Thai PM defends foreign minister's airport comments
Posted: 24 December 2008 1507 hrs

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BANGKOK: Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva Wednesday strongly defended his foreign minister over reported comments that the occupation of Bangkok's airports by protesters was "a lot of fun."

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya meanwhile apologised, but said remarks quoted by Britain's Daily Telegraph about the week-long siege by demonstrators trying to bring down the previous government had been taken out of context.

Kasit played a key role in the People's Alliance for Democracy, which ended the airport blockade after a court disbanded the ruling party loyal to ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, paving the way for Abhisit's rise.

"His comments were made before the royal command appointed him as minister. He later explained to me what he had said and that what appeared in media was inaccurate," Abhisit told reporters.

"He merely wanted to convey the message that there was no violence during occupation but the way the media reported it amounted to him endorsing the shutting down of the airports," he said.

The siege of Suvarnabhumi International Airport and Don Mueang domestic airport left around 350,000 travellers stranded and caused major economic damage, with exports dropping last month for the first time in six years.

Abhisit's appointment of Kasit has proved the most controversial in his new cabinet, especially after Kasit was quoted by the Telegraph as saying last week that during the protests the "food was excellent, the music was excellent."

Kasit, a regular speaker at the protests, reportedly suggested that the protests should be seen as "pushing the process of democratisation forward."

At a separate briefing from the prime minister on Wednesday, Kasit formally apologised to the Thai people and sought to limit the damage from his comments.

"I cannot deny what I have said, but it may have been misquoted or taken out of context to make a misunderstanding. I can reaffirm that whatever I have done or said was to uphold better democracy," he said.

"I apologise to all Thai people if my comments have caused misunderstanding but I can assure them that I have no ill-intentions and I did not mean to hurt our country," he told reporters.

- AFP/yb