Thailand

1. My I first agreeable task, on behalf of the delegation of Thailand, is to tender to Mr. Maza our warmest congratulations on his election to preside over our deliberations during the present session of the General Assembly. The unanimity with which he was elected is not only a tribute to his own high qualities of statesmanship and to the great contribution which his country has made to the work of the United Nations, but it is also a good augury for the success of the tenth session of the General Assembly. It has the further significance of reflecting the spirit of Geneva — that spirit of harmony and concord, which is full of promise for the future and for which the peoples of the world are grateful to the four Heads of Government who brought it about. 2. I would here, on behalf of my delegation, join with the other delegations in a fervent common prayer for the rapid recovery of President Eisenhower, on whom the world counts essentially for bringing to fruition the work so well begun at the “summit” Conference in Geneva. 3. The spirit of harmony and concord which is to be found in the international atmosphere today reached its culmination at Geneva, but it had been growing before that and had been manifesting itself at international meetings, such as the Asian-African Conference at Bandung and the commemorative session of the United Nations at San Francisco. It is a source of gratification I and encouragement that the basis for agreement at those international meetings was found in the purposes and [principles of the Charter of the United Nations. 4. Nor is this the case in conferences of government [representatives only. The annual assembly of the World [Federation of United Nations Associations was held [recently in Bangkok and, in spite of differences in the views of the various delegations, agreement could be [reached in a spirit of harmony based on the purposes and principles of the Charter. I am happy to say too that Lady Pibulsonggram, President of the United Nations Association of Thailand, was elected President of the next assembly of the Federation with the same unanimity with which Mr. Maza has been elected President of our General Assembly. 5. This shows that not only Governments but also the peoples of the world, including those" of countries not yet admitted into our Organization but having associations for the United Nations, share a common faith in the purposes and principles of our Charter. Certainly, in Thailand, not only the Government but also the people actively support the United Nations. The Bangkok radio starts its programmes every day by reading out an article of our own national Constitution, an article of the Charter of the United Nations and an article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The women as well as the men play an active part in bringing home to the people of Thailand what the United Nations stands for, namely, peace, in the positive sense that the Thai people appreciate, that is, peace with freedom and economic and social well-being. 6. At the commemorative session in San Francisco, I dwelt at length on the technical assistance work of the United Nations and its specialized agencies in Thailand, because I consider it of fundamental importance in the promotion of peace, freedom and prosperity in the under-developed countries like my own. Here I would mention only that we are fortunate, in Thailand, in having the benefit of the assistance of the Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the International Labour Organisation, the International Civil Aviation Organization and the United Nations Technical Assistance Board. They have helped us in the control of malaria, yaws and tuberculosis. They have helped us in education and community development. They are working in the towns and villages among the people of Thailand, millions of whom have benefited directly by their work, They are training our experts in Thailand and abroad. And in all this they co-ordinate their efforts with those of other agencies, such as the United States and Colombo Plan technical assistance organizations, in a satisfactory manner. Thailand whole-heartedly appreciates the value of their work. 7. When we come to the question of economic development, however, my delegation — as well, no doubt, as other delegations of under-developed countries — feels bound to submit that, in addition to loans by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development for self-liquidating projects, the under-developed countries have need of economic assistance in the form of a special fund for grants-in-aid or long-term, low-interest loans to help their, economic development. There is need also for the establishment of an international finance corporation in order to facilitate private investment in under-developed countries. My delegation will, therefore, continue to support the establishment of both those institutions. 8. I now turn to the social field and would refer to what, in the report of the Secretary-General, is termed “this particularly vicious form of contraband” [A/2911, p. 58] — the illicit traffic in opium. Thailand does not itself grow the opium poppy, but opium is smuggled into my country from abroad. My Government considers that the best and most effective course to adopt is to abolish opium smoking altogether and, in spite of a big loss of revenue, has decided that no licence for opium divans will be issued as from 1 January 1957. The abolition cannot be effected sooner because licences have already been issued up to the end of 1956. It is hoped that an end will thus be put to this social evil and this vicious form of contraband. 