Thailand is losing its formerly admirable reputation as an Asean diplomatic leader and a helpful neutral voice in the South China Sea conflict, as the military government moves more clearly into the orbit of China.
The detention last week of Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong -- apparently at the "request" of Beijing -- had people around the world asking: When did Thailand become a political colony of China?
It was not the first time the current military government has chosen to act on a "request" from Beijing, even if it violates Article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states that "no one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile". Not to mention Articles 13 and 14 in regard to freedom of movement and the right to seek asylum.
In July 2015 Thailand deported 109 Uighur Muslims to China even though Turkey said it was willing to accept the Uighur refugees. Beijing said some of them probably were terrorists. End of story, to the dismay of the UN refugee agency and human rights groups.
In November of the same year, the government deported two registered Chinese refugees who had already been accepted as refugees by Canada. Jiang Yefei and Dong Guangping even had UN protection letters, but Beijing's wishes prevailed again.
How do Thailand's leaders react when the UN and others question their actions? "The UN is not our father" is how former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra put it when questions were raised about his murderous war on drugs more than a decade ago. "Is the UN in control of our country?" was the rhetorical question posed by the current premier, Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, when asked about the prospect of having UN observers witness the August constitution referendum.
With the UN, the US, the EU and others all getting under the skin of the current unelected government because of its dismal human-rights record, it's no surprise that the country's military rulers would welcome the friendly embrace of Beijing.
Normally, Hong Kong citizens can enter Thailand for up to 30 days without a visa. Joshua Wong had not broken any law prior to his detention at Suvarnabhumi Airport, so what was the problem? The junta appeared worried that as a democracy activist, he would use his visit to agitate.
Mr Wong had been invited by Thai student activist Netiwit Chotipatpaisal to address a Chulalongkorn University event to mark the 40th anniversary of the 1976 Thammasat massacre. Even today, that atrocity is not one that the military and other authority figures want to discuss. In the end, Mr Wong made a video appearance from Hong Kong and delivered some generic comments about democracy, avoiding other topics at the "request" of the Bangkok government.
Thailand's increasingly cosy relationship with China is also a veiled warning to the United States that it shouldn't lean too hard on countries that it wants to retain as allies. It comes at a time when other countries in the region, especially those with territorial claims in the sea (Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Vietnam), want to see China's influence curbed. They view the US as an ally in this regard but Washington needs to tread very carefully -- especially now that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is bellowing about cutting ties with the US.
Thailand is in a perfect position to mediate the South China Sea conflict as it has no direct territorial interest and has had good ties historically with the US, China and Asean. In the past it has played the "honest broker" role very well whenever the opportunity arose.
However, as the growing influence of China in Thailand is becoming more apparent in terms of trade, tourism, investment and security, it is also becoming harder to see Thailand as a neutral party in the South China Sea dispute.
The Wong affair, meanwhile, could also have repercussions for the relationship between Thailand and Hong Kong, especially on the tourism front. Thailand last year welcomed 669,165 visitors from Hong Kong, a 38.5% increase over 2014. We will have to wait and see what the number is going to be by the end of this year.
These repercussions in terms of Thailand's image in the international community, its neutrality and its position as a mediator in the South China Sea conflict, along with its ties with Hong Kong might not be severe right now, but people will certainly look at Thailand in a different way from now on.
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