Chairman’s Circle 26 January 2012: “Movements of Terrorists in Southeast Asia – Jemaah Islamiah and Al Qaeda”

PDF Link

After a long – flood related – break, HDFF’s Chairman’s Circle started the year 2012/2555 with a presentation by Police Lt Gen Tritot Ronnaritivichai, currently Commissioner to the Office of National Security Council (NSC), on “Movements of Terrorists inSoutheast Asia– Jemaah Islamiah and Al Qaeda”.  HDFF’s choice of topic for the month of January could have not have had better timing as a terror warning and the capture of a suspected Swedish-Lebanese Hezbollah member has been the talk of the town only a week before.

Due to Gen (ret) Bunchon Chawansin’s absence, HDFF Executive Director Dr. Wilfried A. Herrmann delivered the opening remarks welcoming all participants to the half-day event and subsequently introduced Police Lt Gen Tritot Ronnaritivichai, internationally known for his capture of Al Qaeda (AQ) and Jemaah Islamiah (JI) member Hambali. Gen Tritot used his presentation to give insight into the long line of incidents eventually leading to the capturing of Hambali, real name Riduan Isamuddin, in his apartment inAyutthaya,Thailand.

Before going into specifics, Gen Tritot gave a brief introduction on JI to ease the participants into the topic, followed by a detailed description of previous key JI members inSouth East Asia. Jemaah Islamiah gained international attention after the 2002 Bali bombing but the group was building itself through the 1990s by its leaders Abdullah Sungkar and Abu Bakar Bashir in Indonesia and, for the most part, in Malaysia. Hambali, as well as the two aforementioned members served as Mujahideen in the Taliban war against theSoviet Union, which in turn turned out to be a great networking event for aspiring international terrorists. While Sungkar and Bashir concentrated on building up JI, Hambali later on served as a linkage between AQ and JI as well as a representative for AQ inSoutheast Asia.

The successful arrest of Hambali was a cooperative effort between several agencies from various countries. On the other hand, the Hambali network included support from Iraqis, Pakistanis, Malaysians and Indonesians nationals. As Hambalis goal was to rule as a Caliph over territories covering almost all of Southeast Asia (including parts ofThailand), nationalities played no role in the ideologically shaped world of an Islamic extremist.

Gen Tritot finally captured Hambali on 11 August 2003 inAyutthaya. Of utmost importance to Gen Tritot was to catch Hambali alive to be able to prove that the Bali bomb had not been planned inBangkok, which could be proven.  The Q&A session after the presentation was lively and interesting.

HDFF’s next Chairman’s Circle will most likely take place in the first week of March with the developments in Myanmarenvisioned as topic. We hope to see you there! For any further questions please contact herrmann@hdff.org or gassner@hdff.org

Chairman’s Circle/Strategic Forum 2012-1: “Movement of Terrorists in Southeast Asia” up coming on 26 January 2012

Invitation to Chairman Circle 2012

Dear Friends of HDFF,

Happy New Year to you and your beloved ones, happiness, health and success for your life in   2012 / 2555.

HDFF took a long – flood related – break from the Chairman’s Circle, but I am looking forward to meet known and new faces again.

Therefore I invited  Police Lt Gen Tritot Ronnaritivichai who became know beyond Thailand’s border when he captured Al Queda operative “Hambali” in 2003. He is holding actual the position of Commissioner to the Office of National Security Council (NSC) to present on the topic of

 ”Movements of Terrorists in Southeast Asia – Jemaah Islamiah and Al Qaeda”

 Venue will be this time: Imperial Queenspark Hotel, Soi 22 Sukhumvit

Date/ Time;  26 January 2012  09-12.30    (costs: 2,200 THB incl. lunch buffet)

HDFF’s chairman and his team are looking forward to seeing you at this interesting event. Please register soon !!!!

Contact:  gassner@hdff.org

HDFF 2012-1 Strategic Forum Invitation_26 January 2012

“From Foes to Friends: Peace building between Royal Thai Armed Forces and the communist movement in the 1980ies”

HDFF Chairman’s Circle/ Strategic Forum determined to

“KNOWLEDGE IMPROVES LIFE” !!

“From Foes to Friends: Peace building between Royal Thai Armed Forces and the communist movement in the 1980ies”

Thursday, September 01, 2011

On Thursday, September 01, 2011, HDFF’s Executive Director Dr. Wilfried A. Herrmann welcomed HDFF Chairman General (ret) Bunchon Chawansin and Mr. Thongchai Suwanvihok, former Secretary General of the Communist Party for the Southern Districts of Thailand and various high level guests to the 8th HDFF Chairman’s Circle 2011 supported by IRPC at the Rembrandt Hotel, Bangkok. It was an honor and pleasure to have renowned guest speakers who could speak from their life and live experiences to explain the situation to solve the conflict between the Thai Army and the communist movement in the 1980s.

