Statement by His Excellency Mr. Kasit Piromya, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, at the 37th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM 37), Dushanbe, Republic of Tajikistan, 20 May 2010
Mr. Chairman,
Mr. Secretary General,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
It gives me great honour to be here amongst such distinguished gathering at this important meeting in Dushanbe, the Islamic Culture Capital of 2010. First and foremost, may I reiterate the sentiments already expressed by all our colleagues, by thanking the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan for the warm hospitality and the excellent arrangements. My thanks go also to the OIC Secretary General and the General Secretariat for the close cooperation and continued support extended to Thailand over the past years.
I wish to also take this opportunity to express my appreciation to all my colleagues here who have expressed empathy and inquired about the situation in Bangkok. Your understanding and support at this testing time is overwhelming, and I can reassure you that the Thai Government is doing everything it can to seize control of the situation, while minimizing the loss of lives, and restore peace and normalcy to our country.
Mr. Chairman,
Meetings such as this allows us, Members and Observers alike, to come together to promote better understanding, share experiences, and enhance cooperation for the mutual benefit of the world Muslim community as a whole. Thailand is proud to be an Observer of the OIC, and we are honoured that since gaining the Observer status in 1998, we have constantly participated in OIC activities and continually intensifying our close collaborations with the OIC, member countries and the Muslim world at large.
As home to almost 10 million Muslims, Thailand is proud of our Muslim community, who has harmoniously coexisting with Thais of other faiths for centuries. The over 3,000 mosques all over the country is a testament to the freedom enjoyed by the Thai Muslims to practice their faith without any inhibitions or restriction, and today more than ever, our Muslim brothers are engaged at all levels in all spectrum of the Thai society, contributing tremendously to the development of our country, while enriching our society and history in the process.
The present Government is determined to promote and protect the interests of our Muslim community by stepping up efforts to support good Muslim life, in areas such as Islamic education, Islamic Bank, Halal industry and the Haj pilgrimage. We are thus thankful that these efforts have been supported by many OIC countries, and we are also grateful for the various assistance rendered to us by the OIC member countries, such as scholarships and funding for academic and religious institutions.
Mr. Chairman,
Thailand also appreciates and supports the OIC’s call for commitment to a shared vision of security and prosperity — the core message of this year’s meeting.
Our Meeting is taking place at a time when the world is standing at a crucial junction. The issues that are being discussed ; economic meltdowns, global warming, Islamophobia, poverty eradication, drug trafficking, nuclear weapons, terrorism amongst others - are issues that affect each and every one of us to a varying degree, regardless of our geographical location, faith or race. These trans-border issues cannot be dealt with by any one country alone, but it needs concerted effort and solidarity.
Thailand shares many common interests and aspirations with the OIC member countries. We want to achieve a more prosperous and peaceful world. We hope to live in peace and security, to have education and opportunities, to work with dignity pursue a better life, and seek a brighter future. We share a common mission in alleviating poverty and in fighting illiteracy and epidemic diseases and we have a common interest in handling the financial crisis, in confronting climate change as well as in defeating extremism and terrorism.
In that regard, Thailand has always been supportive of the Muslim world and the OIC’s important causes and undertakings. We also have a common interest in building a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the Middle East, and have been a consistent advocate of a just solution to the Palestinian cause based on the principle of Two—State Solution. We are deeply concerned with the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and in respect of the international humanitarian law and international human rights law, Thailand voted in support of the UNGA64 resolutions on Goldstone Report.
Thailand also fully supports the OIC’s efforts to fight violent extremism and reject attempts to identify terrorism with any religion or culture. Furthermore, we will continue to support the OIC’s noble cause in promoting dialogue among cultures, including our strong support of the Alliance of Civilizations initiative.
I believe that the vision we share and the world we seek could be achieved through a partnership of all nations.
Mr. Chairman,
Let me turn to the situation in the Southern border provinces of Thailand. Since the visit to Thailand of H.E. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu in 2007, the Joint Press Statement agreed upon by the OIC and Thailand has laid the foundation for the close cooperation based on mutual understanding and respect.
Resolving the situation in the southern provinces remains the current Thai Government’s national priority, and we continue to adhere to the peaceful and reconciliatory approach based on His Majesty the King’s advice to “understand, reach out and develop”. Thailand has taken a number of initiatives since CFM36 in Damascus to further enhance our effort to reestablish peace and stability in the South.
