Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai will deliver a keynote speech on the direction of Thailand’s foreign policy at a regional forum being hosted by Thai PBS World and Asia News Network next week.

The forum will feature three panel discussions on the future of Thailand’s foreign policy, diplomacy and changes and challenges facing the media and young politicians in the region.

Former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva will be among the speakers on the “Thailand’s Foreign Policy in a Changing World” panel. Other speakers include Sihasak Phuangketkeow, a former Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary, Panitan Wattanayagorn, Chairman of the Security Advisory Board of the Thai Government, and Aat Pisanwanich, Director of the Centre for International Trade Studies at the University of Thai Chamber of Commerce. The panel will be in Thai.

Foreign Minister Don will open the forum with a keynote address, in which he is expected to offer an insight into the direction of Thai foreign policy in the face of superpower rivalry, the crisis in neighbouring Myanmar and other global and regional challenges.

It will be followed by a panel in English on “Roles and Challenges for Asian Media”. Speakers are M Taufiqurrahman, Chief Editor of The Jakarta Post (Indonesia), Philip Golingai, Digital News Editor of The Star (Malaysia), Ravindra Kumar, Editor of The Statesman (India), Mahfuz Anam, Editor-in-Chief and publisher of The Daily Star (Bangladesh), and Juliet Labog Javellana, Associate Publisher of The Philippines Daily Inquirer (The Philippines).

The third panel, also in English, will be on “Challenges for Young Political Leaders in ASEAN” whose speakers include Syed Saddiq Sayed Abdul Rahman, President of Malaysian United Democratic Alliance Party, Parit Wacharasindhu of Move Forward Party (Thailand), Raoul Danniel Manuel of the Kabataan Party (The Philippines), Puteri Anetta Komarudin of the Golkar Party (Indonesia), and Neth Pheaktra of the Cambodian People’s Party.

The forum will take place on November 24^th at The Sukosol Hotel Bangkok.

“The forum is designed for key-players in international affairs, the media and politics, to reflect on the changes and challenges the region is facing and how they should be dealt with,” said Nattha Komolvadhin, Director of Thai PBS World.

Thai PBS World is the English-language news service of Thai PBS, Thailand’s leading public broadcaster. It is recognised as an authoritative source of news and analyses on Thailand for English-speaking audiences. Asia News Network is a regional alliance of 22 news titles from various Asian countries. It was established in 1999 to enhance co-operation between media organisations in the region, through active sharing of editorial content and other activities.