THE government was urged to not try to get the US to reduce the 36 percent tariff on Thai goods which President Donald Trump is imposing on August 1 by allowing the superpower to set up a base in the country, Naewna newspaper said this morning (July 14).
Mr. Nantiwat Samart, former secretary to the Foreign Ministry and former deputy director of the National Intelligence Agency, said in a Facebook post entitled “Oppose Foreign Military Base” that Thailand should not invite war by doing this.
“In negotiating the Trump tariff, don’t expect to get anything. Today the world is being reorganised and the division into two camps is becoming clearer. Indonesia is being pressured to leave BRICS for a tariff reduction,” he said.
He also urged the government to not be swayed by “extreme Western fanatics” that Thailand should propose changing the country into a Western democracy in return for a tariff cut.
He cited the example of Japan which copied Western democracy but is yet hit with a high tariff as is South Korea which seriously cracks down on corruption.
Nantiwat underscored that Thailand should not bring conflict to its door and turn the country into a target in the conflict between superpowers with Thais urged to be patient as trade declines.
He suggested that the government prepare a plan to withstand the impact of the tariff hike by protecting entrepreneurs and easing the burden on consumers by reducing the cost of living such as by slashing petrol and electricity prices.
Meanwhile Mr. Sutin Wannabovorn, a former foreign news agency reporter, also said in a Facebook post that there is hearsay one of the conditions US President Donald Trump has set for a tariff reduction is the use use of Tab Lamu naval base at Phang Nga province to strategically balance the naval power of China.
He asked the government to answer to the Thai people whether this is true.
He also pointed to Indonesia saying it will remain in the BRICS bloc even if the United States moves forward with an additional 10 percent tariff on its members, according to a report published by Jakarta Globe last week.
Trump has warned that the US will impose the extra levy, on top of a 10 percent baseline tariff, against BRICS nations if they continue what he called “anti-American policies,” including efforts to use local currencies instead of the dollar for intra-group trade. The so-called dedollarisation push has drawn sharp criticism from the US, with Trump accusing the bloc of undermining the global financial system.
Indonesian State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said Jakarta is prepared to accept the consequences of its decision to join BRICS, which Indonesia entered as its 10th member earlier this year.
CAPTIONS:
A boat sailing at Ao Phang Nga Bay, above, and a beautiful beach at this Andaman coastal province, Front Page. Credit: Tourism Authority of Thailand
First insert: Mr. Nantiwat Samart. Photo: Naewna
Second insert: Mr. Sutin Wannabovorn. Photo: Naewna
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