Nasa climate research move may go to Parliament
Parliament and Cabinet could give approval next month for the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) to conduct climate research over Thailand, Science and Technology Minister Plodprasob Surassawadee has told Voice of America (VOA).
Plodprasob visited Washington DC recently and was interviewed by VOA’s Thai-language service. He said officials at the US space agency understood the situation and told him that if Thailand gave the green light, about 100 NASA staff were ready to go to Thailand to conduct research.
“This is about science,” Plodprasob was quoted as saying on VOA’s website on July 7. “But the opposition cried out and newspapers fanned [the issue] and there were threats that the matter would be brought to court.”
Plodprasob said the matter would be discussed in Parliament as per Article 179 of the charter. Article 179 allows the government to bring an important issue up for discussion but there would be no voting on the issue.
The minister also insisted that the majority of Thai people were well aware that Nasa wanted only to carry out scientific research that would benefit Thailand and nothing more. “Only a minority are misled,” he said.
The government was accused by the opposition and other groups of wanting to help America carry out military reconnaissance that would upset China. But the minister reiterated that in the end, scientific “cooperation” was fine but Thailand must stand on her own feet.
RELATED