Thai diplomatic headache in the Middle East

But Foreign Minister Surapong Tohvichakchaikul decided to pull it out due to some objections within the Cabinet regarding the status of Thai workers remaining in Libya. Nearly 10,000 workers have been evacuated in the past six months and over a hundred or so remain in various work sites in Libya.

As of the weekend, more than 90 nations have recognised the NTC, Thailand suddenly felt compelled at this moment to join in the bandwagon.

The Foreign Ministry will put forward the proposal again for the Cabinet's approval on Tuesday. Such has been the overly cautious attitude and pattern - at time recalcitrance - of Thai diplomacy when a crucial decision has to be made on matters related to the Middle East.

Early this year when the Arab Spring erupted in Tunisia, which later spread to Egypt, Bahrain early this year, Thailand was also at a lost because of its closed ties with their leaders, especially former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Bahraini Prime Minister Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa. With over two thousands Thai students studying in Egypt and several thousands Thai workers in Bahrain, the Foreign Ministry was very careful in commenting on the situation. Throughout the crisis, the ministry issued statements supporting relevant UN resolutions and national reconciliation plans as well as the call for openness. As a non-stakeholder directly involved in the strategic schemes of things in the Middle East, Thailand wanted to lie low without stirring up controversies.

Not so lucky

In certain cases, however, Thailand is not so lucky. At this juncture, the country has been hard pressed not to support the Palestinian attempt to seek international recognition of its statehood at the upcoming UN General Assembly, which begins this week. Both the US and Israel have made known to the new Thai government their opposition of the move. The previous government was inclined to give the support to the Palestinian cause.

However, other Asean countries are more sanguine on this issue. For instance, unlike Thailand, Singapore is very clear through and through it would not go along with the plan.

With a large number of Thai workers earning their living in Israel and the Gaza Strip, Thailand does not want to jeopardise its position.

For the time being, it is playing wait and see game with the hope that the Palestinian authorities would eventually strike a compromise and not pursue this path. Other Asean members have expressed strong support on this issue.

When the Asean foreign ministers converge in New York for their UNGA next week, they will set aside an informal meeting to discuss the Palestine statehood. Although Asean has been consistent in support the self-determination of the Palestinian people, the grouping does not have any consensus on this controversial move.

Of late, Thailand's policy towards Middle East has been dictated by the overwhelming concerns in southern provinces where violence and conflict continue unabated. While the Thai security apparatus tries to prevent international meddling with the ongoing conflict, the efforts have been futile.

Some members of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) have been quite sympathetic to the Muslim insurgents in the south due to the lack of effective administration of justice. During the past three years, the Thai governments in power have intensified their diplomatic efforts to demonstrate their sincerity with several blue prints in resolving the conflict through political and socio-cultural means. But these are works-in-progress.

That helps explain why continued efforts to woo for further supports from OIC members will continue.

Importance of OIC

The Yingluck government specifically stressed in the foreign policy statement the importance of OIC to the resolution of conflict in the south. The Thai authorities do not want the OIC to adopt any hostile resolution or render negative views on the Muslim minority.

As part of this ongoing effort, the Thai officials have begun secret discussion with international peace mediators. However, the Thai government is still reluctant to fully engage them.

When it comes to Thai policy towards the Middle East, the most intriguing is the Thai-Saudi Arabia relations, which have been frozen for the past two decades since 1989, much to mutual detriments. Before the famous heist of Saudi royal jewellery and murders of three of its diplomats and a businessman, Saudi Arabia was counted as one the best friends of Thailand in the Middle East, offering several hundred thousands of jobs to the Thais.

Since then, Saudi Arabia has downgraded its diplomatic representation and limited numbers of religious pilgrimages originating from Thailand.

At last week's press interview with the Thai media, Surapong said that the Thai-Saudi Arabia normalisation will be one of the country's top foreign policy priorities. He pointed out that two decades of goodwill were completely lost. It is about time to remedy the situation. Thailand needs to recognise the reality and the importance of multi-role Saudi Arabia played in the Middle East.

Large numbers of labours working in both Arab countries and Israel pose a huge dilemma for Thai diplomacy to make any decision either way.

It is about time that Thailand has to be prudent in its diplomatic stands. Certainly, it is not risk free. There is an urgent need to review the Thai diplomacy towards the Middle East and makes it more realistic and congruent to the latest development on the ground. Thai diplomacy has suffered a lot of beatings lately due to political instability and violence. In conducting ties with the Middle East, a better timed decision obvious helps but a more strategic-based diplomacy would be more beneficial to the national interest in the long-run than just follow the herd instinct.