An article in the The Jakarta Post suggesting Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha does not deserve to chair Asean next year may have had a hidden agenda, Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai said yesterday.
"We don't know who asked or hired whom to write the article," Mr Don said. "We've also received reports that the writer borrowed someone else's pen name ... so we need to carry out further checks."
He was referring to an article titled, "Don't let Thai junta chief chair Asean next year" that was written by Kornelius Purba and published in the Indonesian daily on July 31.
Mr Don said when he attended the 51st Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting from Aug 1-4 in Singapore, nobody mentioned the article.
"Nobody asked about it in our bilateral meetings, either. We shouldn't take this story seriously," he said. "On the contrary, other countries are looking forward to us serving as the chair of Asean. They want us to do many things," he said.
The paper's editor-in-chief, Nezar Patria, told the Bangkok Post yesterday the article was written independently by a senior editor who used his real name.
