Australia has many connections with countries around the globe, which includes Thailand. However, recently Australia downgraded their ties with Thailand after the wake of this month's military coup, imposing a travel ban on the junta leaders and cutting defence co-operation in some of the toughest punitive measures taken by a foreign government. The US and other foreign governments have condemned the May 22 coup, calling for a rapid return to democracy. The Australian government said it had postponed three activities with the Thai military and would prevent the leaders of the coup from travelling to Australia as it continued to have "grave concerns" about the military's actions in Thailand. "In line with our concerns, Australia is reducing our engagement with the Thai military and will lower the level of our interaction with the Thai military leadership," Australia's foreign minister Julie Bishop and defence minister David Johnston said in a joint statement. Coup leader General Prayuth Chan-ocha said on Friday there would be no elections for at least a year, arguing reforms must come first. Reforms could only be implemented if there was peace and stability and that would take about a year, he said.
The military seized power on May 22, ousting the government of prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, after meetings with key figures on both sides of Thailand's political divide failed to find a solution to a six-month political deadlock. The military junta then rounded up dozens of political figures, academics and activists.
"The Australian government continues to call on the military to set a pathway for a return to democracy and the rule of law as soon as possible, to refrain from arbitrary detentions, to release those detained for political reasons and to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms," the statement said.
Thailand and Australia's military ties date back to 1945 and the countries have engaged in a formal defence co-operation program that involves individual training and maritime, ground and air exercises for the past four decades. The countries also have a free trade agreement, entered into in 2005.
The Australian government said it looked forward to "normalising our relationship as soon as possible", but added it would continue to "review defence and other bilateral activities".
Despite the recent issue, Australia and Thailand have had long standing and deep connections, and have cooperated in a broad range of areas of mutual interest, including trade and investment, law enforcement, counter-terrorism, education, security, migration and tourism. Formal diplomatic relations were established between Australia and Thailand in 1952. The bilateral relationship is facilitated by mutual membership of bodies such as the EAS, APEC, the ASEAN PMC, and the Cairns Group.
Our strong bilateral relations are reflected in extensive people-to-people links. Australia continues to be a leading destination for Thai students, while Thailand attracts large numbers of Australians for tourism and business. Prior to Thailand's decision in 2003 to decline development assistance, Australia was a major aid partner. Many Thais studied in Australia under the Colombo Plan and other programs.
Australia's trade and economic relationship with Thailand has grown strongly since the entry into force of the Thailand-Australia Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA) on the 1st of January 2005. Two-way merchandise trade was worth $16 billion in 2009, up from $7 billion in 2004. Two-way services trade with Thailand was worth $3.3 billion in 2009. TAFTA has also improved business mobility, strengthened transparency, encouraged international best practice, and promoted bilateral cooperation in a range of areas including customs procedures, government procurement, competition policy and intellectual property protection. Australia and Thailand are also parties to the recently concluded negotiations on the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, signed on 27 February 2009.
The military seized power on May 22, ousting the government of prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, after meetings with key figures on both sides of Thailand's political divide failed to find a solution to a six-month political deadlock. The military junta then rounded up dozens of political figures, academics and activists.
"The Australian government continues to call on the military to set a pathway for a return to democracy and the rule of law as soon as possible, to refrain from arbitrary detentions, to release those detained for political reasons and to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms," the statement said.
Thailand and Australia's military ties date back to 1945 and the countries have engaged in a formal defence co-operation program that involves individual training and maritime, ground and air exercises for the past four decades. The countries also have a free trade agreement, entered into in 2005.
The Australian government said it looked forward to "normalising our relationship as soon as possible", but added it would continue to "review defence and other bilateral activities".
Despite the recent issue, Australia and Thailand have had long standing and deep connections, and have cooperated in a broad range of areas of mutual interest, including trade and investment, law enforcement, counter-terrorism, education, security, migration and tourism. Formal diplomatic relations were established between Australia and Thailand in 1952. The bilateral relationship is facilitated by mutual membership of bodies such as the EAS, APEC, the ASEAN PMC, and the Cairns Group.
Our strong bilateral relations are reflected in extensive people-to-people links. Australia continues to be a leading destination for Thai students, while Thailand attracts large numbers of Australians for tourism and business. Prior to Thailand's decision in 2003 to decline development assistance, Australia was a major aid partner. Many Thais studied in Australia under the Colombo Plan and other programs.
Australia's trade and economic relationship with Thailand has grown strongly since the entry into force of the Thailand-Australia Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA) on the 1st of January 2005. Two-way merchandise trade was worth $16 billion in 2009, up from $7 billion in 2004. Two-way services trade with Thailand was worth $3.3 billion in 2009. TAFTA has also improved business mobility, strengthened transparency, encouraged international best practice, and promoted bilateral cooperation in a range of areas including customs procedures, government procurement, competition policy and intellectual property protection. Australia and Thailand are also parties to the recently concluded negotiations on the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, signed on 27 February 2009.