U.S. ‘values strong, stable ally’

The most senior United States military officer to visit Thailand since a 2014 coup emphasised the importance of restoring democracy yesterday, saying that America needs “a strong and stable” ally in South-east Asia. “We look forward to Thailand’s re-emergence as a flourishing democracy because we need Thailand to be a strong and stable partner,” said Admiral Harry Harris, head of US Pacific Command, as he launched the annual Cobra Gold military exercise.

“We need Thailand to get back to being the regional and global leader that it always has been.”

Thailand has hosted the Cobra Gold war games since they began in 1982. This year’s event will be attended by more than 8,300 personnel from 29 countries, including China, India and Malaysia.

The exercises come at a time of uncertainty for Thailand’s relations with the US, China and Russia. In the past few years, the Thai army has bought dozens of Chinese tanks and Russian helicopters to replace outdated American equipment. Last year, the army announced it would buy three Chinese submarines in a deal worth about US$1 billion (S$1.42 billion).

Thailand, for decades a stalwart American ally, saw relations with the US cool after a May 2014 military coup that the Thai military said was necessary to end months of unrest, including street protests that led to the ouster of an elected government.

Still, ties with the US began to improve before the Obama administration ended while at the same time, the US is vying with an increasingly powerful China for influence in Asia.

“It’s like a balancing scale,” said Professor Panitan Wattanayagorn from Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University and an adviser to Thailand’s Defence Minister.

“Thailand is a small country between superpowers, and it has to balance to make sure the scale doesn’t tip too much in one way.”

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