CrazyExpat Posted March 7, 2015 Report Share Posted March 7, 2015 Thailand’s stability as a result of military rule may send a bad message to neighboring Asean countries going through democratic transitions, a Cambodian scholar of Thai politics says. “In case that the Thai military remains in power for the next year or year and a half, and Thailand becomes more stable than in the pre-coup period, this sends a very bad message to its neighbors, especially Burma,” Deth Sok Udom, dean of academic affairs at Zaman University, told the “Asean Corner” call-in show on Thursday. Thailand’s coups are a bad model because neighbors like Burma, also known as Myanmar, Cambodia, and even communist Laos, can use them to point out the risks of democratization and the benefits of a more authoritarian regime, he said. Strategically located in Southeast Asia, Thailand’s economy is larger than its four neighbors—Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam—combined. The country is also mainland Southeast Asia’s only founding member of Asean, and it has traditionally played a leadership role in the grouping, including on democratic issues. http://www.voacambodia.com/content/thailands-junta-a-bad-role-model-for-asean-scholar-says/2670315.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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