The Government launched, on 12 October last year, the 4-year Development Plan for 5 Southern Border Provinces, with a budget of USD 2 billion. The Plan has set the target of almost doubling the income of the people through assistance in agricultural projects, where most importantly, implementation is done by adopting a “people-centred approach” in which the local communities at the village level will decide for themselves what kinds of projects to undertake.
On the issue of administrative reform, the draft Act on Administration in the Southern Border Provinces is now being deliberated in the Parliament, with inputs from the people from the Southern Border Provinces. Once approved, this legislation will formally establish the “Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre” to oversee and coordinate all development policy for the southern provinces, and provide for enhanced participation of the local population in governance and administration. This is a unique setup for Thailand, which demonstrates our recognition of the Provinces’ unique heritage and cultural identity.
We are also addressing a long-standing call to address the issue of language, and for the first time in history, the Thai government has facilitated the use of the local Malay language in public and educational premises. Since March of this year, 150 Thai-Malay interpreters are available in state hospitals, district offices, police stations. A pilot scheme to introduce bi-lingual Thai-Malay instruction has been implemented in 40 primary schools since last year, with an aim to gradual expansion to cover all public schools in the Southern Border Provinces. Moreover, a special education curriculum has been drawn up to integrate Islamic education into the general curriculum at secondary level.
To promote Islamic affairs, the Government has been working closely with prominent Islamic scholars and exchanging views with our friends in the OIC to study the possibility of expanding the application of Islamic law in civil cases related to family and inheritance matters throughout Thailand, in addition to its application in the four Southern Border Provinces since 1946.
Mr. Chairman,
Violent incidents continue to exact a heavy toll on the people of the Southern Border Provinces, despite the Government’s best efforts. This wanton violence cannot be justified and must be condemned. Legitimate and democratic means must be used to resolve political differences, not violence and intimidation. To help the victims of violence, the Thai government has allocated USD 30 million for rehabilitation and assistance, in the form of monthly monetary assistance, stipends and scholarships for the victims’ children. Psychological assistance centres will also be set up in all hospitals in the Southern Border Provinces by 2015.
The Government has placed utmost importance on good governance, transparency and accountability of state agencies and officials. A special committee has been set up in November 2009 to set the framework, unify the administration of complain procedures as well as expedite the administration of justice. The Government is engaging with civil society and non-governmental organizations to ensure fair and equal access of justice.
I, myself, had led diplomatic representatives from the international community, including those from the OIC to see for themselves the situation in the Southern Border Provinces, and none have returned without acknowledging the sincerity and openness of the Government’s efforts. We continue to welcome positive and constructive exchanges with our friends to help resolve the situation.
I can assure you that there is no previous Thai Government that upholds democracy, transparency and accountability as highly as this government. With integrated efforts of governmental agencies and full engagement of the local communities in all aspects of the Southern affairs, I am confident that security, justice and development will soon flourish in the
Southern Border Provinces of Thailand.
Mr. Chairman,
Having said all this, let me stress that the relationship between Thailand and the OIC shall not be defined by one single issue. We believe that our future cooperation should be wide-ranging and comprehensive. We believe that there is much more that we can do together. Many of the OIC’s objectives are areas where Thailand could offer its particular expertise. Those sectors include agriculture, food security, public health, Halal industry, tourism, sustainable development, and sufficiency economy.
We hope to expand our cooperation as well in non-political matters such as education and culture. For this, we are pleased that last February,
Dr. Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), visited Thailand to explore ways of expanding cooperation in the field of education for Thai Muslims. And following my meeting with him yesterday, I am delighted to inform you that Thailand and ISESCO share a common vision of education, scientific and cultural cooperation being at the core of future cooperation for the benefit of our Muslim communities.
We also hope to enhance our cooperation with specialized organs of the OIC such as the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC).
And therefore, we welcome that the OIC is now working to review the Rules for Observer Status to the OIC. We hope that the revised rules will adequately take into account the desirable roles and rights of Observer States. We also hope that this will afford the Observers, such as ourselves, to participate and contribute to the OIC work and activities and to contribute to the OIC vision as a true partner.
Mr. Chairman,
In conclusion, let me stress that Thailand is strongly committed to becoming an active Observer of the OIC. We look forward to working together with you to confront our common challenges, to seek new cooperation, and to live in peace, security and lasting prosperity, insha’allah.
Thank you for your kind attention.
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