Thamanat says PM worried about safety of Cambodian athletes at SEA Games
Deputy PM Thamanat Prompow says the prime minister has ordered tighter security for Cambodian athletes at the SEA Games and insists Thailand is 100% ready for the opening ceremony.
- Deputy Prime Minister Thamanat Prompow confirmed that the Prime Minister was concerned about the safety of Cambodian athletes at the SEA Games.
- Due to the Prime Minister's concerns, additional security measures were ordered, including the deployment of security officers and military personnel.
Deputy Prime Minister Thamanat Prompow, who oversees the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, on Tuesday (December 9) addressed preparations for the opening ceremony of the 33rd SEA Games, which Thailand is hosting.
He thanked the public for both criticism and support, but said he was confident the event is now “100% ready”.
On security for Cambodian athletes, Thamanat acknowledged that the prime minister had initially been concerned and had therefore ordered additional measures to ensure their safety.
Asked whether it would be possible to separate sporting competition from tensions along the Thai–Cambodian border, Thamanat said the issue was highly sensitive. However, he noted that there is already an international sports governance framework in place and warned that any inappropriate actions could harm the wider sporting community.
This, he said, required very careful consideration. He added that security officers and military personnel had been deployed, and that there were very few Cambodian supporters present in the stadium, with only a small number in attendance.
Responding to a question on whether the opening ceremony would be able to quell recent controversies, Thamanat said that, as chairman of the Sports Authority of Thailand, and with Tourism and Sports Minister Atthakorn Sirilatthayakorn chairing the organising committee, they had tried to bring all relevant agencies and sports associations together to coordinate and solve problems.
He said Pol Gen Prachuap Wongsuk, adviser to the tourism and sports minister, had been appointed to chair oversight of sports affairs, and that a war room had been set up to tackle any issues that arise.
Thamanat reiterated that, as host nation, Thailand would do its utmost to deliver a successful opening ceremony.
He urged the public to judge the result after Tuesday evening’s event, adding that he was confident both he and the government had done their best, and that the prime minister had repeatedly stressed the importance of getting it right.