Today: General (Ret) Bunchon (right) and Mr. Thongchai (left)

Yesterday: then Colonel Bunchon (right) and Mr. Thongchai (left)

During that time (then-)Colonel Bunchon Chawansin was staff officer at the headquarters of the 4th Army Region, Royal Thai Army while Mr. Thongchai Suwanwihok a former university student who turned to be a member of the Communist Party of Thailand (CPT) was the Secretary General of the Southern CPT responsible for five provinces (Pattalung, Trang, Satun, Nakhon Sithammarat and Krabi). In this exceptional book either men share their common and diverse experiences as their respective positions or duties were on the opposite side.

When they first met, both of them occupied important roles in their respective organizations. In the general setting, the situation of the country did not improve despite and because of the long ongoing fighting between the Royal Thai Army and the CPT. Against this background the two men discovered the answer how to end the conflict based on the same conclusion. Core point was that both men realized that solving the conflict with violent means will cause more losses and more damages to the people involved. As a result the best solution would be to collaborate in order to solve the national problems together in peaceful ways .

As a starting point Gen (ret) Bunchon Chawansin took a step back in history to explain the worldwide divide after World War II – the capitalist United States of America vs. Communism as well as the fear the domino theory created, especially after the communist takeover in Vietnam after the Vietnam War in 1975. Thailand followed the United States, which in turn showed to Thai Army how to use force against communists. As a result the three “F strategy” (fight, fix and finish them), already used in the Vietnam War, was transferred and used in Thailand as well. At that time, Gen (ret) Bunchon explained there was no time to reconsider the strategy and the effects and backlash it would produce, resulting in a growing hatred of people against the army. Additionally, killing the Communist Party members was considered to be the right thing to do at that time as army members were trained to hate communists and see them as traitors to their country.

Mr. Thongchai Suwanvihok started his presentation by recalling growing up in a rural part of Thailand and the injustices he felt at that time. People in the rural areas would have fewer rights, therefore it felt like living in a dictatorship, while the army was allowed special privileges like using helicopters for private hunting tours. When in 1971 Students and Professors asked for a constitution as well as general elections the army responded by arresting 12 of their leaders. On the 14th of October (1973) two prominent generals of the army were ousted, itself being the starting point for the most active time of student protests combined with farmers all around the country asking for a fair price for their goods. The Army in turn started capturing civilians to interrogate, meanwhile hiding evidence of this happening by throwing the captured civilians in a bag out of a helicopter or burning them in a barrel.

The CPT (Communist Party Thailand) already had a small army at their disposal at the time and considered the armed fight against the army and government as the only available option. This notion got reinforced after the massacres on the 06th of October 1976, when police forces killed 46 students and protesters at Thammasat University, which in turn led to an overthrow of the government. The communist movement assembled itself after this event in the jungle.

Guests of various INGO and international development agencies listened to the presentations of General (ret) Bunchon and Mr. Thongchai about the peace building in the 1980ies in Southern Thailand.

Gen (ret) Bunchon further elaborated on the changes happening inside the army between 1973 and 1976 and pointed towards two thinking groups inside the army. Slowly the Democratic Soldier Group, which was thinking more in-depth about solving the conflict with the communist movement as well as with ordinary people, accumulated more support by army staff, which led to a change in tactics – away from the three “F’s” to the so called Order 66/23. Order 66/23, in place for all eight years under the government of PM General Prem Tinsulanonda, was important because it created a democratic platform as well as a pardon and amnesty policy.

With a democratic platform established CPT members felt their action should come to an end. First though, also as a sign of respect and reconciliation, the fallen members and friends of the communist movement should get a proper Buddhist burial, a project to be later remembered as “Ash in the Urn” project. Right after the appropriate funeral for fallen comrades the CPT, as announced publicly, would stop the fighting and its members would turn themselves in. During the preparation of the project Mr. Thongchai was captured and imprisoned and during single detention was denied medical care. Gen (ret) Bunchon was sent to visit Thongchai in prison and learn about the planned project, which was carried out afterwards.

The event was held under the Chatham House Rules which means that information gained during this event may be used. However, the person sharing the information must not be named.

Even after the photo session a very engaged and in depth discussion continued wide into the lunch with high quality inputs from various sources widened the perspectives.

HDFF would like to take the opportunity to thank the amazing guest speakers as well as the participants for their energetic involvement making the 8th HDFF Chairman’s Circle an interesting and thriving event.

The next HDFF Chairman’s Circle will commence in the last quarter of the year dealing either with Indonesia or Myanmar!

