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.