Meeting with the task of the ACD coordinator, Thailand has actively and consistently promoted the development of both the dialogue and project dimensions of the forum. Particularly on the project side, Thailand has volunteered to be prime mover on Tourism and Working Group on Financial Cooperation to discuss Asian (Regional) Bond Development Market. Thailand further has the honour to host the second ACD Meeting scheduled in June 2003 in Chiang Mai.
Under its ΓÇ£Look West Policy,ΓÇ¥ Thailand is strengthening regional economic ties with countries to our west, ranging from South Asia all the way westward to Southern Africa and Latin America. The BIMST-EC founded in Thailand in 1997 which links South Asia and Southeast Asia, via the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea, can play a significant role in this regards. At the Fifth BIMST-EC Ministerial Meeting on 20 December 2002 in Sri Lanka, the meeting declared the year 2004 as ΓÇ£Visit BIMST-EC YearΓÇ¥ to collectively promote tourism sector of member countries and welcomed the offer of Thailand to host the next BIMST-EC Ministerial Meeting in February 2004 in Chiang Rai. In addition, Thailand will also host the first BIMST-EC Summit in 2004.
In the broad Asia-Pacific region, Thailand has been an active member of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) , formed in 1989 out of recognition of the economic interdependence of the Asia-Pacific economies, and aimed at promoting prosperity and free trade in Asia-Pacific with ASEAN at the core. Apart from its continuing role as an active promoter of trade liberalization, human resource development and transfer of skills and experience through the Economic and Technical Cooperation (ECOTECH) in APEC, Thailand is honoured to host the 2003 APEC under the theme ΓÇ£A World of Differences: Partnership for the Future.ΓÇ¥ The overarching goal of the 2003 APEC is to bring together the best potential of all APEC economies to confront the challenges of the future. The central theme is further explained and supported by a series of five sub-themes that are designed as the guidance to achieve the ultimate goal for the year. Those five sub-themes are knowledge-based economy for all; promoting human security; financial architecture for a world of differences; new growth enterprises: SMEs and micro-business; and act on development pledge.
Thailand has long recognized that major powers involved in the region have a constructive role to play in regional peace and stability. With the end of the Cold War, the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) represents an effort initiated by ASEAN to involve and engage countries of Asia-Pacific region in multilateral security, dialogue and cooperation aimed at enhancing peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. Thailand has played a prominent role in moving the ARF forward and under the Chairmanship of Thailand during the Inter-sessional years of 1999-2000, Thailand successfully persuaded the Democratic PeopleΓÇÖs Republic of Korea to participate in the ARF. At present, ARF has 23 participants, namely the 10 ASEAN member countries, Australia, Canada, the PeopleΓÇÖs Republic of China, European Union, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Russia, the United States of America, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea and the Democratic PeopleΓÇÖs Republic of Korea.
The ARF has contributed to an enhanced level of trust and comfort among the participating countries, as shown in the frank and open discussion of regional security issues. Thailand is committed to ensuring that the ARF, with ASEAN in the driverΓÇÖs seat, plays a greater role in managing regional security problems, through promoting incremental progress from confidence building towards preventive diplomacy.
In November 2000, Thailand obtained the status of ΓÇ£Partner for CooperationΓÇ¥ with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). On 20-21 June 2002, Thailand in cooperation with OSCE held the ΓÇ£OSCE-Thailand Conference on the Human Dimension of SecurityΓÇ¥ in Bangkok. The Conference was aimed to enhance dialogues among OSCE, ASEAN and ARF on the issues of human dimension of security, drug and human trafficking in Europe and Asia, and the way to strengthen cooperation between the two continents.
Thailand has played a prominent part in its establishing, is an expression of the common interest between Asia and European countries in forging closer links and taking advantage of the synergies between the two sides. In recognition of the potential of such a linkage, Thailand hosted the first ASEM Summit in Bangkok in 1996, which united 10 Asian nations and 15 European nations in a partnership for greater growth between Asia and Europe. Since then up until the end of the 2000, Thailand has played an important role as one of the coordinators on the Asian side. Cooperation within ASEM has now diversified into many areas, and has actively involved the private sector, while dialogue has extended to encompass political discussion on issues of mutual interest.
At the global level, the new millenium has given Thailand a role of a good World Citizen in shaping the new international order. Our foreign policy has increasingly incorporated interests of the international community, including the promotion of a global free trade, democratic values and human rights.
In 2000 Thailand was privileged to have hosted the tenth meeting of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD X), which marked a major milestone in cooperation among developing countries in setting up a new paradigm for development.
It is hoped that Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi, who assumed the World Trade Organization Directorship in September 2002, will be able to advance the interests of both developed and developing countries in the framework of global free trade.
In the area of international peace-keeping, Thailand has given full cooperation to the United Nations Organization in sending personnel to work in the UN peace-keeping operations all over the world including in Cambodia, Sierra Leone, Bosnia-Herzegovina, in the border area between Iraq and Kuwait and East Timor.
The development of Thai democratic institutions, the GovernmentΓÇÖs non partisan approach to the conduct of ThailandΓÇÖs foreign policy together with increased peopleΓÇÖs participation in the formulation of national foreign policy have continuously shaped Thai diplomacy. The boundaries between foreign and domestic policy are becoming less clearly defined. Issues such as environment and human security require the involvement of a wide range of public and private agencies. Against this background the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has developed a new outreach strategy with the objective of ensuring a greater coordination between the State, the public and related interest groups.
The provision of quality consular services for Thai citizens in Thailand and abroad is part of ThailandΓÇÖs diplomacy for the people policy. Key areas of activities include e-government consular services, management of passport mobile units, promotion and protection of the rights and interests of Thai nationals overseas.
Thailand has built its reputation as a responsible international citizen by contributing to the reduction of international conflict and the promotion of international peace and security. It is also an active member of the rules-based global trading system. In an interdependent world where unrest, poverty and injustice continue to have repercussions on international affairs, the success of ThailandΓÇÖs foreign policy will depend in part on working with other countries to help them achieve their aspirations wherever possible.
