Foreign Minister concerned about Paris unrest, urges embassy to closely monitor Thais

'Maris' urged the Thai Embassy in France to take care of Thai people in Paris closely after the disturbance at the train station in France. The embassy asked people not to panic but to be more careful when traveling in and out of Paris and to follow the news continuously. Mr. Nikorndej Plangoon, Director-General of the Department of Information and Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, gave an interview regarding the incident of unrest in France before the opening of the Olympic Games in Paris. He said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been in close contact with the Royal Thai Embassy in Paris and has just spoken with Mr. Saran Charoensuwan, Ambassador to Paris, who said that in the past week, there have been incidents in several locations, but France has been able to contain them. He has not yet been able to clearly state whether all the incidents are related or not. However, the recent incidents of setting fire to train signals across the country have led him to believe that these were p lanned and related events to create a situation where the opening of the Olympic Games might be disorderly. Therefore, Mr. Maris Sangiampong, Minister of Foreign Affairs, has instructed the Royal Thai Embassy in Paris to closely protect and look after Thais. The Foreign Ministry spokesman also said that from the latest discussion with the Thai Ambassador to France, Thai people are asked not to panic but to be more careful when traveling. However, the burning of train signals will cause traffic jams and delays in traveling in and out of Paris. The French railways are currently working to resolve the problem, but the situation should be resolved by Monday, July 29. Therefore, there may be some disruption during this Saturday and Sunday. Thai people are asked to be careful when traveling in and out, including in crowded areas. However, the French security agencies have been discussing every day and have invited representatives of the Thai Embassy to listen. Therefore, the embassy will receive information quick ly and in a timely manner. I would like to emphasize that at this stage there is nothing to worry about, but please be more careful and follow the news closely, including from the embassy website, which has a telephone number for emergency contact. As far as I know, there are no reports of Thais being affected. -312- Thai News Agency Source: Thai News Agency