More information will be posted soon on the website or can be obtained via event@hdff.org

For registrations please contact herrmann@hdff.org or gassner@hdff.org

 “From Foes to Friends: Peace building between Royal Thai Armed Forces and the communist movement in     the 1980ies” 

On Thursday, September 01, 2011, HDFF’s Executive Director Dr. Wilfried A. Herrmann welcomed HDFF Chairman General (ret) Bunchon Chawansin and Mr. Thongchai Suwanvihok, former Secretary General of the Communist Party for the Southern Districts of Thailand and various high level guests to the 8th HDFF Chairman’s Circle 2011 supported by IRPC at the Rembrandt Hotel, Bangkok. It was an honor and pleasure to have renowned guest speakers who could speak from their life and live experiences to explain the situation to solve the conflict between the Thai Army and the communist movement in the 1980s. 

HDFF Chairman’s Circle7 (CC7)

HDFF Chairman’s Circle/ Strategic Forum determined to

“KNOWLEDGE IMPROVES LIFE”  !!

“Thailand after the Vote! What follows Next?”

Welcome to CC 7

On Thursday, July 21, 2011, HDFF’s Chairman, General Bunchon Chawansin welcomed representatives from the Asia Foundation Thailand, the former group Editor of the NATION group and various high level guests to the 7th HDFF Chairman’s Circle 2011 supported by IRPC at the Rembrandt Hotel, Bangkok. It was an honor and pleasure to have renowned guest speakers for this high level event of HDFF to explain the situation related to the recent Thailand elections and its aftermath:

Mrs. Pauline Tweedie

Mrs. Pauline Tweedie, Deputy Country Representative Asia Foundation Thailand.

Pauline’s expertise is Institutional capacity-building for government agencies and civil society organizations; gender, political participation and governance; Afghanistan; and Thailand.

She joined The Asia Foundation in 2003 as regional ICT program officer based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

There, she oversaw the Community Information Center for Democracy & Development which provided communities in many provinces with their first access to computers and the Internet. Her regional accomplishments included the implementation of a secure data transfer application for the National Human Rights Commission in Nepal, the creation of an online portal for regional women’s rights in Islam, and the development of election websites for Cambodia and Indonesia. Since then, she has worked for the Foundation in various countries in Asia, serving as a capacity building adviser for the local election observation organization in Afghanistan in 2006, working on fair elections and institutional reforms in Bangladesh in 2007, and as an election program adviser in Nepal in 2008. She has been the Foundation’s deputy country representative for Thailand since July, 2009.
Mrs. Pauline also has extensive NGO experience. She has worked as a project coordinator for OXFAM Quebec in Hanoi, Vietnam and a project manager for KPNQwest at the Hague. In 2008, Pauline was a research consultant for JICA and German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) conducting a comparative study on poverty reduction policies and programs for chronically poor women in Iran, Pakistan and other regional countries that resulted in proposed recommendations for the Government of Afghanistan. As a consultant for the USAID-funded Afghanistan Rule of Law Project, she conducted an assessment on women’s legal empowerment and access to justice in Afghanistan in 2008. Most recently, she was gender advisor for GTZ Afghanistan, working on a wide variety of projects that encompassed the rule of law, rural electricity, water resource management and supply, sustainable economic development, education and teacher training and emergency and transitional aid.

Mr. Kavi Chongkittavorn, Former Group Editor of the Nation group.

Mr. Kavi Chongkittavorn is also a publisher of English-language, The Nation and vernacular, Krungthep Turakij and Kom Chat Luek in Thailand. He has been a journalist for more than two decades covering Thai and regional politics. He was a bureau chief in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from 1988-1990 and Hanoi, Vietnam from 1990-1992. He also served as special assistant to the secretary general at the Jakarta-based Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) from 1993-1994 before returning to journalism until the current position.

In 1993, he was a Reuters Fellow at Oxford University and a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University in 2001. He was named the Human Rights Journalist of 1998 to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of UNDHR by Amnesty International, Thailand. From 1999-2003, he was the president of Thai Journalists Association. Since 1999, he chairs the Bangkok-based regional free media advocacy group, Southeast Asian Press Alliance. He also serves as President Jury of Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize, UNESCO.

Guests of various INGO, international development agencies and Royal Thai Armed Forces listened to the presentations of Pauline Tweedie and Kavi Chongkittavorn about the elections from 03 July and possible outcomes for the near and midterm future.

Guests of various INGO, international development agencies and Royal Thai Armed Forces listened to the presentations of Pauline Tweedie and Kavi Chongkittavorn about the elections from 03 July and possible outcomes for the near and midterm future.

