Thailand defends ASEAN policy

Thailand defends ASEAN policy

BANGKOK (AFP): Thailand opened an international think-tank conference here yesterday with a defense of ASEAN's policy of constructive engagement against the "morally-driven" foreign policy of some Western nations.

Thailand's deputy foreign, minister Pitak Intaravirayanon, said sanctions affected the welfare of average citizens rather than a nation's rulers and poisoned the atmosphere, making dialog more difficult.

But he said intervention "may sometimes be justified" when domestic instability spilled over to affect other countries.

He did not name any specific countries, referring only to "non-conformist states", but he was clearly alluding to two of Thailand's neighbors, Myanmar and Cambodia.