First US congresswoman of Thai descent vows to foster ties

She was speaking at a forum organised by Chulalongkorn University’s Institute of Security and International Studies. 

“I hope to be able to foster closer ties between the US and America,” she said in Thai, before adding in English that she was “very proud to be Thai-American”. After delivering her speech she was happy to hold a long Q&A session with the eager audience. 

However, it was her comments about leadership and doing what is right without fear of failure that won hearts yesterday. “True leadership isn’t just about doing what’s right in front of the cameras or while there’s someone watching, but doing it when one thinks it’s right,” she said. 

Duckworth won a Purple Heart after she lost both her legs when the Black Hawk helicopter she was piloting got hit by an RPG in 2004 in Iraq. 

The Illinois representative, who left Thailand when she was eight, said people should be willing to take risks, learn from their mistakes and be willing to pick themselves up when they’re down. 

In the Q&A session, Duckworth was asked questions on a wide range of subjects, including Washington’s perceived double standards in relation to foreign policy, the number of women politicians there, Edward Snowden and Guantanamo Bay prison to name a few. She defended the US’s chummy relationship with repressive regimes such as Saudi Arabia, saying these ties served in the best interests of the American people. “The role of any government is to look after its own people,” she said.

As for the cyber espionage exposed by Snowden, Duckworth said: “Let’s be realistic. We’re not the only nation which is conducting cyber espionage,” adding that China and Russia monitored the Net more closely. “If you think the government is not right, then stay and fight it… Have the courage of your conviction and stand up for that,” she said, referring to Snowden, who has been granted refuge in Russia. 

As for Private Bradley Manning, who was prosecuted for contributing to WikiLeaks, she said: “I think the young man was looking for attention. I think he was seduced and took the mantle of being a crusader, which I don’t think he was.”

However, she did not defend Washington when asked about Guantanamo Bay, saying she wanted it to be shut down immediately because it went against the US constitution as it did not give prisoners the right to a fair trial. 

The Iraq war veteran trod carefully when asked about Syria. On the one hand she asked how the international community could sit by idly when hundreds of thousands of people were being killed, while on the other she said the US could not afford another war. “It doesn’t benefit us right now,” she said, adding that she did not support the arming of the rebels in Syria, as there was no guarantee that the arms would not fall into the hands of terrorists.