9. The promotion of economic and social well-being is not sufficient by itself to secure peace in the positive sense of happiness in tranquillity, which is the Thai conception of peace. There must also be freedom. The Charter, indeed, quite rightly seeks “to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom”. 10. Thus when the need was felt for setting up a collective security arrangement for South-East Asia, in conformity with the United Nations Charter, the purpose of the organization was clearly stated to be the desire to strengthen the fabric of peace and freedom and to uphold the principles of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law, and to promote the economic wellbeing and development of all peoples in the treaty area. These purposes are made even clearer by the Pacific Charter, which was declared at the same, time as the conclusion of the South-East Asia Collective Defence Treaty. And, so far as the principle of self-determination is concerned, the parties to the Treaty reaffirm that, in accordance with the United Nations Charter, they uphold the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and declare that they will earnestly strive by every peaceful means to promote self-government and to secure the independence of all countries whose peoples desire it and are able to undertake its H responsibilities. 11. Those are no mere empty words, for the United Kingdom has already granted a large measure of self-government to Singapore and Malaya, and full self-government and eventual independence will, no doubt, follow in due course. 12. The South-East Asia Collective Defence Treaty Organization (SEATO) is not a military bloc; it is an organization for peace and security. Bangkok has the privilege of being the seat of the Council representatives, and I know that their discussions cover a wide range of subjects, including economic co-operation. If they discuss defence matters, it is because there is actual need of defence against subversive activities in the treaty area. 13. The fact that SEATO is an arrangement of a purely defensive character was understood at the Bandung Conference, for, among the ten principles for the promotion of world peace and co-operation, there is the fifth principle — respect for the right of each nation to defend itself singly or collectively, in conformity with the United Nations Charter. 14. I am glad to see that the Asian-African Conference at Bandung has received favourable comment on all sides, and I wish to pay a warm tribute to the sponsors of the Conference — Burma, Ceylon, India, Indonesia and Pakistan — which are to be congratulated on their well-inspired conception and efficient organization of the conference, 15. It was a heartening experience to attend the Conference. With an uninhibited feeling of equality, a free and frank exchange of views took place with the object of reaching common agreement on questions of common interest, and the result has been hailed as a decided success. 16. The attitude of the Conference towards the present world situation was that, having considered the dangerous situation of international tension existing and the risks confronting the whole human race from the outbreak of a global war in which the destructive power of all types of armaments, including nuclear and thermonuclear weapons, would be employed, the Conference invited the attention of all nations to the danger of an atomic world war. 17. The problem of peace is correlative with the problem of international security. In this connexion, all States should co-operate, especially through the United Nations, in bringing about the reduction of armaments and the elimination of nuclear weapons under effective international control. In this way, international peace can be promoted and nuclear energy may be used exclusively for peaceful purposes. 18. This will help answer the needs particularly of Asia and Africa, for what they urgently require are social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom. Freedom and peace are interdependent. 19. The right of self-determination must be enjoyed by all peoples, and freedom and independence must be granted, with the least possible delay, to those who are still dependent peoples. Indeed, all nations should have the right freely to choose their own political and economic systems and their own way of life, in conformity with the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter. 20. The Conference went on to formulate ten principles of friendly co-operation in these terms: “Free from mistrust and fear, and with confidence and good will towards each other, nations should practise tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours and develop friendly cooperation on the basis’ of the following principles ...” I will not enumerate the ten principles because they are all included in the United Nations Charter. 