Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha declared Thailand’s readiness today (Sunday) to host the APEC Summit on November 18th and 19th, as he urged the Thai people to join the government in being good hosts to the foreign delegates.
Speaking at a press conference on his return from the ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh, the prime minister said that he hasconfidence in all of the officials concerned with the arrangements for the summit, adding, however, that members of the public should help to ensure that the event will proceed smoothly and without disruption.
“This is an event of national importance,” he said, as he askedall parties in society to ensure orderliness throughout the summit and related meetings.
He said that Thailand is second to none in hosting international conferences, adding that security officials have no intention to intimidate or infringe on the rights of people during the summit.
Anti-government elements and human rights groups have, however, accused security officials of intimidating them and preventing them from staging protests during the summit.
He said he will observe a rehearsal of the formal summit opening this week, adding that delegates will start arriving in Bangkok this Wednesday.
Regarding the ASEAN Summit, which concluded yesterday, the prime minister said that it provided a good opportunity for ASEAN member countries to discuss various issues, including agriculture and geo-political conflicts.
He claimed that Thailand earned praise from some delegates for its success in a number of areas and that he would like to see ASEAN countries move forward collectively and help solve conflicts in some countries.
As far as the Myanmar issue is concerned, the prime minister said that, as a neighbour, Thailand has played an active humanitarian role and has been providing help to people from Myanmar who take temporary refuge in the country.
