PM's trips are not for fun: Surapong

Politics
PM's trips are not for fun: Surapong

Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation

New York September 30, 2013 1:00 am
Foreign minister defends 56 overseas tours, says she's welcomed warmly
THE PRIME minister's trips abroad are not group tours for personal fun - they serve missions for national interest in accordance with the government's foreign policy platform, Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Surapong Towichukchai-kul has said.

"It is me who plans, sets agendas and arranges trips for the prime minister with her close consultation," Surapong said, dismissing claims that Premier Yingluck Shinawatra makes foreign trips for personal interest and fun.

"Our prime minister is very charming. She [receives] a lot of invitations to visit foreign countries and receives a warm welcome everywhere."

Yingluck holds the record for making the most frequent foreign trips while in office. She has made 56 trips to 43 countries around the world over the past two years, since taking office in 2011.

"Well, that's less than me since I have already visited 51 countries to carry on my job and make arrangements for the prime minister," Surapong joked.

"Travelling a lot is no fun at all," he said. "Sometime we have to visit countries where we are not familiar and the premier has to pack instant food with her as we cannot eat local food."

Surapong said the government's platform for foreign policy focused on relations facilitating economic activities with all countries for development.

"Our policy is clear. We are friends of all and foes of no country. We trade with everybody and we will invest everywhere," he said.

The government champions peace and stability, as such things are basic requirement for economic development, trade and investment, he said.

The prime minister's foreign visits were conducted according to a strategic plan. In her first year, Yingluck visited neighbouring countries in ASEAN and East Asia; China, Japan and South Korea. Later, she went to major powerhouses in and outside the region including India, Australia, New Zealand and Europe, he said.

Trips in the first year were mostly for introduction as the first elected female prime minister of Thailand, Surapong said.

Her foreign visits in the second year may have raised questions from those familiar with traditional foreign affairs, because Yingluck travelled to little known countries in Pacific islands, central Asia and Africa to seek economic cooperation and new markets for Thai products, he said.

The business community always accompanied her to seek business opportunities. "The prime minister and I had a business background before taking positions in the government, so we know how to do business with foreign countries to generate income for our nation," Surapong said.

The world economic landscape was changing due to the crisis in western countries. Everybody is looking for new economic frontiers for trade and investment. "There is no reason for this government to sit still at home waiting for customers to knock on the door or keep going only to old markets," he said.

Sometimes academics and researchers also accompanied the prime minister and business people to study innovation, research and development in foreign countries, he said.

Yingluck's third year will see her visit a superpower among the permanent five members of United Nations Security Council (UNSC), he said. She will visit Russia in December and is arranging time slots for an official visit to the US. She has already visited France, the United Kingdom and China.

Everything was planned in advance. President Barack Obama visited Thailand last year, now it is Yingluck's turn to visit Washington. The visit may coincide with Thailand's campaign to apply to be a non-permanent member of the Security Council in 2017-2018 - but there was no intention to ask for direct support from the "big five", he said.

The idea to take a seat on the Security Council came from the Foreign Ministry long before this government, but Yingluck had put her full support into the campaign, said Surapong, who is in New York this week for the UN General Assembly.

Asked if the benefits of a foreign visit by this government could be quantified, Surapong said his government had signed 99 memorandums of understanding and agreements with foreign countries around the world so far. The previous government could make only 24, he said.

This is the first of a three-part series on the prime minister's travels.