Thai Parliament prepares for AC

BANGKOK, July 30 (TNA) - The Parliament organized a seminar in Bangkok Monday to prepare Thailand's legal system for the establishment of the single community of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) by 2015. Thai Parliament President Somsak Kiatsuranont chaired the seminar, in which concerned authorities participated, including Srirat Ratthapana, Director General of the Ministry of Commerce's Department of Trade Negotiations, Busadee Santipitak, Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Department of ASEAN Affairs and Police Lieutenant General Chatchawan Suksomjit, Assistance National Police Chief, who is tasked with legal affairs. Somsak told the seminar that the forum is aimed to be a platform for the agencies concerned to discuss possible legal problems and impacts from the formation of the ASEAN Community (AC) over the next three years and to jointly seek ways to address the implications and to, on the other hand, bring about national benefits. According to the Parliament President, who is also the House Speaker, Thailand will likely be both positively and negatively affected by the AC in socio-economic, cultural, legal and political areas; so, all the Thai sectors need to prepare for the approaching regional integration, particularly the domestic legal system, covering promulgating, reviewing and revising relevant legislation to cope with the changing situation. (TNA)