Thai perspectives on security cooperation with Malaysia : a structure and agency analysis

Name: Songpon Thamcheewatad

keyword: Thailand

; Malaysia

; Security cooperation

; Military agency

; Deep south conflict

; Peace dialogue process

Abstract: Thailand and Malaysia have a strategic partnership and good security cooperation: however, the outcome of bilateral security cooperation is not always successful in outcome. The analysis of structural factors and agential factors is essential to understand their bilateral cooperation. In the beginning, both countries present their great friendship in the highest military partnership to an initiative through their security mechanisms. This close status begins with the background of successful security cooperation as a result of dealing with the Communist Insurgency. This study represents the significance of security cooperation for both countries from Thai perspectives. Then, it will examine how both structural factors and agential factors directly affect security cooperation in two cases in this study ; 1) border management to develop the border area and 2) The Peace Dialogue Process. The distinction between structural and agential factors have an impact on the outcome of security cooperation. The study result found that the convenience of the political context during the Cold War makes Thailand and Malaysia stand on the same side to eliminate the communist regime successfully. Then, both countries continue their excellence in security cooperation under the influence of their respective armies, which is the main agential factor in this study. This is especially true for the Thai side, which has increased bilateral cooperation on border management to developing the border area. In contrast, the Peace Dialogue Process is a matter of ongoing cooperation, which will mainly present the structural factor and agential factor relating to Thai Domestic Politics. The study demonstrates the belligerents between the Thai government and the opponents' groups, especially the influential role of BRN in the conflict. The different political circumstances and structures during the time of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra (2011 – 2014) and Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-o-cha (2015 – now), which have both hindered a successful peace deal due to the different views and condition by each side, will present the cause of structural factor that shape the agency in the Peace Dialogue Process. Consequently, the Thai political context became highly centralized under the military after the coup d' état in 2014, which allow the military to prioritize and conduct the way forward on the Deep South conflict, including the Peace Dialogue Process complying with National Security. Additionally, it is worth monitoring the development of security cooperation, including the role of Malaysia to help Thailand in this issue and understanding why their friendship is essential to security cooperation in terms of foreign affairs

Thammasat University. Thammasat University Library

Address: BANGKOK

Email: preserv@tu.ac.th

Name: Chanintira Na Thalang

Role: advisor

Created: 2019

Modified: 2022-10-28

Issued: 2022-10-28

วิทยานิพนธ์/Thesis

application/pdf

DOI: 10.14457/TU.the.2019.1431

eng

DegreeName: Master of Political Science

Level: Master's Degree

Descipline: International Relations

Grantor: Thammasat University

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