Philippines

One of the issues identified in the articles are the number of insurgencies present in the
Philippines. Since the 1970s, there have been numerous groups of rebels, communists and other
religious groups. A prevalent insurgent group is the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), formerly
associated with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). The aim of this group is to create an
independent state for the Moro people. Peace talks with this group have spanned over presidencies,
from President Estrada to President Arroyo.
Additionally, the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) is also present in the country. Kidnapping, hostages,
and explosions are some of the attacks this group has caused. Communist groups such as the
Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the New People’s Army (NPA) aim to eliminate capitalism.
Through there efforts, this insurgent group has been responsible for an estimate of deaths that amount
to five figures. The efforts created to control this is the AFP’s Internal Peace and Security Plan (IPSP)
which has encouraged voluntary surrenders. Peace talks have also been attempted since 1986 but is still
continuing till 2011 onward. .
Besides these, private armies are also prevalent in the country. An example of a private army is
the Ampatuan clan in Mindanao and are seen as allies by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the
government during President Arroyo’s term.
In the context of security, funding for the military is an issue. Most of the equipment owned by
the Armed Forces of the Philippines are second-hand. Besides inventory being old and outdated (with
some still coming from World War II), many of the military personnel still lack training. Efforts made to
improve this include a modernisation program via the United States. Additionally, the Philippine
government will also buy new equipment from Taiwan and South Korea.
In addition to this, there is also an ongoing discussion on ownership of the South China
Sea/West Philippine Sea. In the center of this maritime area is less than three square miles of
uninhabitable land, yet there are six countries who claim this land nicknamed “The Spratly Islands”. The
six countries who claim this land are China, Philippines, vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei, yet China
is the most aggressive in claiming their territorial waters. It was only in 2011 when the Philippines began
to act upon this agreement. It started with the Philippine government filing grievances up to the United
States providing military support to help protect the sea. Back and forth responses are exchanged when
it comes to demonstrating dominance through conducting naval exercises.
Upon reflecting on these articles today, first of all, we need to compare it with the modern
context. With the recent news about the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement with the United
States of America, our military funding and aid will be cut off. To add, we will also be missing out on
training exercises from the Americans. This VFA can also be related to the discourse on the West
Philippine Sea. With the new administration of President Duterte, the decision to give up the VFA might
be a strategy to eliminate the alliance with the United States and to win favor with China.
 Thailand

The pressing issue in Thailand is the new constitution. From a former absolute monarchy,
Thailand is moving towards democracy. Thailand’s National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), a
military-backed organization presented a constitutional referendum. This new proposed constitution will
allow the government to allow NCPO to play a major role in the government. Thai citizens were to vote
on only two questions:
1. Do you accept the draft constitution?
2. Should the Upper House of Parliament be permitted to join the Lower House in selecting
a Prime Minister?
The issue with this draft constitution is how much control the military will have over the country
and whether or not the senate will be able to vote for the prime minister. This draft will promote
democracy by making it harder for only one political party to win. There are issues with the suppression
of information. Although there was a low voter turnout, 60% voted for the constitution while 40% were
against it.
 References

Abuza, Z. (2012). Philippines: Internal and External Security Challenges. Australian Strategic Policy
Institute.
Cruz, E. S. (2015). In Defense of the Spratly Islands: The Philippines' Bilateral Defense Policy Against a
Looming China.
McCargo, D., Alexander, S. T., & Desatova, P. (2017). Ordering peace: Thailand's 2016 constitutional
referendum. Contemporary Southeast Asia, 65-95.
Wheeler, M. (2018). THAILAND’S SOUTHERN INSURGENCY IN 2017. Southeast Asian Affairs, 377-
388.