Summary of Weekly Press Briefing
on 12 May 2023, at 11.00 hrs.
at Press Conference Room, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

1. The Centenary Celebration of Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana, 2023

• The date 6 May 2023 marked the Centenary Celebration of Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana, whose lifelong contributions towards the Thai society in various ways, especially in education, science and mathematics, culture, and the arts – all in line with the objectives
  of the United Nations Education, Science and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) – amounted to UNESCO’s decision to add the Princess to its prestigious list of Eminent Personalities of the World in late 2021.
• On 13 May 2023, a musical performance held in the Princess’s honour will take place at the Palais de la Bourse in Lyon, France – co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), along with the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI), Ministry of Education (MOE), Ministry of Culture (MOC), Thammasat University, the Galyani Vadhana Institute of Music, and the Promotion of Academic Olympiad and Development of Science Education Foundation (POSN) under the Princess’s patronage. The event’s musical repertoire, meticulously tailored by the Galyani Vadhana Institute of Music and its French counterpart, entails a collection of classical music pieces by a French composer combined with concepts on mythical beasts from the Himavanta forest – with musical arrangement derived from Thai music found in the chronicles of La Loubère “On the Kingdom of Siam” written by M. Simon de La Loubère, French diplomat to the Royal Court of Ayudhya under the reign of King Narai the Great.
• On 16 May 2023, an exhibition celebrating the Princess’s life and works will be held at the headquarters of UNESCO in Paris. DPM/FM Don Pramudwinai, as representative of the Prime Minister, will be traveling to France to attend both events in-person.
• The MFA wishes to encourage the Thai people to take part in this celebration. Her Royal Highness had contributed to Thailand in many ways, including the conservation and promotion of the Si Thep Historical Park in Phetchabun province, which is being promoted by the Royal Thai Government to be inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, as well as her initiative in nominating Thai students to participate in Science and Maths Olympiad Competitions and the training of talented classical musicians by the Galyani Vadhana Institute of Music.

2. Thailand’s Overseas Election (with Mr. Narong Boonsatheanwong, Deputy Director-General, Department of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

• Overview
  • The overseas election has been completed successfully, with the last delivery of the diplomatic pouch of ballots from the Royal Thai Embassy in Mexico City this morning (12 May 2023).
  • The ballots from abroad are examined by officials of the tripartite committee consisting of the MFA, the Election Commission of Thailand (ECT), and Thailand Post, before being dispatched to respective destinations.
  • The total number of 115,196 people registered for overseas voting with 96,043, or 83.37 %, casting the ballots. It should be noted that back in 2019, the total number was slightly higher at 119,332 registrants, with 110,003 actually casting their votes (or 92.18 %).
  • Five countries with highest number of Thai voters overseas include (1) Australia (12,204) / (2) United States of America (13,061) / (3) United Kingdom (6,650) / Japan (6,953) / and Germany (5,638)
  • The MFA attaches great importance to the overseas voting and is delighted with its smooth and successful operation. The MFA also wishes to express its gratitude towards the public agencies in the tripartite committee for the continued cooperation.
• Further comments and suggestions
  • The MFA also wishes to express its appreciation toward the Thai people for the great interest and attention paid on overseas voting. Special thanks is also extended to RTE/RCGs around the globe for their efforts and dedication.
  • For future overseas elections, the i-VOTE system should be explored as it would certainly facilitate the process and would be in line with Thailand’s e-Government aspirations.
  • The Overseas Voting Monitoring System (OVMS) has certainly exhibited its great potential by reducing errors and allowing the central authority to observe the processes effectively – especially the status of ballot papers, as well as examination of related documents.

3. The 42^nd ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia (9-11 May 2023) (with Ms. Usana Berananda, Director-General of the Department of ASEAN Affairs))

