[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 43 (Monday, October 27, 2003)]
[Pages 1434-1435]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at the Royal Thai Army Headquarters in Bangkok

October 19, 2003

    Thank you very much, Mr. Minister. Thank you very much. Thank you 
very much. General Thammarak, commanders of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, 
members of the Royal Thai Army, veterans, members of the United States 
military, distinguished guests and citizens of Thailand, Mrs. Bush and I 
appreciate your kind welcome to the Royal Thai Army Headquarters. We are 
honored to be here.
    We're honored to be in the Kingdom of Thailand. Today I'm pleased to 
convey the respect of the American Armed Forces and the good wishes of 
the American people. I'm grateful to His Majesty the King and Her 
Majesty the Queen for inviting us to this ancient and beautiful land.
    Earlier today I met with Prime Minister Thaksin, and I was proud to 
reaffirm the great friendship between our nations. We share a belief in 
democracy and human rights and ethnic and religious tolerance. We also 
share a willingness to defend those values in times of danger. Our 
alliance of conviction is also an alliance of courage.
    The Thai people have proven your commitment to freedom many times. 
With us today are members of the Free Thai Movement, who showed such 
fierce courage during World War II. Other veterans have served in Korea 
and Vietnam, where the Americans and Thais fought and died together, and 
during the cold war, when our partnership was so vital to the stability 
of Asia. All the veterans hold an honored place in a great alliance, and 
I salute your service.
    Today, our nations are challenged once again. We're threatened by 
ruthless enemies unlike others we have faced. Terrorist groups hide in 
many countries. They emerge to kill the innocent. They seek weapons to 
kill on a massive scale. One terrorist camp in the mountains of central 
Asia can bring horror to innocent people living far away, whether 
they're in Bali, in Riyadh, or in New York City. One murderous dictator 
pursuing weapons of mass destruction and cultivating ties to terror 
could threaten the lives of millions.
    We must fight terrorism on many fronts. We must stay on the 
offensive until the terrorist threat is fully and finally defeated. To 
win the war on terror, we must hunt a scattered and resourceful enemy in 
dark corners around the world. We must break up their cells, shut off 
their sources of money. We must oppose the propaganda of hatred that 
feeds their cause. In the nations where resentment and terrorism have 
taken root, we must encourage the alternative of progress and tolerance 
and freedom that leads to peace.
    Nations that choose to fight terror are defending their own safety 
and securing the peace of all mankind. The United States of America has 
made its choice. The Kingdom of Thailand has made its choice. We will 
meet this danger and overcome this evil. Whatever is asked of us, no 
matter how long it takes, we will push on until our work is done.
    Three months after my country was attacked on September the 11th, 
2001, Prime Minister Thaksin came to America and offered Thailand's help 
in the war on terror. Since then, Thailand has committed military

[[Page 1435]]

forces outside Southeast Asia for the first time in more than 50 years. 
Some of you have just returned from Afghanistan, where you gave many 
months of service. Thai engineers rebuilt Afghanistan's national 
airfield and helped restore much of that country's infrastructure. And 
the Afghan people and the American people are grateful for your service. 
The Thai task force is a vital part of the multinational division in 
Karbala, Iraq, once again helping a shattered country rebuild after 
years of oppression.
    Inside your own country, you are pursuing dangerous terrorists and 
finding them, and America thanks you for ending the lethal career of the 
terrorist Hambali, who is suspected of planning the attack on Bali and 
other acts of terror. Thailand pledged to fight the war on terror, and 
that pledge is being honored in full.
    Thailand is also a force of good throughout Southeast Asia. When 
East Timor was torn by violence, Thai forces joined with Americans and 
Australians to bring stability, and they helped establish the world's 
newest nation. This important work has brought dignity to the people of 
East Timor and greater security to this region.
    Together, our two nations are fighting the drug trade by sharing 
intelligence that helps Thai law enforcement officials interdict 
shipments and catch drug traffickers. We're fighting the trafficking in 
human beings to abolish a modern form of slavery.
    America supports your country's humane efforts to find, defuse, and 
dispose of landmines. And having cooperated for decades to fight 
hepatitis and malaria, we're now working together to turn the tide 
against AIDS.
    America and Thailand understand that trade and growth are the only 
sure ways to spread prosperity and lift people and nations out of 
poverty. And this morning I'm pleased to announce that the United States 
and Thailand are planning to launch negotiations toward a free trade 
agreement. This region and our world must one day trade in freedom.
    In all our common efforts, we are confident of the outcome. We're 
confident in the power of freedom to overcome hatred and uplift whole 
nations. We're confident in the strength of our alliance, and I have 
acted to designate Thailand a major non-NATO ally of the United States. 
And we're confident in the character of those who defend us. American 
and Thai forces serve together and train together and study at military 
academies in each other's countries. We have come to know and respect 
one another.
    America remembers and honors a young man named Kemaphoom 
Chanawongse, known to his family and friends as Ahn. He was born in 
Bangkok, the grandson of a Royal Thai Air Force veteran. He moved to 
America when he was 9 years old, fulfilled his great ambition to become 
a United States Marine. Ahn was part of the force that defeated the army 
of Saddam Hussein. He was killed in action near An Nasariyah. This son 
of Thailand, this American patriot, was buried among America's greatest 
military heroes at Arlington National Cemetery. This brave marine 
brought honor to the Nation he served and honor to the nation of his 
birth.
    Thailand and the United States lie thousands of miles apart. Yet in 
the ideals we serve, we will always be close. America is grateful for 
your friendship. We respect the skill and valor of the Royal Thai 
military, and we're proud to stand by your side in the cause of peace. 
May God bless you.

Note: The President spoke at 12:40 p.m. In his remarks, he referred to 
Gen. (Ret.) Thammarak Isarangkun an Ayuttha, Thailand's Minister of 
Defense; King Phumiphon Adunyadet, Queen Sirikit, and Prime Minister 
Thaksin Chinnawat of Thailand; Nurjaman Riduan Isamuddin (known as 
Hambali), Al Qaida's chief operational planner in Southeast Asia; and 
former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq.