The cabinet meeting On Tuesday 3, November 2009 has come to the following decision:
The Cabinet approved the draft treaty of BIMSTEC Convention on Combating International Terrorism, Transnational Organized Crime and Illicit Drug Trafficking to be signed in the BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting in Burma and assigned the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be Thai representative in the draft treaty as proposed by the National Security Council.
Background of the draft treaty
1. At the 1st BIMSTEC Senior Officials’ Meeting during 30-31 July, 2004 in Bangkok, “the working committee of combating international terrorism and transnational organized crime” was established to cooperatively combat international terrorism and transnational organized crime. And in the 4th meeting of the working committee during 22-23 October, 2008 in India, the meeting approved the draft treaty of BIMSTEC Convention on Cooperation in Combating International Terrorism, Transnational Organized Crime and Illicit Drug Trafficking that was drafted by India. Thai representatives were successful in bringing the word “UN Convention” in the preface of the draft treaty and specify international terrorism instead of terrorism in the scope of the convention to be clear and align with Thai’s obligation under the treaty or resolution related to the UN. Nevertheless, the 2nd BIMSTEC Senior Officials’ Meeting on 13 November, 2008 in India could not get the draft treaty signed due to the contradiction with the internal laws of Thailand.
2. The main body of the draft treaty consists of preface and 15 initiatives that the treaty limitation is under the laws and domestic regulation of each member country and defining that the agreement is under related international obligation the member country associated with. Other compositions are the concrete cooperation in combating international terrorism, transnational organized crime and illicit drug trafficking. Furthermore, the draft treaty specifies the mechanism and process of execution under the treaty including the coordination between the laws enforcing agencies, the reporting of coordinating agencies, the confidentiality of the information, the denial of request, the restraining of conflict, the validation, and the withdrawal from the treaty.
The Cabinet approved the two proposals from the Ministry of Information Technology and Communication as follow:
1. Approval of Thailand’s re-application in the election of the ITU member council
2. Assigned the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to gather supported votes from ITU member countries for Thailand’s election application. The Ministry of Information Technology and Communication reported that Thailand should re-apply for the election of ITU member council, which will be elected in the Plenipotentiary Conference at the State of Veracruz, Mexico during 4-22 October, 2010 The signing of Memorandum of Understanding on ASEAN Co-operation in Agriculture and Forest Products Promotion Scheme
The Cabinet approved the draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on ASEAN Co-operation in Agriculture and Forest Products Promotion Scheme as proposed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. And further to be proposed for the Senate approval with an authorized of the Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives to sign this MOU at the 31st ASEAN Agriculture and Forest Products Ministerial Conference during 7-12 November, 2009 in Brunei Darussalam. Once the Senate approved this OU and there is a need to amend the document that is not a subject matter or not of Thailand’s interests, the Thai representatives are allowed for the execution without further consideration of the Cabinet. The Proposal for Approval of Draft Senior Officials’ Meeting Outcome between Great Mekong Subregion and Japan
The Cabinet approved the draft of Tokyo Declaration with appendix and for the Prime Minister to certify the document as proposed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And if there is a need to amend the document that is not a subject matter or not of Thailand’s interests, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is allowed for the execution without further consideration of the Cabinet.
The Subject Matter
According to Japan being a host of Great Mekong Subregion and Japan Senior Officials’ Meeting during 6-7 November, 2009 in Tokyo in which the Prime Minister accepted the meeting attendance. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that there will be a certify of Tokyo Declaration in the meeting, which is an outcome document of Great Mekong Subregion and Japan Senior Officials’ Meeting with a topic of “Establishment of a New Partnership for the Common Flourishing Future”. The vision for the future, the key issues, and the meeting mechanism under the coordination frame can be summarized as follow:
1. Japan promised to cooperate in the development of Great Mekong Subregion and admired how the Great Mekong Subregion countries helping each other especially the assistance from Thailand. Great Mekong Subregion Senior Officials also admired Thailand’s promise in the region’s development.
2. The visions for the future include:
- To be a wide-open region with peace and permanent stability under international values as specified in ASEAN Charter
- To be a region with economic development and supporting role towards ASEAN integration and the establishment of a wide-open East Asian community in the long term and
- To be a region of sustainable development together with environment conservation and capable in handling of dangerous threats to human and human’s dignity.
For the authentication of the above visions for future Great Mekong Subregion, Japan insisted on the attempt to cooperate with the region in which the relationship between Great Mekong Subregion and Japan should follow these directions:
- Building on mutually beneficial relationship based on brotherhood, which is a concept that respects freedom and dignity of an individual while respects freedom and dignity of others.
- Enhancing peace and prosperity of ASEAN and East Asia together with the establishment of a wide-open East Asian community in the long term.
- Being a critical partnership politically and economically.
3. The significant areas include 1) The promotion of a complete development in Great Mekong Subregion e.g. infrastructure development, the partnership between public and private sector, and the common economic regulation in the region. 2) The management of challenging issues includes environment and climate change, the management of risky issues such as natural disaster risk and disease dissemination. 3) The tightening of cooperation and exchange comprise of the enhancing of exchanging and discussing, tourism promotion, the conservation of cultural heritage, and the extending cooperation with the existing cooperative frame in Asia-Pacific region.
4. The meeting between Great Mekong Subregion and Japan cooperative frame must be held regularly and the Senior Officials’ Meeting must be held every three years with an alternated hosting by Japan and Great Mekong Subregion countries.
5. The appendix specified details of the concrete application of various intentions under Tokyo Declaration with a focus on assisting and supporting the execution of each issue appeared in the draft of Tokyo Declaration.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs made an additional comment of this draft treaty as the intention of all parties politically, socially, and security and the appendix as the declaration application details such that this document is not a treaty and not within the scope of Section 190, 2nd paragraph of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand.
--Cabinet Meeting (Abhisit Vejjajiva) November 3, 2009--