Peace board price tag

Thailand has received an invitation from US President Donald Trump to join his newly proposed "Board of Peace", an organisation ostensibly aimed at overseeing the reconstruction and peace process in Gaza following more than two years of devastating conflict.

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While the Foreign Ministry is studying the details and reaffirming Bangkok's support for a two-state solution, the decision to engage — particularly at the level of permanent membership — comes with risks. A seat at this table carries a staggering price tag of US$1 billion (31 billion baht), a sum that demands far more than diplomatic curiosity.

The board's structure, with Mr Trump as lifelong chair vested with the power to appoint successors and remove members, signals ambitions that stretch far beyond the ruins of Gaza, if not the creation of an alternative to the United Nations.