First, may I be permitted to associate myself with the tribute paid to the late Fiorello La Guardia, the former Director-General of that humanitarian organization, UNRRA?
Siam became a Member of the United Nations at the end of the first session of the General Assembly. In fact, Siam was admitted at the last meeting of that session. If this was so, it was because the Siamese Government had asked the Security Council to postpone consideration of its application for membership until an amicable settlement of a border dispute was effected in conformity with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations. This is clear evidence of the fact that Siam is a peace-loving nation.
The love of peace is a characteristic which has been instilled into the culture of the Siamese people by Buddhism, which also teaches freedom and tolerance. In Siam, men and women enjoy equal rights under the Constitution, and fundamental freedoms are guaranteed to all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion.
With this background of national culture, Siam has always welcomed and promoted friendly relations with foreign countries. Traditional relations of friendship with China and India have existed from ancient times, and even as early as the seventeenth century, Siam took the initiative in developing friendly relations with the western Powers by according facilities and assistance to missionaries and merchants.
Again, in the nineteenth century, Siam welcomed foreign intercourse by agreeing to treaties of extra-territoriality, from which it freed itself through gradual amicable revisions. Similarly, in order to overcome the political difficulties of that period and maintain its national freedom as the only independent country in south-east Asia, Siam followed the path of peaceful settlement and friendly co-operation.
The Siamese people call themselves “Thai”, or free people; but, as true lovers of freedom, they not only like to enjoy freedom themselves, but they like to see other peoples enjoy freedom as well, for they know that the national life of a people can be fully developed only through national freedom. They therefore wholeheartedly support the principle of self-determination of peoples embodied in the Charter.
Peace and stability throughout the world constitute the highest purpose and the most fundamental task of the United Nations. Nothing could better promote stability in south-east Asia than the realization of the national aspiration for freedom of the peoples in that region. The Siamese delegation is therefore happy to see that, through the liberal policy of the United Kingdom, Burma is about to become a dominion in the British Commonwealth of Nations. It is glad to see, too, that the situation in Indonesia, where the people are struggling for their freedom, is engaging the attention of-the United Nations. The Siamese delegation looks forward to a happy solution of this question; for it may then be confidently hoped that similar situations in other parts of south-east Asia will also find a happy settlement.
Economic stability is no less desirable than political stability, and Siam is willing to lend its utmost co-operation to that end. It has been and is doing all it can to secure the maximum production of rice so that the maximum surplus may be exported to help relieve the peoples who are in distress owing to a shortage of food.
Siam has always readily participated in every kind of international co-operation, whether with individual nations or with international organizations such as the League of Nations. Now that it is a Member of the United Nations, I pledge, on behalf of my country, the fullest support and co-operation in accordance with the principles and purposes of the United Nations Charter.