Promoting Reconciliation Cited as One of the Government’s One-Year Achievements

(05/09/2012)

The Ministry of Interior has been pushing for the achievement of reconciliation and harmonization in Thai society. Promoting reconciliation and unity has been cited as one of its achievements during the past 12 months. Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Yongyoot Wichaidit said that, during the period, it had developed 8,780 villages in 76 provinces as “democracy model communities,” in order to raise public awareness of democratic administration, with His Majesty the King as head of state. He said that the Ministry of Interior had also promoted a way of living that was based on the Sufficiency Economy philosophy. For instance, it had developed 3,671 Sufficiency Economy prototype villages in almost all provinces. The Sufficiency Economy philosophy, initiated by His Majesty the King, emphasizes moderation, living within one’s means, and responsible consumption to provide the necessary resilience to external shocks. Mr. Yongyoot stated that a total of 878 learning centers at the initiative of His Majesty the King had been established in various provinces nationwide. More than 1,000 groups of village scouts have been trained and retrained to promote unity and foster reconciliation among the people. Almost 70 public forums were also organized to seek solutions to Thai politics. Regarding efforts to maintain peace and security in the country, the Ministry of Interior has introduced anti-drug operations as part of the provincial and district agenda. It has developed border areas and boosted relations and cooperation with neighboring countries and the international community. On the same issue, the Ministry of Defense, in its statement on its one-year performance, explained that it focused on promoting military relationships with neighboring countries, ASEAN members, and superpowers, in line with the Government’s policy on foreign affairs. For instance, Thai and Cambodian military leaders met and worked on military deployment along the Thai-Cambodian border. This led to the setting up of a Joint Working Group to ease the issue of the Phra Viharn Temple. Thailand also hosted a general border meeting with Laos to boost security cooperation along their common border. The Minister of Defense held consultations with the Myanmar President and military leaders in tackling the problem of minority groups living along the Thai-Myanmar border. He also met Malaysian military leaders to discuss ways to deal with violent incidents in Thailand’s southern provinces that share borders with Malaysia. Moreover, the Government has enhanced defense cooperation with India, the Republic of Korea, and Middle Eastern countries.