Thailand's king endorses new foreign minister

BANGKOK, Sept 8 (TNA) - A retired career diplomat was royally endorsed
Monday morning as Thailand's new foreign minister succeeding Tej Bunnaj, who resigned last week.

His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej endorsed Saroj Chavanaviraj, 66, as Thailand's new Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Mr. Saroj was director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Afffairs's ASEAN department in 1988 and served as permanent secretary for foreign affairs for four years before retiring in 2002.

The appointment of Mr. Saroj is crucial to the kingdom's image and its
functional role as Thailand is scheduled to host a regional summit of
leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in December.

Thailand currently holds the regional group's rotating chairmanship.

ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar,
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Mr. Saroj earlier declined an offer after Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej approached him to take up the portfolio to replace Noppadon Pattama who was forced to resign after the Constitution Court ruled that his signing of Thai-Cambodian Joint Communique regarding the disputed Preah Vihear temple was invalid as it had not obtained parliamentary approval.

Tej Bunnag, a respected bureaucrat and adviser to His Majesty the King's principal private secretary, took office six weeks ago, only to submit his resignation last Wednesday.

The prime minister later said Mr. Tej had resigned because the stress of his job had negatively affected his wife's health.

Mr. Tej's departure came in the wake of the imposition of the State of
Emergency in Bangkok last Tuesday after a bloody confrontation between
supporters and opponents of the government which left one person dead and 43 injured. (TNA