• The recent 42^nd ASEAN Summit held in Labuan Bajo was the first summit-level meeting of ASEAN under the chairmanship of Indonesia this year. In view of the upcoming general election, PM appointed DPM/FM to be his Special Envoy to attend the Summit on his behalf.
• Overview: DPM/FM attended 6 summit-level meetings, namely:
  • (1) The 42^nd ASEAN Summit Plenary Session
  • (2) ASEAN Leaders’ Interface with Representatives of ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA)
  • (3) ASEAN Leaders’ Interface with Representatives of ASEAN Youth
  • (4) ASEAN Leaders’ Interface with Representatives of ASEAN Business Advisory Council-(ASEAN-BAC)
  • (5) ASEAN Leaders’ Interface with the High-Level Task Force on ASEAN Community’s Post-2025 Vision (HLTF-ACV)
  • (6) The 42^nd ASEAN Summit Retreat Session
• Key points: Important points emphasized during the meetings were in line with the theme of Indonesia’s ASEAN Chairmanship “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth” which could be divided into 2 pillars:
  • ASEAN Matters – focusing on addressing security issues as well as enhancing ASEAN’s potential in responding to various challenges, promoting peoples’ well-being and livelihoods as well as human security in the context of uncertainties arising from major powers competition.
  • Maintaining ASEAN’s importance as the epicentrum of economic growth – focusing on promoting regional cooperation and economic integration, connectivity including digital payment and ecosystem for electric vehicles (EV). In this regard, the ASEAN Leaders adopted, among others, declarations on Regional Payment Connectivity and Promoting Local Currency Transaction and Developing Regional Electric Vehicle Ecosystem
• Other key issues
  • Regional security – In both the plenary and retreat sessions, the situation in Myanmar was discussed. Key points were:
    • The Leaders agreed that the Five-Point Consensus remained valid reference in solving the situation.  
    • Concern was expressed over escalating violence, including the recent attack on a convoy of the AHA Centre which was heading to Shan State. The ASEAN Leaders thus issued a joint statement condemning the use of violence which hindered the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
    • The prolonged instability in Myanmar also gave rise to increasing transnational crime in the region, especially drug trafficking and trafficking in persons. Several ASEAN Leaders expressed concern over people trafficked into call centre scams, which led to the adoption of the ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on Combatting Trafficking in Persons Caused by Abuse of Technology to solve this problem effectively.   
  • DPM/FM raised important issues which affected people’s well-being including:
    • Transboundary haze pollution – To follow-up on the discussion between the Prime Minister of Thailand and leaders of Lao PDR and Myanmar, Thailand highlighted the “CLEAR Sky” strategy as well as the possibility to conduct the “Waste to Energy” project with Myanmar to reduce open burning, especially by-products from agriculture.
    • Mutual assistance for ASEAN citizens – ASEAN member States should expedite the implementation of the relevant guidelines to effectively provide assistance to ASEAN citizens in times of need i.e. natural disasters and armed conflicts, building on lessons and past experiences from the situation in Sudan and earthquake in Turkey. Such cooperation should also be extended to ASEAN’s dialogue partners who have greater capacity and resources as well.
    • Indo-Pacific Region – The ASEAN Leaders expressed concern over the volatile geopolitics and reiterated the need to preserve ASEAN centrality and constructively engage with all major powers in order to reduce confrontation and prevent conflict. In this context. The the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) should be fully utilized and effectively implemented in the 4 areas of cooperation, i.e. maritime cooperation, connectivity, sustainable development and economic and other possible areas. This is to prevent Southeast Asia from turning into an area of confrontation, but rather to make ASEAN a platform for dialogue to build confidence and promote mutual interest. In this context, ASEAN also considered allowing China to be the first Nuclear Weapon State to accede to the Protocol to the Treaty on Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (SEANWFZ) without any reservations. If this is realized, it would send a strong signal to the other Nuclear Weapons States and enhance ASEAN’s profile in promoting the global disarmament agenda.      
    • Thailand’s upcoming general election (question from the media on whether Thailand's upcoming election was discussed during the Meetings) – DPM/FM reaffirmed Thailand’s commitment towards ASEAN, regardless of the electoral results – with Thailand’s continued active and constructive role in advancing the ASEAN Community, enhancing ASEAN’s institutional capacity and the role of the ASEAN Secretariat, and strengthening ASEAN-led mechanisms.

4. ESCAP’s 79^th Commission Session (15 May 2023)

• During 15-19 May 2023, the 79^th Commission of the UN’s Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific will be held the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok, with important issues to be discussed including climate change and related matters.
• With around 400 participants expected to attend the event, some high-level faces would be seen such as the President of Palau, Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, Prime Minister of Samoa and other Ministerial-level heads of delegations.
• The MFA wishes to thank members of the media for registering to cover the important activities i.e. the opening ceremony, the Climate Solutions Fair, and the reception on 15 May 2023.

• Further information on the event can be found on the conference website
  https://www.unescap.org/events/commission79 . The opening ceremony,
  as well as other important sessions, would be broadcasted live by the UN via YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@unescap

Watch full session: https://fb.watch/kv35i4SXk6/

* * *

Press Division

Department of Information