Thailand irritated by cartoons

Thailand irritated by cartoons

BANGKOK (Reuter): Thailand complained yesterday about two cartoons which appeared in Malaysian newspapers, saying the images did not create a conducive atmosphere for a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asean Nations (ASEAN) later this week.

A senior Foreign Ministry official said in a statement yesterday that Thailand and its people were "saddened and disappointed" after the cartoons were published in the New Sunday Times and its daily the New Straits Times this week.

Ministry spokesman Surapong Jayanama said the controversial cartoons were motivated by the current squabbling between Malaysia and Singapore, and accused the Malaysian press of trying to drag Thailand into the conflict.

One cartoon depicted a group of Singaporeans queuing at an immigration checkpoint waiting to tour Thailand and Indonesia, while a man resembling Singaporean Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew was shown distributing condoms and reminding the crowd not to forget to use them when on holiday in the two countries.