PM stresses Thailand’s full support for ASEAN Community

BANGKOK, November 19 (TNA) - Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who is attending the 19th ASEAN Summit in the Indonesian resort island of Bali on Saturday, expressed Thailand’s full support for the ASEAN Community which will come into reality in 2015. Miss Yingluck added in her weekly address by phone from Indonesia that she had discussed with ASEAN leaders for the grouping’s cooperation in fighting against the natural flood disaster as well as on rehabilitation. The ASEAN leaders agreed with the proposal by Thailand, which was now facing the most severe flooding problem in the past several decades, and an ASEAN disaster administration centre would be established later, she said. Also, Miss Yingluck said she had reiterated Thailand’s strength in its political and democratic systems which would enable the kingdom to become a strong member of the ASEAN platform in order to restore investor confidence in the grouping as well as for ASEAN’s dialogue partners. As the four-day ASEAN summit and dialogue meetings with its partners conclude later Saturday, Miss Yingluck would attend the 4th ASEAN-United Nations summit, the 9th ASEAN-India summit, the 6th Eastern Asia region summit, and a luncheon with government leaders attending the annual meeting. She was also scheduled to hold talks with US President Barack Obama in which Thai Foreign Affairs Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul would participate before the closing of the 19th ASEAN Summit. Mr. Surapong said both sides plan to confer on a joint cooperation in searching and preventing of deadly weapons from illegally entering their countries while Washington had also proposed to help send language experts to train ASEAN members, including Thailand. Miss Yingluck and her entourage were scheduled to arrive home at about 11.30 p.m. on Saturday. (TNA)