By Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation
New York
Mon, September 29, 2008
Foreign Minister Sompong Amornwiwat skipped his speech at the United Nations General Assembly due to fear of violating the constitution since his government has not yet announced policies to the parliament.
Sompong was scheduled to deliver his speech to the assembly on Monday at the UN headquarter in New York but he assigned the Thai Permanent Representative to the UN Don Pramudwinai to deliver on behalf of the Thai government.
"As long as the government has not yet announced the policy to the parliament, I should not say anything about policy commitment to the international community," Sompong told reporters.
The Nation
New York
Mon, September 29, 2008
Foreign Minister Sompong Amornwiwat skipped his speech at the United Nations General Assembly due to fear of violating the constitution since his government has not yet announced policies to the parliament.
Sompong was scheduled to deliver his speech to the assembly on Monday at the UN headquarter in New York but he assigned the Thai Permanent Representative to the UN Don Pramudwinai to deliver on behalf of the Thai government.
"As long as the government has not yet announced the policy to the parliament, I should not say anything about policy commitment to the international community," Sompong told reporters.
The 2007 Constitution's article 176 requires the government to announce its policies to the parliament before running the administration.
The second paragraph of the article allows the ministers to function only in urgent matters or to prevent damage.
"I consider that the speech is not an urgent matter. There would be no damage to national interest if I did not make the speech, he said.
Some 20 bilateral meetings were also cancelled since the minister feared he needed to touch upon policy matters during the meetings with his counterparts.
However Sompong presided over the information Asean meeting on the sideline of UN meeting on the same day as Thailand was the current chairman of the regional grouping whose foreign ministers were in New York for the UN.
Sompong said he regarded the Asean meeting was a non-policy binding since he just conducted the meeting to follow up the preparation for Asean summit due in Bangkok in December.
The Asean ministers also listened to report by Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan on the Asean restructuring as well as progress of border dispute settlement between Thailand and Cambodia, he said.
Asean meeting is an important matter for Thailand to carry on since Bangkok is holding rotation chairmanship.
"I cannot assign the Foreign Ministry's Permanent Secretary or our ambassador to chair the meeting since other attendances are ministerial levels," he said.
"I regard the meeting on the sideline of the UN is a routine, not a policy commitment," Sompong said.
The foreign minister hoped the Asean and the UN members would understand his situation and Thailand's domestic political difficulties.
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