Mrs. Pauline Tweedie shared her reflection of the recent July 3, 2011 elections which included an informative photo collage in relation to the voting process as she was observing the elections in the framework of ANFREL. In general, the process went very smoothly, fairly easy and well organized with good administration. She stressed that though elections are now in the past, Thai citizens should remain active and have more concern about transparency and corruption. Mainly, vote buying from all parties. Though aware of vote buying, citizens feel secure knowing that their votes are confidential and they are free to vote as they please. One key point was that many people said they want to vote as they want to finish the political turmoil with a sound vote

Mr. Kavi Chongkittavorn shared his input on whether the election will end up in political turmoil or not. He says Thai Democracy is progressing and the game is changing, people want a different rhythm. Public perception is that the new government will come in and change everything but infrastructure is not quite ready so we will see the revealing in approximately three months time, the truth will unravel.

According to Mr. Kavi, a few things to consider include: A new assessment on the military needs to be implemented to identify and measure changes as military already reformed during the last decade but this was not noticed by the public.  Capacity for mass mobilization is very good and we have a unique Thai democracy. A reoccurring message from Mr. Kavi is Media, Media, Media! Mr. Kavi stressed the importance of media as a major contributor in influencing the minds of Thai society as well as globally. It is the most important part of the new government.

The event was held under the Chatham House Rules which means that information gained during this event may be used. However, the person sharing the information must not be named.

HDFF’s Chairman

Even after the photo session a very engaged and in depth discussion continued wide into the lunch with high quality inputs from various sources widened the perspectives.

HDFF would like to take the opportunity to thank the amazing guest speaker as well as the participants for their energetic involvement making the 7^th HDFF Chairman’s Circle an interesting and thriving event.

The next HDFF Chairman’s Circle will commence in August dealing either with Indonesia or Thailand’s South! More information will be posted soon on the website or can be obtained via event@hdff.org

For registrations please contact herrmann@hdff.org or collein@hdff.org

 “Thailand after the Vote! What follows Next?”

On Thursday, July 21, 2011, HDFF’s Chairman, General Bunchon Chawansin welcomed representatives from the Asia Foundation Thailand, the former group Editor of the NATION group and various high level guests to the 7th HDFF Chairman’s Circle 2011 supported by IRPC at the Rembrandt Hotel, Bangkok. It was an honor and pleasure to have renowned guest speakers for this high level event of HDFF to explain the situation related to the recent Thailand elections and its aftermath: 

       

Mrs. Pauline Tweedie, Deputy Country Representative Asia Foundation Thailand.

Pauline’s expertise is Institutional capacity-building for government agencies and civil society organizations; gender, political participation and governance; Afghanistan; and Thailand.

Chairman’s Circle 6 successful !!!

HDFF Chairman’s Circle/ Strategic Forum determined to “KNOWLEDGE IMPROVES LIFE” !!

CC 6 : “Organized Crime and Piracy in Southeast Asia and repercussions to Thailand”
Wednesday, June 22, 2011

General (ret) Bunchon Chawansin, HDFF Chairman

On Wednesday, June 22, 2011, HDFF’s Executive Director Dr. Wilfried A. Herrmann on behalf of the Chairman Gneral (ret) Bunchon Chawansin welcomed high level guests to the 6th HDFF Chairman’s Circle 2011 supported by IRPC at the Rembrandt Hotel, Bangkok.

It was an honor and pleasure to have a renowned guest speaker coming in from a half around the world trip especially for this high level event of HDFF to explain the situation related to organizes crime and piracy and repercussions to Thailand: Dr. Peter Lehr, Senior Lecturer with Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence (CSTPV) University of St. Andrews, Scotland/United Kingdom

Dr. Peter Lehr is a senior research associate at the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence (CSTPV), University of St. Andrews, Scotland/United Kingdom. Prior to his appointment at St. Andrews in September 2004, he was lecturer at the Department of Political Science, South Asia Institute, University of Heidelberg/Germany, and visiting fellow at the Institute for Strategic and International Studies (ISIS), Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok/Thailand.

Being a regional specialist on the Indian Ocean, he currently works on security issues such as piracy, organized crime and (maritime) terrorism with a strong focus on South and Southeast Asia. He has published several articles on political Islam in South and Southeast Asia, and on Indian Ocean maritime security issues. Among them are “The Challenge of Security in the Indian Ocean: Plus ça change…?” (online at http://www.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/archiv/4124) and Violence at Sea.

Piracy in the Age of Global Terrorism, published by Routledge New York in November 2006. Currently, he is preparing a handbook on ISPS implementation published in Autumn 2007 by Taylor & Francis, New York, and (together with Dr. Anthony Richards) he has just been awarded a book contract by Oxford University Press for a reader on terrorism. Dr. Lehr also is one of the tutors of the CSTPV/Informa Group distance learning course on terrorism (http://terrorismstudies.com). For this certificate course he developed the module on maritime terrorism.
Research Activities:
+ Naval/Maritime Security (Indian Ocean, Asia-Pacific)
+ Maritime Piracy and Maritime Terrorism
+ Organized Crime in South and Southeast Asia
+ Terrorism in South and Southeast Asia
+ Political Islam/Hinduism/Sikhism/Buddhism

Dr. Peter Lehr moderated by Dr. Wilfried A. Herrmann, Executive Director HDFF

Guests of various INGO, UN organizations, Embassies and Royal Thai Armed Forces listened to the presentation of Peter Lehr about organized crime and piracy and its repercussions to Thailand.

