Is Asean about to partner with the world’s biggest jailer of journalists? 

There is a fair degree of irony in someone from the Turkish Embassy in Thailand presenting a one-sided view of his country’s credentials in a journalistic outlet like The Nation. According to the UK’s Guardian newspaper, Recep Erdogan’s regime has ensured that “Turkey now has the dubious honour of being the world’s biggest jailer of journalists, and free media in the country is in its death throes.” Let us remind ourselves here that being a journalist is not a crime. Apparently, Turkey’s foreign policy is guided by “Peace at home, Peace in the world”. As is the case with its current policy towards Syrian sovereignty, no doubt. This sets the moral temper of the contribution.
Now, it would be easy to expand on all of this but there are obvious limits to what the Have Your Say column can offer to its contributors. In that case, I am confident that the readers can make their own minds up with intelligent research regarding how Turkey “pursues” its foreign and domestic polices. This includes its protracted application to join the EU, now stalled, due to “disproportionate, repressive measures” according to the UK’s Telegraph newspaper on November 24, 2016, and which remains in doubt. 
Dr Frank 
Bangkok