Thai-Lao relations can be traced back to the dawn of history. “Baan Pee Muang Nong”, literally translated to mean, "brotherly neighbourhood", the term has been commonly used to describe the inseparable ties between these two Southeast Asian nations. Thai-Lao ties are cast on a canvas of bitterness set during a time when Siam exercised suzerainty over Laos relegating it to a status of vassalage. Through the years, Thailand and Laos have gradually overcome the memories that have plagued their historical interactions.
Today, publicly at least, ties between Thailand and Laos mirrors a partnership of equals. Thailand’s contributions include a series of joint commissions between both countries, ranging from the area of security cooperation to bilateral trade promotion, provide evidence of a myriad of cooperative mechanisms, designed to foster Lao development. Links between the two countries’ provincial governors in the border areas have also been cultivated. Contentious issues, such as transnational narcotic smuggling, are regularly discussed. More importantly, the Thai-Lao Friendship Association, founded in 1994, has continued to promote better understanding between people on both sides of the Mekong.
In 2005, two-way trade between Thailand and Laos increased 43.27% from the year before, totalling over US$1b. Thailand continues to remain an most important investment source for Laos, with more than 100 Thai projects valued at US600m, already approved by the Lao government in the electricity, transportation, telecommunications, hotel and tourism sectors. Thailand also includes Laos in the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) together with Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam, under the auspices of Bangkok’s aim of fostering economic prosperity among these Southeast Asian countries. On a smaller scale, the Emerald Triangular Cooperative Framework, which encompasses Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, has also been successful in jointly marketing tourism among member countries.
All these efforts ensure that Thailand and Laos continue to realise the potential of their close cooperation, and sustainable benefits are likely to be accrued in the long-term. It would however be a stretch to conclude that strong ties with Thailand alone will satisfy Laos’ appetite for a larger role in the regional politics. After all, globalisation has arrived in Laos too.
The Lao government has grasped every opportunity to enlarge its diplomatic network, particularly with other hegemons in the region. During the past months, Vientiane has been busy rolling out the red carpet to welcome dignitaries from Vietnam and China. In October last year, Nong Duc Manh, Secretary-General of the Communist Party of Vietnam, paid a visit to Laos to strengthen the “traditional bond of solidarity” as well as to reinvigorate bilateral relations. More tellingly, China’s President Hu Jintao also visited Vientiane recently, ostensibly in a move to sow the seed of Chinese influence as Beijing increasingly recognises Laos’ strategic importance as an economic gateway to lower Southeast Asia.
Laos’ leaders are nowadays looking up to the successful developmental models of China and Vietnam, where the state does not necessarily sacrifice its stranglehold of power for the sake of economic liberalisation. Thailand has noted the greater presence of regional powers seeking to exercise greater influence in Laos over the last few years. Nonetheless, it hopes to reap some early dividends in the form of solid bilateral ties that would guarantee a slice of Thai influence in Laos’ political and economic landscape.
Thailand and Laos may share similar religions, languages and local customs, but these similarities have sometimes proved to be a handicap in elevating Thai-Lao ties onto a higher plane. Ironically, these similarities cause frequent cultural misunderstandings, especially since Laos feels that their immediate neighbour constantly looks down on them. Critically, unlike China and Vietnam, Thailand has a much greater obstacle to cross when it comes to Laos,given the overwhelming dominance of the cultural factors at play in this complicated friendship.
This cultural ill feeling is a result of Thailand’s past attempts to construct its national identity. The Thais often imagine their neighbours in a negative light, exhibiting a sense of superiority in doing so. This process of negative identification against “the other” has been passed down to the present generation, creating an insecurity complex that does not seem to go away. As much as the Thai state craves for a stronger relationship with Laos, the Thai public’s awareness of Lao culture and identity is largely tangential and negligible.
The recent uproar among Lao leaders over a Thai TV drama is testament to the cultural insensitivity that dominates the Thai psyche. The drama, titled “Love Song on Both Sides of the Mekong,” is a love story set between a Thai and Lao couple. Almost matter-of-factly, the plot denigrates Lao family values and belittles Laos’s national pride (in one scene the Thai protagonist throws Laos’ national flower in the dustbin). The Thai producers were subsequently forced to suspend airing of the soap opera at the request of both the Thai and Lao authorities.
Although this episode revealed how much (or little) latitude both countries are willing to accede to artistic licence, it nonetheless mirrors the mores and norms that dominate perceptions that have shaped countless generations in Thailand. Although Thailand may be one of Laos’ closest neighbour, the historical baggage that dominates relations between the two countries have stood firm against commitments by both governments to move ties forward.