ASEAN chief warns Thai protesters to contain activities

BANGKOK, May 31 (TNA) - Chief of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Surin Pitsuwan has warned political protesters against Thailand's reconciliation bills to control their activities to prevent negative impacts on the ongoing World Economic Forum (WEF) on East Asia 2012, being held in Bangkok from May 30-June 1. The ASEAN Secretary-General, who is a former Thai foreign minister, said in the Thai capital Thursday that people's rallies are a democratic way of expression but their protesters should be contained within the Thai Parliament, instead of affecting any conference like what had happened to the 2009 ASEAN Summit in Pattaya. Meanwhile, Pornsilp Patcharintanakul, Vice Chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, told reporters he was concerned that renewed political protests in Bangkok this week could later expand to other areas and affect the national economy, cautioning that a chaos in the Thai Parliament on Wednesday could reduce its credibility. Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) President Charamporn Jotikasthira acknowledged that the SET index's continual drop, by over 15 points on Wednesday and kept falling Thursday morning, was due mainly to the ongoing European debt crisis triggered by Greece, assessing when solutions in Europe were clear, international investors would return to Asian bourses, including Thailand, where economic fundamentals have remained strong. According to the SET president, more international investors' arrivals in Thailand are expected in the second half of this year, suggesting that long-term investors in the Thai economy buy stocks with good fundamentals and dividends. The SET chief said that renewed political protests in Bangkok this week appeared to be a minor problem for the Thai stock market, and that the WEF on East Asia 2012, being held in the Thai capital from May 30-June 1, would boost medium and long-term confidence in the 10-member Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN). Tassapol Bijleveld, chief executive officer of Asia Aviation Public Company Limited, also assessed that the ongoing domestic political situation should not have any serious impact on the national economy,pointing out that, although Thailand had suffered from previous political problems for some 4-5 years, the national economy has survived due to its strong fundamentals. (TNA)