Peter Lehr shared his knowledge on piracy by stating that piracy is back in Southeast Asia as well as internationally, with media coverage taking up the issue since November 5th 2005 when the cruise ship MV Seabourn Spirit was attacked off the coast of Somalia.
The return of piracy to Southeast Asia (SEA) was accompanied by the international Globalization, reaching SEA in the 1980s. Global trade led to more private vessels and fewer military ships, therewith increasing the possibility of successful attacks thus opening the opportunity to make considerably more money. Fishermen in the southern Philippines or Thailand turned towards piracy when they weren’t hired as fishermen simply because of financial needs as to being able to put food on the table. Piracy for them therefore was a necessary evil to survive.
The horn of Africa, which currently attracts the most media attention, was at that time, 1980s and beginning of 1990s still considerably safer than it is today. Originally Somali piracy consisted of 4 groups: Marka Group and Puntland Group, which were a losse association of fishermen, and the National Volunteer Coast Guard Somalia and Somalia Marines, who saw themselves as defenders of the homeland. Today there are about 1400 full time pirates in Somalia with an unknown number of “part-time” pirates. Their reach continued to grow and currently is up to 1500 nautical miles off the shore – a reaction because international ships closer to the coast started to get better protection. Apart from the sea-based operations Piracy is furthermore a land-based business as pirates need to be well connected and have good relations with the various clan leaders. Additionally, pirates are a substantial business factor along the coast, which explains why they are sometimes held in high regard.
Peter Lehr reminded the participants that only about 1% of the passing ships actually get attacked. Just as with international terrorism the fear factor is an important element of piracy. A defining moment of recent piracy history was identified as the attack on the French luxury yacht Le Ponant in April 2008. The captives were released after the payment of a ransom of $ 2 Million, making it the first ransom payment in the Million Dollar range. From then on the ransom industry continuously grew reaching an average ransom of $ 5 Million today. As more money was to be made in the ransom industry more militia members joined the piracy industry.
Another new development can be identified in the cooperation with outside actors. Piracy in Somalia usually has been a clan-based industry however more and more Yemenis can now be found on Somali pirate ships. Somali-like piracy will probably not be possible in SEA as the lack of government is a crucial element and no government of a SEA country would allow pirates to park a ship with western hostages on their shores.
Regarding a possible cooperation between pirates and Al-Shabaab no linkages can be identified so far as Al-Shabaab is not in need of funding and has a profitable line of smuggling themselves. Additionally, some members of Al-Shabaab declared piracy as unislamic. If ransom payments for hostages taken by pirates would stop pirates might be tempted to sell them to Al-Shabaab though.
The event was held under the Chatham House Rules which means that information gained during this event may be used. However, the person sharing the information must not be named.

Following the presentation was a very engaged and in depth discussion with high quality inputs from various sources widened the perspective including topics related to Southern Thailand.
HDFF would like to take the opportunity to thank the amazing guest speaker as well as the participants for their energetic involvement making the 6th HDFF Chairman’s Circle an interesting and thriving event.
The next HDFF Chairman’s Circle will commence on 21 July 2011 dealing with the Thailand elections! More information will be posted soon on the website or can be obtained via event@hdff.org

For registrations please contact herrmann@hdff.org or collein@hdff.org

HDFF Chairman’s Circle 5(CC)

It was an honor and pleasure to have a renowned guest speaker coming in from a half around the world trip especially for this high level event of HDFF to explain the situation related to smuggling issues:

Mr. Karsten von Hoesslin, Senior Analyst of RiskIntelligence

The internationally recognized guest speaker Mr. Karsten von Hoesslin is a Senior Analyst with the Danish-based company RiskIntelligence as well as a Visiting Fellow with the Centre for International Law, University of Singapore. He holds a Masters in Strategic Studies and is currently completing his PhD in International Relations in Australia. Karsten has also served temporary postings at the United Nations International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO), on the Executive Board for the Canadian Consortium on Asia Pacific Security and chaired its Maritime Security Task Group. Currently Karsten is an active member in the Maritime Security Working Group and the Transnational Crime Group with the Council for Security Cooperation in Asia Pacific (CSCAP) and its Canadian Delegation.

Interested guests of various INGO, UN organizations, Embassies and Royal Thai Armed Forces listened to the presentation of Karsten von Hoesslin about the smuggling issues and their respective implications.

