IN MEDIA
Thai Rath columnist Mae Lookjan:
- Published: 30/10/2009 at 12:00 AM
- Newspaper section: News
Despite gushing official statements, the Abhisit government's performance at the recent Asean Summit was disappointing.
The so-called achievements in Hua Hin and Cha-am were too little compared with the huge budget spent in organising the three-day event.
The 15th summit got off on an inauspicious start, as four heads of state and government failed to show up at the official opening.
The Thai-Cambodian spat over deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra did not contribute in any way to the grouping's quest for unity, friendship and cooperation.
Prime Minister Abhisit's tit-for-tat against his Cambodian counterpart was uncalled for, as Thailand was the host of the meeting. He should have reserved his criticism for some other occasion.
Many issues have been left unsolved after the meeting, including the lifting of import tax among the 10 member countries, the Thai-Philippine rice tariff, free investment regulations, and the fate of Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi.
Asean's dream of becoming a unified community remains just that _ a distant dream. If Thailand and Cambodia are still at each other's throats, how can the group become unified?
