Chaisit Shinawatra

President of Thai-Chinese Culture and Economy Association

and Adviser to the Prime Minister of Thailand

Distinguished Friends,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am an Adviser to the Prime Minister of Thailand and head of the Thai delegation, Chaiyasit Shinawatra. I am honored and grateful to be invited by the China Foundation for Peace and Development to attend the Commemoration of the International Day of Peace 2012 and China-Southeast Asia Peace and Development Forum, and I would like to thank the China Foundation for Peace and Development for their warm hospitality.

Distinguished guests,

The Commemoration of the International Day of Peace organized by China since 2009 have received high praise and appreciation of all the groups who have participated in them, and they clearly reflect the long-term importance attached and strong support given to establishing and safeguarding world peace and human development by the government and people of China. The Thai delegation firmly believes that the development objective is shared by the international community and all the countries in the world.

This year’s Commemoration of the International Day of Peace is being held amid the following three international situations:

1. Europe and the United States are suffering from the most serious international economic crisis in history, the impact of which has spread to every country and region in the world. At the same time, people’s current attitudes towards consumption are becoming a major threat to world economic development.

2. The worsening situation in the Middle East could be flare-up to trigger war between countries in the region and between different groups of allies, which could dash the wish of all people around the world to restore peace in the region and for non-interference in the internal affairs of nations.

3. Asian economy rises in an all-round way, and the sectors such investment, trade and tourism continue to grow sustainably, and the region has grown to be a mainstay of the world economy. This brings to mind the phrase said by the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong, “the east wind prevails over the west wind.” The rise of Asian economy has become a reality which could not be overlooked.

This forum is being held under such global circumstances, and its impact on the international community and humanity is of great significance.

Distinguished guests,

War and peace are two sides of one coin.

War is brutal, violent and barbaric, and it is a method by which the powerful exploit the weak. Fights between wild animals occur over food, and wars have being taking place between human beings for food and land since the Stone Age. Today, wars are fought for profit and territorial expansion. War is therefore detrimental to the development and progress of human society.

Peace is synonymous with harmony and happiness. It is the basis for social development and prosperity, and also the noble aspiration of peoples all over the world for establishing civilized human society.

The majority of the history of human society has been peaceful, but during the rest wars have occurred from time to time due to the exploitation and invasion of weaker countries by powerful countries and discrimination between races, both of which have been responsible for many tragedies in human history.

In today’s developed society, the countries and peoples in the world yearn for peace and oppose war. However, some countries and regions are still becoming casualties of war and tragedies in the development of human society.

Acts of war are the acts of animals. They stem from the exploitation of the interests of the weak by the powerful, and the way to prevent and stop war is to deal with its root causes. The countries and people of the world need to unite and resolutely oppose all acts of war, including aggression, pillaging and other violations. We need to be satisfied with our own living environments and the realities of our own countries and societies. Being satisfied with what one owns can purify the soul and is an eternal guarantee for maintaining peace.

World leaders must also maintain the peaceful state of mind of being satisfied with reality, put an end to all aggression and exploitation aimed at others, and explore the principles and policies that are genuinely suited to their countries’ development so that their people can live and work in peace and contentment, their societies can develop sustainably, they can establish friendship with other countries in the world, and work with unremitting effort to create human peace.

Distinguished guests,

Thailand is a peace-loving nation. We do not support acts of war or aggression, and we are willing to contribute to the promotion of peaceful development in this region and around the world. We hope to resolve contradictions and disputes via peaceful means. We support the resolution of conflicts between parties through peaceful negotiation, and oppose all external interference in sovereign states by foreign forces. And we believe that solving problems through mutual trust and peaceful measures is the most sustainable approach. Last year, when Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping visited Thailand, our Prime Minister expressed to him Thailand’s attitude of upholding mutual trust and peaceful measures in developing international relations. Three months ago, when the Thai military leadership, led by the Ministry of Defense of Thailand, visited China, they once again expressed to Vice President Xi and the Central Military Commission Thailand’s aforementioned policy on peaceful development. The Thai government will strongly oppose any acts of military aggression or intervention in one country’s internal affairs, and it is committed to developing peaceful co-existence between the countries all over the world and establishing friendship between peoples as an effective way to prevent and stop war and, together, achieve ever-lasting world peace. Let the words that Chairman Mao Zedong ever said come true.

Finally, on behalf of the Thai delegation and the people of Thailand, let us create ever-lasting world peace hand in hand, promote the development of all mankind, and use the sweat from our efforts to irrigate the harmonious and steady fruits of world peace and global development. I wish you all success for career and happiness in your life.

Thank you. .