Stability in EU after brutal world wars 'offers lessons'
FRANCE'S AMBASSADOR to Thailand Thierry Viteau said yesterday that lessons can be learnt from the lasting stability in the European Union, despite the brutality among its members during World Wars I and II.
“Despite war, there is always hope for peace and reconciliation,” Viteau told the press yesterday ahead of an event remembering those who lost their lives in WWI or the “Great War” next Tuesday.
Deputy PM and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan and Deputy PM and Foreign Affairs Minister General Tanasak Patimapragorn will be attending the commemoration at the embassy, the ambassador said.
Also invited are other European ambassadors, top Thai military officials, members of the Thai veterans associations as well as several other key public figures.
During the press conference held yesterday morning at the French embassy, the ambassador explained the historical context of the Great War, the Thai-French ties at the time and how Siamese expeditionary corps of 1,284 volunteers were sent to Europe to fight the war alongside the allies in July 1918.
Viteau also shared other information related to the Great War, like how the “bleuet” or wild cornflower, which grew on the battlefields, became a symbol of Remembrance Day. He said these little blue flowers gave hope to soldiers of a life beyond the horror.
At the event, the French embassy will be putting up an exhibition of photographs, objects and films depicting the role Siamese soldiers played in WWI. Also on display will be documents from Defence Communication and the Radio-Television Production Institution that have never been released before.
