At the UN, Prayut invokes HM the King and his work for Thailand's success
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Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, in his address to the United Nations General Assembly, yesterday highlighted His Majesty the King's Sufficiency Economy Philosophy as a key to the success of Thailand's development.
Thailand’s socio-economic success of the past three decades – its ascension to the rank of middle-income country, and its current status as an equal partner for development, owed a great deal to the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy of His Majesty the King, Prayut said.
Under the theme; “The United Nation at 70 – the road ahead to peace, security and human rights”, the 70th session of the UN General Assembly was held on Monday and Tuesday.
“It is my conviction that Thailand will be stable only when we have developed our-selves into a nation filled with virtuous, competent and enlightened citizens, who live their lives responsibly for the greater good,” Prayut said.
It is the first time Prayut has attended the UN General Assembly since the May 22 coup toppled the elected civilian government.
During a meeting with Prayut on Sunday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon raised his concerns over the shrinking democratic image of Thailand.
The UN chief emphasised the need for the Thai government to uphold freedom of speech and assembly, which are basic human rights.
Prayut told the General Assembly that Thailand has always accorded priority to protecting and promoting human rights for all groups of people.
“We proudly served as a member of the Human Rights Council from 2010 to 2013 and as its Chair during 2010 to 2011,” he said.
“During our tenure, we advocated ourselves as a bridge builder among nations and groups of nations with diverging views and ideologies. We uphold the principle of non-discrimination and constructive partnerships. We also support the capacity building of individual nations in their human rights protection and promotion efforts,” he said.
But, Prayut neither mentioned human rights practices at home, nor made any strong commitments of his government on human rights protection. On democracy, Prayut said his government was undertaking reform towards democracy. “Hopefully in the process, the reforms will help us to achieve security, prosperity, sustainability and pave the way towards resilient democracy,” he said.
Some of the major reforms included amending laws and strengthening the justice system; improving public-sector efficiency; creating trust, social reconciliation and unity; and harmonising social order, he said.
“What we do today will become tomorrow’s history. Therefore, we must make the best of today, so that 10 or 20 years from now we will be remembered for our actions. We want Thailand to be stronger, better, and become more actively involved in the work of the UN to shape a brighter future for us all,” he said.
During his speech, Prayut told the General Assembly that Thailand had applied for a seat as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC) for the term 2017-2018 and asked members to support the bid.
“We believe that we can play a constructive role in bridging different cultures and beliefs,” he said.
Meanwhile, Asean yesterday reaffirmed its support for Thailand’s bid for the non-permanent seat on the UNSC and requested that Thailand coordinate this endeavour with permanent representatives of Asean members in New York.
The reaffirmation was made during a meeting of Asean foreign ministers on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The
support means all Asean members would
collectively help Thailand to campaign for the seat, according to officials at the Foreign Ministry.
The vote for the seat would take place in the middle of next year.
