THAI-SINGAPORE PERCEPTIONS OF THE CAMBODIAN PROBLEM (1980-1990)

Abstract

The 1979 Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia was seen by both Thailand and Singapore as threats to their respective national securities. Thus, from March 1980 to July 1988, both countries cooperated closely to mobilize world opinion against what they considered to be Vietnamese aggression in Cambodia. March 1980 was chosen as the point of entry in this academic exercise as it saw the ascension of Prem Tinsulanond to the post of Prime Minister in Thailand. This in turn heralded the beginning of the Thai-Singapore alliance with regards to the question of Cambodia. This alliance came to an end in August 1988 when Chatichai Choonhavan replaced Prem as the Thai Prime Minister. Since the introduction of Chatichai' s "battlefield to marketplace" concept, ties between Thailand and Singapore have taken a turn for the worse. The fundamental reason for this being their differing perceptions of the Cambodian. This academic exercise examines how the threat perceptions of Thailand and Singapore influenced their respective policies towards the Cambodian problem. This academic exercise deals with the question of 'why' Thailand and Singapore adopted the hardline stand and not so much as to 'how'. As such, the focus is on the underlying reasons for the similarities in the period March 1980 to July 1988, and the subsequent differences that emerged since the advent of the Chatichai administration in August 1988.