Thai king endorses new foreign minister

BANGKOK - THAILAND King Bhumibol Adulyadej on Saturday endorsed Tej Bunnag as the country's new foreign minister, a royal statement said.

Mr Tej's appointment comes after his predecessor, Mr Noppadon Pattama, was forced to resign on July 10 for signing an agreement with neighbouring Cambodia later ruled unconstitutional.

'The king has endorsed the appointment of Tej Bunnag as foreign minister,' the royal command stated.

British-educated Tej, 64, is a career diplomat and has been working as an royal advisor since he retired in 2004.

His first crucial task will be to represent Thailand in peace talks with Cambodia in Siem Reap on Monday, in a bid to end a tense stand off by thousands of troops on the border.

The territorial dispute centres on a section of land surrounding the 11th century Preah Vihear temple.

Former foreign minister Noppadon ran into trouble with Thai nationalists when he signed a joint communique endorsing Cambodia's application to have the temple listed as a World heritage site.
That controversy eventually led to the current deployment of soldiers stationed there.

Mr Tej joined the Thai foreign ministry as second secretary at the department of information in 1969 after gaining a doctorate from Oxford University. He also has a Master's degree from Cambridge University.

Mr Tej took his first ambassadorial role in 1986 at the Thai embassy in China and in 1990 was named ambassador to the United Nations office in Geneva.

In 1996 he served as ambassador to France until he was named ambassador to the United States in 2000.

He worked there for only one year before returning to the foreign ministry in 2001. -- AFP