Australia-Thai ties written in stone

17 February 2014
 
A little-known memorial in Canberra offers a timely reminder of the strong historical and contemporary links between Australia and Thailand.
 
Photo: Surajit Shinawatra (second froml left, second row) surrounded by classmates from OCS Portsea.
 
In an obscure, leafy corner of the Royal Military College of Duntroon, Australia’s army officer training school, stands a memorial to graduates killed in combat. One of the names listed on the unassuming brick and marble roll to the fallen is ‘Captain Chinvat’ – otherwise known as Surajit Shinawatra, cousin to the current Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
 
According to one expert, while the little known plaque is easily overlooked, it is an important reminder of Thailand’s long standing military and bilateral ties to Australia.
 
Dr John Blaxland from the ANU Strategic and Defence Studies Centre says that the plaque and Surajit Shinawatra’s story puts a very human face on the realm of high politics and international relations.
 
“In 1961 Surajit Shinawatra graduated from the Australian Army Officer Cadet School (OCS) Portsea, near Melbourne. He subsequently became a helicopter pilot in the Royal Thai Army but was shot down and killed in operations against Communist insurgents in Thailand’s Phrae Province in 1973,” explains Blaxland.
 
“After his death his name was added to the OCS roll of honour. Then, when OCS closed down and amalgamated with the Royal Military College (RMC) Duntroon in Canberra in the mid-1980s, the OCS roll of honour was relocated to Duntroon as well. Surajit is not easy to pick out on the roll as he is listed only as ‘Captain S Chinvat’ – using an alternative transliteration of the Thai spelling of his surname.”
 
According to Blaxland Surajit Shinawatra wasn’t the first Thai student to complete their officer training in Australia.
 
Since the 1950s, under the Defence Cooperation Program Thai students had been hitting our shores to complete training at OCS and RMC– including the Thai Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn.
 
“In fact, the first graduate of the Australian Army Staff College in the late 1950s, Saiyud Kerdphol, ended up promoted to be a general and appointed Supreme Commander of all Thai troops,” says Blaxland.
 
“He later acknowledged privately that his experience in Australia helped shape his thinking about conducting counter-insurgency operations in Thailand with an approach that was more respectful of human rights and of the need to win the hearts and minds of the people. Australia’s low key but constructive engagement made a difference.”
 
For Blaxland, the training Thai officers receive in Australia is indicative of a deeper military history first forged in the heat of battle during the Second World War and the POW experience of Hellfire Pass.
 
“Australia’s bilateral military relationship with Thailand stretches back to when Australia established a military legation in Bangkok in 1954. Admittedly, Australian prisoners of war had become familiar with Thailand when constructing the Thai-Burma railroad in 1942 and 1943.
 
"Weary Dunlop earned his fame for the work he did there during this time with the Australian and allied prisoners of war. He, like many other veterans, ended up forming a close and warm personal relationship with many Thai people.
 
"Today, the Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum near the River Khwai in Kanchanaburi province stands as testament to that experience suffered by many, not just Australians. The Thais have been very supportive of this project, hosting the museum on military controlled crown land."
 
After the war Australia and Thailand found themselves working alongside first in helping to form the South East Asian Treaty Organisation (SEATO) in the mid-1950s and later during the Vietnam War. Later on, Australia engaged in bilateral military exercises with the Thai military that helped build bonds of friendship, trust and mutual respect – to the point that when Australia needed a helping hand in East Timor in 1999, Thailand was the first country in ASEAN to offer support.
 
Thailand committed troops and provided the deputy force commander who subsequently has gone on to become the current Thai Chief of Defence Forces, General Songkitti Jaggabatra.
 
“In between, the Defence Cooperation Scholarship Program has generated several hundred alumni in Thailand – all remarkably well disposed to Australia and appreciative of the opportunity to learn about the Australian approach concerning the place of the armed forces in a democratic society,” adds Blaxland.
 
And while Surajit Shinawatra’s journey and tragic end is a matter for the pages of history, his story still speaks to Australia-Thai relations today. According to Blaxland, the relationship between the two countries has never been stronger.
 
“Today the ties between Australia and Thailand remain extensive. Scholarship programs remain in place, with Thai students at the Australian Defence Force Academy, the Australian Command and Staff College and the College of Defence and Strategic Studies at Weston Creek as well as numerous postgraduate scholarships at universities around Australia.
 
"Beyond the individual exchange program, the two countries continue to arrange regular naval, army, air force, special forces and peacekeeping exercises. These form the backbone of the bilateral military engagement program but they are also complemented by a range of training programs aimed at enhancing awareness of the rules of armed conflict, international humanitarian law and other standards and procedures followed by the Australian Defence Force. These engagement programs also provide Australia with trusted access in this important mainland Southeast Asian nation.
 
“The bilateral relationship between Australia and Thailand is stronger than it has ever been. Since the signing of the Thailand Australia Free Trade Agreement between former prime ministers Thaksin Shinawatra and John Howard, bilateral trade has blossomed. That trend has only increased since the signifying of the Australia-New Zealand-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement. Thailand is now one of Australia’s top 10 trading partners with Australian wine featuring prominently.
 
“Beyond trade, Australia’s education ties with Thailand are amongst the strongest in the world with 21,000 Thai students enrolled in courses in Australia last year. Australia is the most popular destination for Thai students wishing to study abroad. Conversely, Thailand is one of Australia’s most popular destinations for visits as well, with over 600,000 Australians spending time in Thailand last year. The Thai diaspora in Australia is estimated at being well over 100,000 as well. The Australian Embassy in Bangkok is one of Australia’s largest simply because the bilateral relationship is so strong and the relationship is so multifaceted.”
 
And with Yingluck Shinawatra visiting Canberra this week, Blaxland says that there is no better time to reflect on the strong and healthy ties the two countries share – and the helping hand Australia can lend to its important Southeast Asian partner.
 
“The visit to Australia of Thailand’s Prime Minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, comes at a symbolic moment, marking 60 years of diplomatic relations between our two countries. But there is more than just the symbolism. Today the bilateral links are multifaceted, long standing and meaningful. As we consider the next 60 years, Australians should be mindful of the significant challenges facing the people of Thailand in terms of their own domestic politics, the challenges of accountability and reconciliation, as well as the troubles in the Deep South. There are no easy solutions. As we look to engage and assist where we can and where we are welcome we should look to do so in a respectful, culturally-aware manner. We should avoid haughty sermonising or offering patronising prescriptive solutions to complex multifaceted problems which outsiders and insiders alike grapple to understand, let alone deal with holistically.”
 
Dr John Blaxland is a senior fellow in the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre in the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific. His research interests cover international relations in Southeast Asia, defence studies, and military history and strategy.
 

Updated:  16 October, 2013/Responsible Officer:  Web Communications Coordinator/Page Contact:  Web Communications Coordinator