Thailand Ready to Explain Its Position in the Case Concerning the Temple of Preah Vihear

(15/04/2013)

The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Mr. Surapong Tovichakchaikul, has reaffirmed Thailand’s readiness to explain its position in the International Court of Justice concerning the Temple of Preah Vihear.

Mr. Surapong and Minister of Defense Air Chief Marshal Sukumpol Suwanatat on 14 April 2013 held a meeting with the Thai delegates and the foreign legal counsels and experts to finalize the oral arguments on the issue.

The oral arguments will be presented to the International Court of Justice during the public hearings in the Case Concerning the Request for Interpretation of the Judgment of 15 June 1962 in the Case Concerning the Temple of Preah Vihear (Cambodia v. Thailand).

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the public hearings will be held at the Court from 15 to 19 April 2013 in The Hague, the Netherlands.

During the meeting, the foreign legal counsels and experts expressed their confidence in the information in the statements that Thailand will deliver at the public hearings and the Thai approach to the case.

Mr. Surapong expressed his full confidence in the validity of arguments and evidence which will be presented. Air Chief Marshal Sukumpol said that the foreign legal counsels and experts had expressed their appreciation to the Thai security agencies for supplying useful information.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister also encouraged the Thai public to follow live telecasts of the oral proceedings on the National Broadcasting Services of Thailand (Television of Thailand Channel 11), Radio Thailand (FM 92.5 and AM 981), Radio Saranrom (AM 1575), and on the internet at http://phraviharn.org.

Those who are interested can also find on the same website the written arguments submitted to the Court in 2012 by Thailand and Cambodia which will be disclosed at the Court’s permission on 15 April 2013.

Also on 14 April 2013, a special news center on the oral hearings was opened at Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok. The center will operate until 19 April.

One-Stop Crisis Center to Provide People with Immediate Social Assistance

(15/04/2013)

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has stated that the Government attached great importance to the solving of social problems and that its One-Stop Crisis Center would work to provide people with social assistance.

The statement was part of the weekly program “Yingluck Government Meets the People,” broadcast on NBT TV and Radio Thailand on 13 April 2013.

In the program, Prime Minister Yingluck referred to the launching of One-Stop Crisis Center on 9 April 2013 at Government House. The center, administered by the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, aims to offer immediate assistance to children, women, older persons, and people with disabilities.

She cited social problems faced by these groups of people as human trafficking, child labor, teenage pregnancy, and various forms of violence against women, children, disabled persons, and the elderly. These problems have adversely affected the people’s quality of life and national administration as a whole.

She said that many government agencies, as well as civil society organizations and their networks, are responsible for handling social problems. The Government deems it necessary for relevant agencies and organizations to work closely together, so that the problems will be tackled effectively and promptly.

People may seek assistance from the One-Stop Crisis Center through three channels. First, they may contact more than 20,000 crisis units nationwide. The second channel is the hotline 1300, and the third channel is the website www.osccthailand.go.th.

The center provides physical and mental treatments, legal assistance, and recovery and rehabilitation with multidisciplinary teams to help affected people. It will receive complaints, transfer cases, and coordinate responses between various responsible agencies.

Prime Minister Yingluck said that all relevant units would work in an integrated manner. For instance, they would coordinate with hospitals and police stations for the affected people. Officials would be assigned to follow up on each case to ensure that the affected people would be provided with good care.

The One-Stop Crisis Center will be fully computerized in the next two months, linking related information with various agencies. With modern information technology, the center promises to give immediate social assistance to affected children, women, older persons, and people with disabilities.

The Prime Minister said that the Government had invited various networks to join the center, where people facing difficulties could look to for help. She called for joint efforts to ease social problems, so that the country would become a better, more livable society. In addition, every child, youth, woman, or aging or disabled person has the right to appropriate protection in accordance with the Constitution.

China Partnership in Traditional Medicine and Health

(15/04/2013)

“The 2013 ASEAN-China Summit Forum on Traditional Medicine and the theme of ‘Multi-Promotion of Traditional Medicine and Development and Cooperation’ are testaments to the partnership of ASEAN Health Cooperation with China on Traditional and Complementary Alternative Medicine,” said H.E. Alicia Dela Rosa Bala Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community. DSG Bala joined the Deputy Minister Wan Guoqiang, Health Ministry, and Deputy Chairwoman Li Kang, Government of Guangxi Autonomous Region, People’s Republic of China, in the Opening Ceremony of the Forum.

China and ASEAN countries are close neighbors and share similar cultures. In the process of political, economic, and cultural communication, traditional medicines in China and ASEAN countries interact by mutual supplement and promotion. Due to the establishment of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, and the successful China-ASEAN Expo and the Business and Investment Summit, exchanges and cooperation between China-ASEAN countries have been greatly promoted in the fields of economy, trade, transportation, culture and health. With a well acceptance by the people, and as an important component to the national healthcare system in China and ASEAN countries, traditional medicine is playing a more and more effective role in maintaining health of the people.

This year’s Forum on Traditional Medicine was conducted recently in Yulin City, Guangxi. Totaling over 400 delegates, participants represented China, ASEAN Member States, private sector, academe, and development partners from the health and pharmaceutical sector, including those engaged in the promotion of Traditional and Complementary Alternative Medicine (TM/CAM).