POSITION PAPER

COMMITTEE: The Legal Committee

COUNTRY: Kingdom of Thailand
SCHOOL: V.C.W Arya Vidya Mandir
DELEGATE: Ashay Mehta
TOPIC AREA: The weaponization of space
Causes and consequences for space weaponization:
For many years, countries have been exploring space and sending satellites for several
causes like finding out weather information and gathering data on natural catastrophe
which might occur in the near future.
Today, in the 21st century, the superpowers of the world want to remain the
superpowers and the third world countries, well, they have no choice but to live under
them. These superpowers, take precautions to maintain their supremacy on this
planet. One of these precautions taken by these superpowers is the weaponization of
space. Taking such steps, not only leads to the other countries being more paranoid
and insecure, but it also hampers the relationship between nations as even allied
countries feel threatened. Its a never-ending chain of suspicion and proliferation of
arms.
The basic cause of this is the insecurity of the powerful nations of the world to
maintain their preeminence, no matter what. The United States being one of the most
insecure and paranoid country. Many countries in the present have voluntarily become
rather unclear of the space treaties they are bound by and are all set to take part in the
space race which was originally between the Cold War rivals, the erstwhile USSR and
the USA.
This race of space weapons which countries are taking part in for their own safety and
supremacy could lead to a nuclear war in the future. Lets assume, we let all the
countries establish military bases in outer space and the United Nations approves the
establishment of space weapons and other missiles. In about 20 years from now, most
of the countries will have explored space to a considerate extent and would have
military bases in space. Now what? The countries would then be afraid about whether
the other countries have stronger military bases or more developed technology. This
would again lead to insecurity and paranoia amongst countries, the same old case.
When this happens, the superpowers, to prove their hegemony to the world and to
eliminate any potential threats would then use these weapons to attack the military
bases of other countries in space. The space race would then become the space war or
star wars as Id term it. Eventually, this war will find its way to our sweet planet
earth and nuclear war will prevail. After a lot of destruction and arduous struggle of
the nations, at last there would be armistice. And then the cycle will start again. This
is what would happen in the next 100 years if countries were permitted to establish
military bases in space. With this, the world economy will go into negative numbers,

the natural resources would get depleted for rather futile reasons, panic would be
caused and there will be mass destruction.
Which is why the countries of today need to think and act as one, which is why the
countries of today need to work in harmony, which is why the countries of today need
to understand that they are all made out of the same landmass, the Pangaea and that
eliminating and ruling over each other will lead to nothing but only collateral damage,
perhaps to the annihilation of the human species itself.
The policies of the Kingdom of Thailand with respect to space utilization:
Thailand is completely against the topic that space should be weaponized.
Thailand has the second largest economy and also the second largest external trade
and international reserves in entire southeast Asia. Thailand is referred to as one of
the great development and success stories by the World Bank. Irrespective of being a
tiny country in the southeast, Thailand also has launched several satellites into space
for peaceful reasons only.
Thailand has been using its satellites for noble purposes from the very beginning.
In 1966, Thailand became signatory to INTELSAT to use satellite telecommunication
systems. Further on, in 1971 Thailand made its first remote sensing satellite in
collaboration with NASA in the Earth Resource Technology satellite using
LANDSAT remote sensing satellite. The country has been using this space technology
for Global Positioning Systems (GPS), Research and development of outer space,
agriculture and land uses as GPS is used to find out coordinates for issuing land
deeds. Educating children about space, predicting the weather forecast, national
security are a few other causes for which Thailand has been using satellites. In the
impending years, Thailand will set an example of smart space applications to augment
the countrys international competitiveness and eminence of life. It will apply space
technology at all levels for the betterment of the people. Thailand will also use space
and technology to assist security measures. Commercial use of space will be done by
full support by the government.
Thailand aims to use its satellites for space related research. Human Resource
Development is another aspect Thailand aims to cover in the forthcoming years.
The main target for Thailand is to start the establishment for the TSA, the Thai Space
Agency.
Having satellites in the sky, several natural calamities could be predicted, like the
Katrina cyclone itself, and people would be evacuated in time. Live feed of images
and clips to the national security will make it easier to spread a particular word.
But of course, such goals cannot be fulfilled with lack of resources and money. Most
space capable countries except the United States, France, China and Japan are
spending between 0.02 and 0.06 percent of their GDP on space. Thailand is keeping a
space budget of upto 150 million dollars, so that the views and aspirations of this
master plan of using space in the smart way could be contented.
Solutions to this pandemic disease of paranoia which will lead to the
weaponization of space:
In the end, it is not about how much a country can spend on making satellites, its
about how much they can spend for the betterment of their own people and for the
responsible citizens of this planet. Thus, the only elucidation to this disease of wild

insecurity is for the nations of this planet rise up as one and do something for the well
being of this planet and its people.
1) What if, instead of weaponizing space, we assured it. Space assurance is taking
steps for the safety of the citizens without the use of any weapons. That way all the
countries would get to put their own assurance for their own people. This way the
main issue of insecurity also gets taken cared of as each country would assure their
citizens safety and there would be no placement of arms in space, which could cause
any possible detriment to the people.
2) Billions of dollars on space militarization which would lead to mass destruction in
the end, could be saved for tackling natural calamities in the future, or the money
could be used to feed the millions hungry all over the world. That same money could
be used to create so many job opportunities, which would lead to the overall increase
of the economy of each country. Instead, the nations are on a rush to create missiles,
which would only come back and blow themselves.
3) Instead of surreptitiously carrying out space research in one corner of the world and
doing the same research in another corner, a team of researchers from over the world
could work jointly and conduct their research together for common good. This way,
the chances of coming across something new would be much more.
4) The Outer Space Treaty prohibits States Parties from placing in orbit around the
Earth any objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass
destruction, installing such weapons on celestial bodies, or stationing such weapons in
outer space in any other manner. The Treaty also states that the Moon and other
celestial bodies shall be used exclusively for peaceful purposes and prohibits the
establishment of military bases, installations and fortifications, the testing of any
types of weapons and the conduct of military manoeuvres on such celestial bodies.
However the use of military personnel for scientific research or for any other peaceful
purposes is not prohibited.
More laws like this should be made and enforced upon all the countries. Truce should
be made amongst countries and the space race should be stopped once and for all.
5) To prevent any further risks of the weaponization of space, a special international
body should be made which inspects and approves a spaceship or a satellite to be
launched into space, and only on its approval should the permission be given.
Towards the end, Id like to say something not as the delegate of the Kingdom of
Thailand, but as a resident born on the soil of this very planet, its time the nations of
the world walked hand in hand together, without any insecurity, fear or paranoia,
working as one for the people of this planet. Only then, will true peace be achieved,
and with true peace comes true justice.
The choice, however, is as clear now for nations as it was once for the individual:
peace or extinction.
-Lester B. Pearson

--May the force be with you--