Abhisit, the, FCCT

From the latest FCCT bulletin:

Keynote Address by His Excellency Abhisit Vejjajiva Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand

6pm Thurs, January 14, 2010

1,500 baht (members), 3,000 baht (non-members)

Grand Ballroom, Intercontinental Bangkok

All tickets must be paid by close of business Tuesday, January 12th

For more than two decades successive Thai prime ministers have accepted the annual invitation of the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand to address the foreign press and the wider international community, often using the opportunity to deliver major policy statements. 

The practice was broken in recent years only by Thaksin Shinawatra, whose relationship with the international press was prickly, to say the least, and at least one of his political allies who had a very short stay in office. We were pleased to revive the tradition last year shortly after Abhisit Vejjajiva's Democrat Party formed a new coalition government. Now, a year later, Prime Minister Abhisit has once again accepted our invitation to address the club.

This past year has proven to be a difficult one for Thailand - socially, economically and politically - with the government pledging to heal social divisions, prop up an economy under threat and build political goodwill and a spirit of cooperation. Almost immediately it was embroiled in several controversies involving one of its major coalition partners, then in April it had to embarrassingly evacuate regional leaders after a regional summit in Pattaya was stormed by the pro-Thaksin protest movement.

But that wasn't all. After injecting nearly a trillion Baht into the economy to stave off collapse, the year ended with more corruption complaints involving the public health ministry. In between came harsh criticism of an intrusive cybercrime bill and overenthusiastic prosecutions under the country's tough lesè majesté laws. As for cooperation with political opponents, that goal seems as far away as ever, with deposed former prime minister Thaksin setting up shop in neighboring Cambodia as he seeks to regain control over his now-frozen money and once-invincible political machine.

The upcoming year promises to all that the past year was and more. Please join us as we welcome His Excellency Abhisit Vejjajiva, prime minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, as he delivers a major keynote address outlining his and his government's vision for the year to come.

Tickets are available only through the FCCT office and go on sale starting Monday morning, January 4th. Because of security constraints, there will be no ticket sales at the door; all those attending the dinner must have a ticket paid for and collected prior to the close of business, Tuesday, January 12th. Bookings for which payment has not been received by that time will be subject to cancellation.

BP: Phone numbers available at the FCCT link above. Dinner is included.

btw, yes, yes, it should technically be, Abhisit at the Intercontinental, but you get the picture.