Indian, Thai armies to take part in joint exercise

NEW DELHI: An Indian Army contingent is headed for Thailand bang in the middle of a military takeover in the Southeast Asian country to "restore peace and order" amid the ongoing political crisis there.
The contingent of 45 soldiers of the 21 Punjab battalion, which is based at Kapurthala, was slated to leave for Thailand late on Tuesday night to participate in the joint combat exercise 'Maitree' with the Royal Thai Army from May 24 onwards.

There was some concern in South Block about the worsening situation in Thailand, which came to a head on Tuesday morning with martial law being declared in the country, but it was felt it was too late to back out from the exercise "fixed months in advance".

The overall aim behind the Maitree exercise, which will be held in the Chiang Mai hills, is counter-terrorism with the troops sharpening their combat skills in both urban and rural terrain. "Indian and Thai forces have been exercising regularly together since 2007. Maitree itself means 'friendship' both in Hindi and Thai. With terrorism being a global problem, many want to learn from the Indian Army's long experience in tackling sub-conventional warfare or low-intensity conflict operations," said an official.

With an eye firmly on China, India has been gradually stepping up both economic and military ties with countries in the Asia Pacific region for the last several years. India, for instance, offered Thailand collaboration in defence production during defence minister A K Antony's visit there in 2013.

Officials believe Thailand can prove to be India's natural gateway into the Asean region. With India's 'Look East Policy' being complimented by Thailand's 'Look West Policy', efforts are in progress to kick-start the ambitious project to build the trilateral highway project aimed at connecting India, Myanmar and Thailand.

Political turmoil and military interventions are not something new to Thailand, a parliamentary democracy with constitutional monarchy. In 2006, for instance, the military had ousted the "Red Shirts-backed" government of then PM Thaksin Shinawatra, who now lives in exile.

The latest crisis, which once again saw soldiers and tanks patrolling the streets of Bangkok, arose after a huge political rift in the wake of Thailand's constitutional court removing caretaker PM Yingluck Shinawatra, Thaksin's sister, from the government a fortnight ago.