The flags are up on Kings Avenue.
Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is being welcomed to Canberra to mark the 60th anniversary of Australia-Thailand diplomatic relations. Comments from New Mandala readers on this auspicious milestone are very welcome.
For those in the mood for some reading, you may find this April 2012 commentary on Thailand-Australia relations is still relevant. And there will be sure to be plenty of other anecdote and analysis in the days to come.
Update (Monday, 28 May 2012): I was up at Parliament House this morning to commentate on Prime Minister Yingluck’s visit for Sky News. Hearing the Australian military band strike up the Thai national anthem was memorable. It was a beautiful morning for it.
Reading the Aussie papers you wouldn’t even know she was there, or the Thai papers either for that matter, maybe buried deeper than I dare to venture. I think Howard was the last PM to visit Thailand?
This is old news of course but Australians cannot purchase land in Thailand at all, Thais can in Australia if they meet conditions, Australians cannot get permanent visas in Thailand yet Thais can in Australia.
Interesting that with the FTA that a lot of Thai cars are coming into Oz but bugger all in the other direction as priced out of reach through heavy taxes, Thai companies are supplying Aussie supermarkets yet Vegemite and Oz Cheese is expensive in Thailand, Oz wine also still very expensive here, just a guess but who was the winner on that uni-directional FTA where taxes were lowered one way and not the other?
Suspect though Julia has more on her mind re job security at the moment than sorting out inequitable trade deals where we were played for mugs.
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Certainly domestic politics in Canberra is overwhelming any interest in a visiting Thai PM this week.
Eventually Fairfax published this very limited piece on Yingluck’s visit
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/opinion/political-news/thai-pm-backs-security-council-bid-20120528-1zf9d.html
And Australian located readers can view the 8 seconds of Yingluck coverage on the SBS news here
http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/2239929657/SBS-6:30-News-part-1
Starts at 6:56. They actually fail to mention any reason for the visit and portray it as just a meeting of fellow first-time female PMs.
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Mr. Damage – re : “the Aussie papers you wouldn’t even know she was there” – you should read the excellent piece in Monday’s Australian Financial Review, by Greg Earl, covering Yingluck’s visit. (28/5/2012).
He also addresses SOME of those other issues you justifiably raise.
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Mr. Damage
1. Newspaper are usually slow at reporting. What you said is true yesterday but not today.
The photo of two PMs is in the front page of today’s Bangkok Post.
http://bangkokpost.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
2. Yes. I agree about what you mentioned regarding PR, landownership, etc. But why would Thailand give such privileges to Australians before their ASEAN partners? It seems that relaxation of xenophobia/protective/nationalist policies can only be realized in Thailand via ASEAN 2015/20 mechanism. First, it will appears as free movement of skilled labour and we are still struggling to see how it works out in the next few years.
3. I think Oz Vegemite and cheese are expensive in Thailand because the primary market for this kind of “yucky” stuff is foreigner. However, Oz meat is doing well in Thai market. The price is reasonable and the quality is superb. BTW, car/alcohols are subjected to special/excise tax and I suppose FTA doesn’t cover that.
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I suggest Mr. Damage comes out from behind such well worn and tired cliches and takes some time out to “smell the roses”.
The Thai media is all over this trip today – not just the Bangkok Post and The Nation. It is a big deal on Thai TV,Radio and Print. Perhaps not up there with the latest international football story, Lady Gaga etc., but it is being treated as a significant event.
And you are wrong about the car industry too. Companies such as Toyota now make a “world” car, where some bits are made in Oz others in Thailand and largely due to labor costs assembled in Thailand for export around the region – including back to Australia.
If I recall this was a major focus of the FTA.
That the trade is significantly favoring the Thai side is largely due to our (Australia) investors not taking the country seriously.
Granted it is much easier for Thais to invest in Oz than the reverse. But, I would suggest that is partly because of the general Australian (business) ignorance about doing biz in many countries in this region.
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