21. What is particularly to be noted is the devotion of the Conference to the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter. The moderation of the tone of the Conference is evident, although the principle of self-determination may have been expressed with greater emphasis than some of the colonial Powers could wish. 22. But questions concerning the principle of self-determination will continue to loom large on the scene, of international affairs, and the United Nations cannot: disinterest itself from them. I whole-heartedly agree with the Secretary-General when he says in the introduction) to his annual report: “The peoples of Asia today, of Africa tomorrow, are moving towards a new relationship with what history calls the West. The world organization is the- place where this emerging new relationship in world! affairs can most creatively be forged” [A/2911, p. xi], The delegation of Thailand has consistently been in favour of a friendly discussion of such questions in the General Assembly. But now the Secretary-General, to whom we already owe a debt of gratitude for the part that he played in securing the release of the. American fliers, makes a fruitful suggestion which we should all consider most carefully. For he says: "Conference diplomacy may usefully be supplemented by more quiet diplomacy within the United Nations, whether directly between representatives of Member Governments or in contacts between the Secretary-General and Member Governments” [ibid., p. xii]. The possibilities in this direction should certainly be explored. 23. The Bandung Conference adapted two more resolutions concerning the United Nations, to which I wish to refer here. 24. The first one concerns the admission of New Members to the United Nations. Taking note of the fact that several States have still not been admitted to the United Nations, the Conference considered that for effective co-operation for world peace, membership in the United Nations should be universal and called on the Security Council to support, the admission of all those States which are qualified for membership under the terms of the Charter. In the opinion of the Conference, the following, among participating countries, namely, Cambodia, Ceylon, Japan, Jordan, Laos, Libya, Nepal and a unified Viet-Nam, were-so qualified. 25. The delegation of Thailand strongly supports the admission of all those countries and also of the following European States which have applied: Austria, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. My delegation hopes that a way will be found, especially after the Geneva Conference of the Big Four Foreign Ministers, to overcome the difficulty which at present exists in this matter. 26. In any case, in the opinion of my delegation, the question of the exercise of the veto power in regard to the admission of Members should be discussed in a Charter review conference. This does not necessarily mean a revision of the Charter on this point, but it implies a common consultation as to how best to get rid of the difficulty which now exists. 27. The other resolution of the Bandung Conference to which I would like to refer concerns the representation of the countries of the Asian-African region on the Security Council. The Conference considered that such representation, in relation to the principle of equitable geographical distribution, was inadequate. It expressed the view that, with regard to the distribution of the non-permanent seats, the Asian-African countries which, under the arrangement; arrived at in London in 1946, were precluded from being elected, should be enabled to serve on the Security Council, so that they might make a more effective contribution, to the maintenance of international peace and security. 28. South-East Asia is a region which is at the present time admittedly of great importance from the point of view of the maintenance of international peace and security, and should therefore be represented on the Security Council. My delegation hopes that this will be done in the immediate future. 29. With regard, however, to the general question of the adequacy of the representation of countries of the Asian-African region on the Security Council and, in the opinion of my delegation, on the Economic and Social Council as well, the matter would appear to require discussion in a Charter review conference. 30. The delegation of Thailand is, therefore, in favour of calling a Charter review conference, the date of which should be fixed at the appropriate time. The purpose of the review conference is not to revise the Charter but to review it in order to see whether any revision is necessary. Such a conference after ten years’ existence of the United Nations is contemplated by Article 109 of the Charter. A special conference is required because the subject to be discussed is of supreme importance and interest to the world and to world public opinion. The discussion would, I am confident, be carried on in a spirit of co-operation and goodwill, and even if it did not lead to a revision of the Charter, I am hopeful that, with the support of world public opinion, it would bring about agreements and understandings which would be found satisfactory in overcoming the present obstacles and difficulties. 31. I am a great believer in the spirit of co-operation and goodwill in international relations. I attach the greatest importance to the Geneva spirit of harmony and concord which, I am sure, will be strengthened by the present session of the General Assembly. The sincere good wishes of the United Nations will accompany the Big Four Foreign Ministers to Geneva so that their united will may find a way further to dissipate mistrust and fear and further to instil mutual confidence and goodwill, leading to peace and security in Europe, to disarmament and to world peace in general — to a United Nations peace, with freedom and economic and social well-being for all mankind.