                                                   HDFF Chairman General (ret) Bunchon Chawansin and participants

are following the presentation

Karsten von Hoesslin shared insights into both the organizational structures and tactics of maritime organized crime syndicates as well as problems regarding counter-strategies for law enforcement agencies. Frequent links can be found between piracy – and organized crime groups, specialized in trafficking either one specific item or multiple commodities (humans, arms, drugs, cigarettes, sand, fuel, etc.).

In contrast, there do not seem to be any linkages between Terrorist organizations and organized crime or piracy groups as the international attention would be counterproductive for their business, which is purely making profits and is not ideology based. Therefore nothing seems to indicate funding for Muslim separatist groups in Southern Thailand by organized crime syndicates.

The event was held under the Chatham House Rules which means that information gained during this event may be used. However, the person sharing the information must not be named.

After the presentation a very good and in depth discussion with high quality inputs from various sources widened the perspective including topic related to Southern Thailand and the imminent ASEAN community (2015).

HDFF would like to take the opportunity to thank the amazing guest speaker as well as the participants for their energetic involvement making the 5^th HDFF Chairman’s Circle an interesting and thriving event.

The next HDFF Chairman’s Circle will commence on 23 June 2011 dealing with “Organized Crime and Piracy in Southeast Asia and Repercussions for Thailand” with Dr. Peter Lehr from CSTPV St. Andrews University Scotland. More information will be posted soon on the website or can be obtained via event@hdff.org

For registrations please contact herrmann@hdff.org or collein@hdff.org

Coming Soon! Chairman’s Circle5

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT FORUM FOUNDATION

Chairman’s Circle/Strategic Forum 2011-5

General (ret) Bunchon Chawansin, HDFF Chairman

“Human, arms and drug trafficking in maritime Southeast Asia and
respective security implications for Thailand and Malaysia.”

Guest speaker: Mr. Karsten von Hoesslin, Senior Analyst with Risk Intelligence
and Visiting Fellow with the Centre for International Law,
University of Singapore

on: Thursday 26 May 2011

Chairman’s Circle4

HDFF Chairman’s Circle/ Strategic Forum widens the view into Maritime Security – another convincing and successful event !

“Renewed Tensions and Continuing Maritime Security Dilemma in the South China Sea and Implications for International Shipping”

Friday, March 25, 2011

April is considered a inconvenient month to conduct events, therefore HDFF decided to conduct the 4^th HDFF Chairman’s Circle supported by IRPC on Friday, March 25, 2011, in the afternoon at the Pullman Hotel, Bangkok.

The maritime security topic of the day coped with the increasing tensions in the South China Sea where security anxieties continue to pervade in the strategic agenda of many states in the Asia Pacific despite all the countless confidence building measures (CBMs) that have been undertaken since the end of the cold war. In this particular part of the Asia Pacific, there are two major territorial disputes causing security tensions and significantly affecting the overall regional peace and stability – the East China Sea Dispute and the South China Sea Dispute. Territorial disputes in the East and South China Sea punctuated by China’s sturdy military rise compound the long standing security dilemma of states in the region.

As Thailand is not a direct involved ASEAN country in this conflicts it was from utmost importance to have an international recognized guest speaker from an involved nation, in this case the Philippines, as a knowledgeable presenter:

 Prof. Rommel C. Banlaoi , Executive Director and Chairman of the Board of Trustees -
Philippine Institute for Political Violence and Terrorism Research

The guest speaker is the Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research (PIPVTR) and Head of its Centre for Intelligence and National Security Studies (CINSS).  He is also a Senior Fellow at the Yuchengco Centre in Manila and a member of the Board of the Philippine Association of Chinese Studies (PACS).   He was a Professor in Political Science and International Relations at the National Defence College of the Philippines (NDCP) where he once served as Vice President for Administrative Affairs and Assistant Vice President for Research and Special Studies. He became Assistant Professor in International Studies at De La Salle University (DLSU), Manila and Instructor in Political Science at the University of the Philippines, Los Banos (UPLB).   He also served as University Research Associate at the University of the Philippines (UP), Diliman where he took is BA, MA and PhD (ABD status) in Political Science. He the author of several books, monographs and journal articles on Philippine security issues, Philippine foreign policy, regional security and terrorism. His latest books are Philippine Security in the Age of Terror published by CRC Press/Taylor and Francis (2010, New York and London) and Counter-Terrorism Measures in Southeast Asia:  How Effective Are They? published by Yuchengco Center (Manila, 2009).

His forthcoming book is entitled Renewed Tensions in the South China Sea: Maritime Security Dilemma in the Philippines and the Asia Pacific.

Participants from INGO, UN organizations and businesses were mesmerized by the colorful slide supported presentation of Prof. Rommel about the South China Sea issue from a Philippine perspective and the respective regional repercussions.

