BANGKOK, May 5 — Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai is scheduled to attend the 42nd Asean Summit from May 9 to May 11 in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Don, as the Special Envoy of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan o-cha, will attend the 42nd Asean Summit. It is also the first Asean Leaders’ meeting under Indonesia’s 2023 Asean Chairmanship with the theme Asean Matters: Epicentrum of Growth.
“Discussions at the Summit will focus on Asean Community building, Asean's external relations, as well as key regional and international issues.
“Don will also attend a series of Asean ministerial meetings and the Interfaces between Asean Leaders and representatives of key stakeholders, including Asean Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, Asean Youth, ASEAN Business Advisory Council, and High-Level Task Force on Asean Community’s Post-2025 Vision, as well as the 15th Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT) Summit,” it said.
Prayuth skipped this summit as he has to stay in the Thai capital due to the upcoming general election on May 14. Prayuth is the United Thai Nation Party's candidate for Prime Minister.
Thailand’s Election Commission had set May 14 as the polling day, while advance polling is on May 7.
Media reported that the upcoming Asean Summit will discuss issues including the crisis in Myanmar, the drafting of a road map for full Asean membership for Timor-Leste, and negotiations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.
Besides that, human trafficking will be one of the main issues discussed at the meetings amidst growing concern in Asean countries due to the rising number of cases in the region.
— Bernama
