KEEP AN EYE ON MIDEAST, PRAWIT TELLS STAFF

>> Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon has instructed officials to keep track of the Syria conflict after the United States, France and Britain carried out strikes in the country yesterday, according to his adviser Panitan Wattanayagorn.

Gen Prawit, who is also defence minister and oversees national security affairs, set up a team to follow up on the situation, Mr Panitan said. Information drawn from Thailand’s allies will be analysed to determine whether the attacks would have an impact on Thailand, he noted.

At this stage, there are no reports that the situation would intensify since there are still between 2,000 and 3,000 US military personnel in Syria, he noted, adding the US and its allies are likely to only target depots believed to be storing chemical weapons for the Syrian regime.

Mr Panitan said the attacks are unlikely to affect Asia but the Thai authorities will not let their guard down and will remain vigilant about the situation since it is known that Syria is being backed by Russia, which also has warm ties with China.

Focus would be on what other countries have to say in the United Nations’ meetings regarding the matter, according to Mr Panitan.

Mr Panitan is also a lecturer specialising in international affairs at Chulalongkorn University’s faculty of political sciences.

He played down the concerns the situation would escalate into a major war and added that Europe would feel the pinch more than Asia, including Thailand, which holds a non-partisan stance over the issue.

Mr Panitan said Gen Prawit’s planned visit to the US from April 21-26, when he is due to meet his US counterparts in the Pentagon, remains unchanged in the wake of the attacks.

Meanwhile, the Energy Ministry is also keeping a close watch over the conflict in Syria, which has pushed the global oil prices up by US$4-5 a barrel over the past few days, said Twarath Sutabutr, director-general of the ministry’s Energy Policy and Planning Office.

He added that the recent uptick in the oil prices was likely to be a temporary phenomenon.