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BANGKOK - THAILAND'S Prime Minister said yesterday that Westerners are overly critical of Myanmar.
He has also denied that he would stop working as head of the government while an investigation into possible corruption involving him is under way.
'Westerners have a saying, 'Look at both sides of the coin', but Westerners only look at one side,' Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said in his weekly television talk show two days after an official visit to Myanmar.
He said he discussed investment opportunities for Thai companies in Myanmar, especially in the area of production and exploitation of natural gas and hydropower projects.
'We want to do something about dams. Senior General Than Shwe told me, 'You can do it here and here and here. Find the investors and do it',' said Mr Samak.
Thai state-owned energy companies are the largest purchasers of gas from Myanmar, contributing almost US$2 billion (S$2.8 billion) a year to the military regime.
'They found new gas resources. I negotiated with them so we can sign contracts,' Mr Samak said, adding that the junta wants to build a pipeline to its largest city, Yangon.
'Myanmar does not have money to build the pipeline. Thai companies will do that for it.'
He said Thailand's approach to dealing with Myanmar was in the spirit of good neighbourly relations.
'We have three neighbours: Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar,' he said.
'We use their resources, all three of them. If we have this great relationship, why should we pick on them?'
On the same show, Mr Samak denied that he would stop working as head of the government while an investigation of possible corruption regarding the controversial procurement of firefighting trucks and firefighting boats is under way.
During 2000 to 2003, when Mr Samak was the governor of Bangkok, the city's administration purchased 315 firefighting trucks and 30 firefighting boats at what is alleged to have been an inflated price of US$6.7 billion.
He had signed the contract on the last day of his term as governor.
Yesterday, Mr Samak said that if he was guilty, the concerned authorities should have stopped him when he contested the general election last December.
'If I stop working, the entire Cabinet would have to suspend working as well, and a new prime minister and Cabinet must be formed,' said Mr Samak.
'There would be much chaos. The country is now moving ahead after struggling more than 18 months.'
He explained that he did not have to stop leading the Thai government as he was no longer Bangkok governor. He said the law stipulates that a person would have to step aside only if he still holds the post while being accused of a crime.
Last Thursday, Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin announced that he was stepping aside to clear his name before the Asset Examination Committee (AEC).
The AEC is pressing charges against him in the controversial procurement deal.
ASSOCIATED PRESS, XINHUA
MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE
'Westerners have a saying, 'Look at both sides of the coin', but Westerners only look at one side.'
THAI PRIME MINISTER SAMAK SUNDARAVEJ
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