US-Thai drills ‘help secure strong ties’
The United States has praised Thailand for supporting American participation in the country’s military training, Defence Ministry spokesman Kongcheep Tantrawanich says.
The appreciation was relayed during the three-day Asean-US defence meeting, which concluded on Saturday, in Kapolei, Hawaii. Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon attended the meeting.
US Defence Secretary Ash Carter thanked Thailand, the country’s oldest ally in the region, for supporting the US in military exercises, Col Kongcheep said. Mr Carter also praised Thailand’s determination to tackle human trafficking, illegal fishing and address aviation safety concerns.
The US wants to maintain good relations with Thailand, the spokesman said.
Gen Prawit also invited chief of the United States Pacific Command to pay an official visit to Thailand, he noted.
During the meeting, the Asean defence ministers agreed the region is facing various threats, particularly from terrorism, pirates, migration, transnational crime, cyber attacks and natural disasters.
This requires cooperation among regional members and other countries to create networks to deal with these problems, Col Kongcheep said. Asean is looking to draw from the military capabilities of each country by running joint exercises and sharing information through recently set up cooperation centres.
The US strategy of pivoting to the region would be a boon to Asean, he said. Asean wants the US to play a constructive role in ensuring liberty, peace and security in the region.
Speaking in opening remarks at the meeting, Mr Carter said: “We all recommitted our militaries to keeping the region’s waterways open and secure and to help all our nations see more, share more and do more in Southeast Asia’s vital waterways.”
He said the Asian-Pacific nations’ cooperation with the US, as well as among themselves, will further enhance regional security.
Meanwhile, criticism has flared after Gen Prawit chartered a plane to Honolulu for himself and an entourage, with the bill coming to 20.9 million baht, the website of the Secretariat of the Prime Minister says.
A Thai Airways plane was required for the trip which lasted from Thursday to yesterday.
Government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd yesterday avoided responding to media questions over the matter. “I cannot speak instead of them [the defence ministry]. I have no details about it,” he said.