Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of Thailand, stated regarding the postponement of his attendance at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA80) in New York, USA. After discussion with several parties, Mr. Anutin stated his concern, worrying that he will not be able to deliver the policy statement on time. He also added there are also matters of the timing and his current authority as the Prime Minister explained there needs to be careful scrutiny, as some suggested he could go, while others advised against it.
“We want everything to be fully complete, to deliver the policy statement properly first,” Mr. Anutin noted. “It’s better to wait until everything is properly in place before negotiating with anyone—not necessarily at the UN forum.”
Mr. Anutin also mentioned that the government already has a clear direction on how to manage the Thai-Cambodian conflict. He has had an initial discussion with Mr. Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Minister of Foreign Affairs. This trip is not for signing or concluding any agreement, as once the government officially takes office, the approach will be clear.
When asked if not attending the meeting would damage Thailand’s credibility, Mr. Anutin replied that confidence comes from the government’s management and the public’s support for the government and military, not from any forum. The Prime Minister stated that this is a domestic issue, and the real credibility is when all parties in the country are ready, and the public supports government and military policy and approaches.
Mr. Anutin hopes that next week, the Speaker of the House of Representatives will allow the policy statement to be made. The Prime Minister stated that Day 1 of the government should be the day that the policy statement is fully delivered. For the first Cabinet meeting scheduled for 24 September, the government’s policy statement draft will be brought for Cabinet acknowledgement before submission to Parliament, with the debate expected to take two days.
On constitutional amendment, Mr. Anutin confirmed it is included in the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the People’s Party. As for opinions on the model of the Constitution Drafting Assembly of Thailand (CDA), he said it will follow the system and declined to address any drama, asking for people to wait and see the concrete outcome.
