On 31 March 2011, Mr. Kasit Piromya, Minister of Foreign Affairs, gave the opening remarks in a conference to exchange views and experiences between Thailand, the US, and Canada on democracy and good governance, in a forum which included participants from the U.S. and Canadian academia as well as various stakeholders from Thailand.
Foreign Minister Kasit said that the conference, entitled “Building a Strong Democratic Thailand: A Thailand — U.S. / Canada Forum on Democracy and Good Governance” , at Naradhip Auditorium, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was held to promote a strong democratic society, good governance, and ethical integrity among government officials.
The Foreign Minister expressed hope that this conference would provide a forum for the exchange experience between Thailand with the U.S. and Canada, which are good friends of Thailand. The US and Canada are also multicultural societies which have strong democratic backgrounds and a long path of democratic evolution. The forum is also a continuation of efforts to encourage various countries to transfer their experience and best practices to strengthen democracy in Thailand from the community level, encourage good governance and transparency in Thai politics, and eliminate corruption from the country.
Foreign Minister Kasit noted that although corruption still exists within the Thai society, Thailand has already seen an evolution in its democracy. This is evident in the increased number of political participants, which include organizations aimed at increasing decentralization such as the Subdistrict Administrative Organization, the Provincial Administrative Organization, and the Municipal Council.
Finally, Foreign Minister Kasit also noted how the conference, which had participants from the public and private sector as well as the civil society, was a good demonstration on how it is the responsibility of all sectors to jointly promote democracy and good governance. He also expressed hope that the lessons learned from the conference about democracy and good governance could be adapted for use in Thailand.
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th