Prof. Rommel Banlaoi moderated by Dr. Wilfried A. Herrmann, Executive Director

The South China Sea is currently tense because of unresolved territorial claims and maritime boundary disputes. The area has become a source of renewed inter-state rivalries because the disputes have become closely associated with interrelated issues of energy security, food security, territorial security, maritime security and military security. All these issues have intensified the maritime security dilemma not only of littoral states but also other major powers and stakeholders. But the major source of maritime security dilemma in East and South China Sea is the military rise of China. From an economic power, China is fast becoming a sea power that can alter the balance of military power in the Asia Pacific. Ameliorating the maritime security dilemma associated with the military rise of China is essential for regional peace, stability and prosperity. Comprehensive engagement is deemed necessary to develop good and friendly relations with China so its rise will not be inimical to regional and global security.

Lively discussions after Prof. Rommel’s presentation

The event was held under the Chatham House Rules which means that information gained during this event may be used. However, the person sharing the information must not be named.

HDFF would like to take the opportunity to thank the amazing guest speaker who received on 16 April 2011 the Philippine Peace Price as well as the participants for their energetic involvement making this 4^th HDFF Chairman’s Circle really thriving.

HDFF Executive Director Dr. Wilfried A. Herrmann (seated middle) with Prof. Rommel Banlaoi (PIPVTR/ seated second right) and some of the participants of the 4th HDFF Chairman’s Circle

The next HDFF Chairman’s Circle/Strategic Forum which will continue to be held as a half day monthly event will commence on 26 May 2011 dealing with the situation in Indonesia or Malaysia. More information will be posted soon on the website or can be obtained via event@hdff.org

Chairman’s Circle 3

HDFF Chairman’s Circle/ Strategic Forum persistent in its success !!

“Current and Evolving Terrorist threats in the Philippines –Parallels to Thailand?”

Friday, March 25, 2011

HDFF's Program

On Friday, March 25, 2011, HDFF welcomed again high level guests to the HDFF Chairman’s Circle/Strategic Forum series 2011 supported by IRPC at the Pullman Hotel, Bangkok.

It was an honor and pleasure to have a renowned guest speaker coming in from the Philippines especially for this high level event of HDFF to explain the situation in the Philippines:

Prof. Rommel C. Banlaoi , Executive Director and Chairman of the Board of Trustees - Philippine Institute for Political Violence and Terrorism Research

Professor Banlaoi served as a Professor of Political Science at the National Defense College of the Philipines (NDCP), Assistant Professor of International Studies at De La Salle University (DLSU) and Instructor in Political Science at the University of the Philippines (UP) at Los Banos. He also became the Director for Research at the World Citi Colleges, a private university in the Philippines, member of the Board of Regents of the University of Eastern Pangasinan (UEP) and Director of the Mayor’s Development Center of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines. He is currently a Senior Fellow at the Yuchengco Center of De La Salle University, Manila.  He authored various books and publications pertaining to terrorism, national security, and international relations, most recently (2010):

Philippine Security in the Age of Terror: National, Regional, and Global Challenges in the Post-9/11 World
Rommel Banlaoi, Philippine Institute for Political Violence and Terrorism Research, Pasig City

Interested guests of various INGO, UN organizations and businesses were fascinated to listen to the presentation of Prof. Rommel about the terrorism in the Philippines and the respective implications.

HDFF Chairman General (ret) Bunchon Chawansin welcomes Prof. Rommel Banlaoi, Philippine Institute for Political Violence and Terrorism Research

According to the FTI risk ratings the Philippines have overtaken Thailand and Indonesia when it comes to facing terrorism threats. This is underlined by the fact that between 2005 and 2010 altogether 1,536 people were killed by terrorist attacks. These numbers were reason enough to bring Prof. Rommel Banlaoi to Bangkok in order to discuss with him the background and the respective implications for the ASEAN neighbors.

Philippine terrorism is based on a network of family and business links so very difficult to penetrate and erase. Kidnapping for ransom (KFR) is still a major risk for (inter)national business men and bystanders.

Parallels to Southern Thailand are very limited as the geographical setting and the cultural background is different. It remains, however, clear that some terroristic training ideas are shared on a region wide basis in Southeast Asia.

The event was held under the Chatham House Rules which means that information gained during this event may be used. However, the person sharing the information must not be named.

Discussion after Prof. Rommel’s presentation

A lively discussion with inputs from various sources created an inspirational environment with some interesting insights into Philippine and even Southern Thailand politics.

HDFF would like to take the opportunity to thank the extraordinary guest speaker who received on 16 April 2011 the Philippine Peace Price as well as the participants for their active participation making this third HDFF Chairman’s Circle really thriving.

