Yingluck backs anti-nuclear, trade calls

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Yingluck backs anti-nuclear, trade calls

Thai support wins thanks, White House invitation from Obama

Published: 20/11/2011 at 11:47 PM
Online news: Asia

BALI: Thailand has thrown its support behind two United States-backed initiatives and earned the thanks of US President Barack Obama.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said the government would move towards endorsing the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), which aims to stop the trafficking of weapons of mass destruction and delivery systems.Ms Yingluck said Thailand would also consider joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a multilateral trade deal described by Mr Obama during the recent Apec Summit in Hawaii as a "21st century state of the art" initiative.She and US President Barack Obama held a meeting Saturday.Ms Yingluck said the cabinet would discuss the PSI soon before formally announcing Thailand's support.It was launched by US President George W Bush in 2003 and has been endorsed by 98 countries.Despite considerable support for the PSI, many major powers are opposed to it, including India, China, Indonesia and Malaysia.Critics, including Iran and North Korea, say the PSI would allow members to stop ships on the high seas, in violation of international law guaranteeing freedom of the seas.Article 23 of the United Nations' Convention on the Law of the Sea allows ships "carrying nuclear or other inherently dangerous or noxious substances" the right of passage through territorial seas.Critics also say the PSI amounts to an act of piracy.Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul said the US had approached Thailand on past occasions to support the PSI. "This is a lingering issue of discussion with the US for many governments," he said.Each time Thailand has said it was willing to support the PSI but military officials said they were concerned that if ships or vessels were stopped and their cargo damaged, they could face lawsuits."This was a sticking point which prevented Thailand from moving forward on this issue," he said.During the Apec Summit, Mr Surapong said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton raised the issue once again and sought Thai endorsement. The Foreign Ministry discussed the issue on Monday.The minister said Thailand could obtain sufficient intelligence about what was being carried on ships to enable it to make decisions without any mistakes occurring which could lead to lawsuits.The US considers this an important issue and Mr Obama thanked Ms Yingluck for Thailand's support, he said.Despite Ms...

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: Writer: Pichai Chuensuksawadi; Position: Editor-in-Chief

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somchai
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Discussion 14 : 20/11/2011 at 05:07 PM14
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Since the fugitive already is sitting in the lap of his relatives in Beijing the Puea Thaksin government will not 'move towards' or 'consider' anything headed by the US.
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airborne
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Discussion 13 : 20/11/2011 at 04:13 PM13
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dtyolmn D6: inquiring minds want to know what opportunity exists in Thailand and Burma other than corruption.
Fungus, please elaborate a bit on the "robust" flood recovery plan. Apparently you know something that is not covered by the media.
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fungus
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Discussion 12 : 20/11/2011 at 03:17 PM12
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D11, the Prime Minister does speak English. She completed her Masters degree in the US.

Clearly the US is pleased with meeting and working with a properly elected PM. As the some other posters noted there was very little contact with the Junta and Dem PMs. With a robust flood recovery plan and improved international relations the country is on its way to catching up on the time lost since the coup.
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paul_giles
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Discussion 11 : 20/11/2011 at 01:39 PM11
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@mrexpat, D2: "A nice cozy meeting." Hilarious.

Every evil dictator on the planet has had a "nice cozy" photo op shaking hands with one U.S. President or another. Some right before they were outsted, overthrown, knocked off, etc.

Another phony aspect to the photo is that it's taken to make it look like the two are having this wonderful conversation, despite the fact that Yingluck barely speaks English.
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soltair
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Discussion 10 : 20/11/2011 at 11:11 AM10
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For all writers showing concern for the subjects please Youtube on Zeitgeist for an additional perspective.
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crismango
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Discussion 9 : 20/11/2011 at 10:59 AM9
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simple: USA sees a weak government and weak leadership as an opportunity to push its support to "bolster" the strength of the government. Government welcomes this face saving opportunity to justify its weak and divided leadership. People who don't know better see it as a positive sign. Reality is our weak leadership will become a servant of the USA's policies and at what cost to other relationships in the region?
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spiceman
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Discussion 8 : 20/11/2011 at 10:17 AM8
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Thailand has neither oil nor nukes, so I don't think the US is too overly concerned with what is happening in Thailand internally, as long as, Thailand's commitment to the international cooperation in the Global War on Terror remain unchanged.
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bonzo
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Discussion 7 : 20/11/2011 at 10:08 AM7
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Say hello to my “Useless Friend”.
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dtyolmn
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Discussion 6 : 20/11/2011 at 06:41 AM6
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Finally The US is starting to pay attention to Burma after 50 years. There is so much potential in Thailand and Burma.
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malv
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Discussion 5 : 20/11/2011 at 05:20 AM5
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mrexpat, I admire your ability to relate this story to the whole red-yellow epic fiasco.
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