The military forces of both Myanmar and Thailand have been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, most recently for the Feb. 1 coup by Myanmar’s Tatmadaw, or armed forces, against the civilian-dominated government of Aung San Suu Kyi.
Two new books highlight the resurgence in scholarship on Southeast Asia’s armed forces and their political, social and economic roles. This new focus comes in an era in which the states of the region, and the societies and economies that they govern, have grown more complex and more connected in the digital age. Even so, understanding the structure and workings of these military organisations remains crucial – as we are seeing in Myanmar today.
In “Praetorians, Profiteers or Professionals? Studies on the Militaries of Myanmar and Thailand,” eight experts give their views on the Thai and Burmese militaries. In “Infiltrating Society: The Thai Military's Internal Security Affairs,” Puangthong R. Pawakapan, a professor at Chulalongkorn University, focuses on the armed forces’ internal security role across Thai society.
For those with interest in the internal dynamics of these countries and the role of military organisations in their often turbulent politics, this event offers insights from some of the distinguished authors and editors of these books. Copies of the books will be available for purchase on the night. This event will also be livestreamed on the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand’s (FCCT) Facebook page.
Speakers: Dr Puangthong R. Pawakapan, Associate professor, International Relations Department, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok.
Dr Prajak Kongkirati, Director of the Direk Jayanama Research Center and Deputy Dean for Research and Academic Service, Faculty of Political Science, Thammasat University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Dr Kanda Naknoi, Associate Professor in the Department of Economics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA.
Dr Paul Chambers, Lecturer and special assistant on International Affairs, Center of ASEAN Community Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, Thailand.