The next HDFF Chairman’s Circle/Strategic Forum which will continue to be held as a half day monthly event will commence on 26 May 2011 dealing with the situation in Indonesia or Malaysia. More information will be posted soon on the website or can be obtained via event@hdff.org

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HDFF Chairman’s Circle/ Strategic Forum continued with great success !

“Strategic Implications of the Thai-Cambodian tensions ”

Thursday, February 17, 2011

General (ret) Bunchon Chawansin, HDFF Chairman

On the Thursday, February 17, 2011, HDFF continued the HDFF Chairman’s Circle/Strategic
Forum series 2011 supported by IRPC at the Pullman Hotel, Bangkok.

As border tensions at the Thai-Cambodian border running high with several clashes during
the early weeks of February the second HDFF Chairman’s Circle / Strategic Forum’s topic
was changed to the “Strategic Implications of the Thai-Cambodian tensions”.

HDFF Chairman General (ret) Bunchon Chawansin and participants are listening to General (ret) Vaipot Srinual’s comment

A wide range of high level participants – among others – H.E. Ambassador Milan Sedlacek
from the Czech Republic, former Deputy Permanent Secretary General (ret) Vaipot Srinual,
representatives from the Embassy of South Africa as well as INGO regional offices in
Bangkok listened to the excellent speakers Prof. Thanet Aphonsuvan from Thammasat
University and Khun Kavi Chongkittavorn, former Group Editor of the NATION Group on
their views on the situation at the Thai-Cambodian border and the respective ASEAN
implications.

HDFF Chairman General (ret) Bunchon Chawansin and participants are listening to General (ret) Vaipot Srinual’s comment

As a result of the event one could say that despite the fact that there is always the chance of
a mistake cautious optimism remained, i.e., the probability of a full blown war between the
two countries was considered low. Nevertheless, skirmishes will most likely continue for a
while or even throughout the year as the clashes at the beginning of February 2011 were
the most serious for decades. The event was held under the Chatham House Rules which
means that information gained during this event may be used. However, the person sharing
the information must not be named.

Discussion after Khun Kavi Chongkittavorn’s presentation

A lively discussion with inputs from various sources created an inspirational environment
with some interesting insights into Thai and Cambodian politics.

Professor Thanet’s presentation

HDFF would like to take the opportunity to thank the speakers as well as the participants
for their active participation making this second HDFF Chairman’s Circle really out of the
ordinary.

HDFF Chairman General (ret) Bunchon Chawansin (seated middle) with presenters Khun Kavi Chongkittavorn (former NATION / standing second right) and Professor Thanet Aphornsuvan (Thammasat University / standing third right) and participants of the second Chairman’s Circle

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The next HDFF Chairman’s Circle/Strategic Forum which will be held monthly will be coming up on 24 March 2011 dealing with the situation in Myanmar or the Philippines. More information will be posted soon on the website or can be obtained via event@hdff.or.th

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HDFF Chairman’s Circle/ Strategic Forum started successful !

“Quo Vadis Thailand?”

Thursday, January 27, 2011

General (ret) Bunchon Chawansin, HDFF Chairman

On the Thursday, January 27, 2011, HDFF successfully launched the HDFF Chairman’s Circle/Strategic Forum series 2011 supported by IRPC at the Pullman Hotel, Bangkok.

Thai as well as international speakers shared their profound knowledge and inside views on strategic and security issues in Thailand which led to fruitful conversations and startling findings.

HDFF Chairman General (ret) Bunchon Chawansin (seated left) with keynote speaker LtGen Navin Damrigan, Ph.D. (seated middle) and participants of inaugural Chairman’s Circle

Active participants as well as very honest and knowledgeable speakers contributed to the great success of this inaugural Chairman’s Circle/Strategic Forum 2011.

The discussions and debates continued even after the official ending of the event. These talks and information exchanges greatly contributed to the event. Participants also mentioned that they were surprised as well as delighted about the openness with which even sensitive issues were discussed. The event was held under the Chatham House Rules which means that information gained during this event may be used. However, the person sharing the information must not be named.

HDFF would like to thank the speakers as well as the participants for their active participation making this HDFF Chairman’s Circle truly extraordinary.

HDFF Chairman General (ret) Bunchon Chawansin (seated middle) with keynote speaker LtGen Dr. Perapong Manakit. (seated right), Senior Expert Dr. Peter Lehr (University St. Andrews Scotland, seated left) and participants of inaugural Chairman’s Circle

This was the inaugural event of the HDFF Chairman’s Circle/Strategic Forum which will be held monthly with the next meeting commencing on 17 February 2011 dealing with the situation in Myanmar. Further events will cope with the Philippines as well as the South China Sea. More information will be posted soon on the website or can be obtained via event@hdff.or.th