The close connection that newly appointed Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa enjoys with former premier Thaksin Shinawatra could be a mixed blessing: it could give him leverage on the global stage but also challenge or compromise his ability to independently execute policies.
The unexpected resignation of Parnpree Bahiddha-nukara as foreign minister in late April pitchforked Maris to the diplomatic position, which involves tackling demanding tasks, such as addressing the Myanmar crisis and negotiating a settlement to the maritime dispute with Cambodia, which is going to be a huge challenge.
Maris is no stranger to the international community and diplomatic corps. He obtained a bachelor’s in international relations from Ramkhamhaeng University and did his master’s in the same subject from Ohio University before joining the Foreign Ministry as an attaché at the Social Division of the International Organization Department in 1986.
He was posted on a diplomatic mission abroad for the first time in 1989 as third secretary at the Thai Embassy in Brussels before becoming the first secretary at the ministry’s ASEAN Affairs Department in 1993.
The Thaksin connection
Maris got close to Thaksin in 1994 when the former premier held the position of foreign minister between October 1994 and February 1995. He then served Thaksin as a first secretary at the Office of Secretary to the Minister.
When Thaksin became the prime minister in 2001, Maris was promoted to Minister-Counselor at the Thai Embassy in Vientiane but was assigned to work as a secretary to the PM until a military coup toppled Thaksin’s government in 2006.
Maris returned to diplomatic duties after the coup, holding the position of Minister at the Thai Embassy in Berlin. He was promoted as ambassador to Nepal during the Abhisit Vejjajiva administration in 2009 and to Australia during the Yingluck Shinawatra government in 2011.
After a coup ousted Yingluck in 2014, Maris served as the ambassador to New Zealand in 2015 and later as the ambassador to Canada in 2018 until his retirement in 2019.
Before taking the position of foreign minister, Maris was an advisor to foreign minister Parnpree. He was also involved in many businesses including trading firms Thanuluk, and Phongwattanakul, as well as agricultural Siam Medtech Development Co Ltd.
Tackling maritime disputes
Sources in the energy industry said they were waiting for a signal from the new foreign minister about negotiations to settle maritime disputes and joint development of hydrocarbon resources with Cambodia in the overlapping claims areas (OCA) in the Gulf of Thailand.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said during a visit to Bangkok by Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet in February that he had assigned the Foreign Ministry to lead and coordinate with relevant agencies, including the Energy Ministry and the Navy, to deal with Cambodia in settling the OCA dispute.
Different continental shelf claims since the 1970s have created an overlapping area of 26,000 square kilometers in the Gulf of Thailand, which potentially contains up to 11 trillion cubic feet of natural gas as well as 500 million barrels of condensate and oil.
The two countries had signed a memorandum of understanding in 2001 to negotiate the delimitation of the sea boundary as well as the establishment of a joint development scheme to exploit abundant petroleum resources.
Negotiations over the past 23 years have made no significant progress so far.
Energy Ministry permanent secretary Prasert Sinsukprasert told local media recently that his ministry was waiting for the green light from the government to start negotiations with its Cambodian counterpart.
He said it was essential for Thailand to establish the joint development scheme with Cambodia as soon as possible, as the country’s natural gas deposits in the Gulf of Thailand were running out.
Before Parnpree’s departure, officials at the Foreign Ministry had already prepared a structure for the Thai-Cambodia Joint Technical Committee as a main instrument for negotiations and were awaiting endorsement by the Cabinet, according to an official at the ministry who added that it was unclear why Parnpree had delayed the nod.
Maris’s close links with Thaksin, who is on good terms with Cambodian leaders, will be a useful leverage for him to push forward the deal with Cambodia, he says.
“But at the same time, too close ties with Thaksin could be a disadvantage, as the public and the opposition might raise questions about conflict of interest,” says the official on condition of anonymity.
Myanmar peace efforts in jeopardy?
While Maris said he had no problem with Thaksin meeting dissident groups from strife-torn neighboring Myanmar, observers said such a move by the ex-PM could undermine the government’s initiative to restore peace.
Thaksin’s intervention took place only a week before the establishment of a special task force chaired by Parnpree to oversee the situation and explore ways to ease the crisis in Myanmar.
The panel had hosted only one meeting before Parnpree stepped down. It remains unclear if Maris would take the place of his predecessor in the panel, according to an official at the Foreign Ministry.
A big headache for Maris would be the lack of expert advice to deal with Myanmar affairs, as career diplomat Sihasak Phuangketkeow also resigned from the position of vice minister shortly after Parnpree’s resignation.
Sihasak, a former permanent secretary at the Foreign Ministry, was a key figure in helping the government carry out humanitarian initiatives to deliver assistance to people in need in war-torn Myanmar.
Through Sihasak’s efforts, the Thai government was aiming to utilize its humanitarian initiatives as a step towards bringing all stakeholders together before embarking on meaningful peace talks.
Thaksin’s meddling could jeopardize the government’s efforts, as the stakeholders might be confused about his role, which could raise questions about who is truly in charge, compromising their trust in any parties from Thailand, the official said.
“Minister Maris is in a dilemma as he alone can neither resist Thaksin, nor can he ask his former boss to act in concert,” he says.
Unlike Parnpree, Maris is solely in charge of diplomacy, without a deputy minister to help ease his workload.
Thammasat University expert on Myanmar affairs, Dulyapak Preecharush, suggested that the new foreign minister continue carrying out the humanitarian corridor project and also synchronize it with all relevant agencies domestically and internationally for effective implementation of the assistance.
By Thai PBS World’s Political Desk
