Thailand must be wary of its new friend
Thailand recently bickering with the US and then chumming with China is a natural development.
It’s like a woman getting mad at a boyfriend who tells her she is overweight. To get back at him, she flirts with her boyfriend’s rival, who assures her that fat is beautiful (as long as she sticks with him).
The problem is that China is in a hot dispute with Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and the Philippines over ownership of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. It will be intriguing to see which side Thailand takes.
Moreover, bad sentiment is accumulating here (actually all over the world) regarding Chinese tourists who are loud, disruptive, quarrelsome, arrogant and inconsiderate. Bad sentiment could turn into an anti-Chinese crusade anytime. How would we deal with the problem?
It’s going to be awkward situation in both cases and I hope the government is prepared.
Somsak Pola
Samut Prakan
