PM tried to cut funds to NGOs

Foreign Ministry turned him down

Mongkol Bangprapa

The Thaksin Shinawatra government once asked the Foreign Ministry to have overseas non-government organisations stop funding dissident NGOs in Thailand but the ministry simply turned down the directive.

According to documents from the ministry, the request came in 2001 when the Anti-Money Laundering Office was examining the assets of NGO representatives and newspaper executives and the government was blaming NGOs for unsuccessful negotiations on the Pak Moon dam issue.

Later there were measures to destabilise NGOs in Thailand including visa bans on foreign NGO staff working in Thailand and an order for provincial governors to monitor NGOs in their respective areas.

According to a memorandum of Laksanachantara Laohapan, then director-general of the International Organisations Department, Lt-Gen Preecha Wanarat, deputy secretary-general to the prime minister, met her on Nov 2, 2001, to pass on the directive under which the Foreign Ministry was asked to have Thai embassies convince overseas NGOs to cut their sponsorship for local ones.

Targeted were the Assembly of the Poor, the NGOs handling problems concerning the Pak Moon dam and the Thai Volunteer Service.

Vikrom Khumpairote, then the ministry's acting permanent secretary, said such a step could shake Thailand's image as affected NGOs might raise the issue at international forums.