BANGKOK, Nov 30 – The Foreign Ministry and other government agencies did not reach agreement on the ministry’s move to endorse the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) over legal disputes in Thailand.
Foreign Minister Surapong Tovijakchaikul discussed the issue on Thursday with representatives from the Justice Ministry, the Council of State, the Department of Special Investigation and the Office of the Attorney General.
The meeting agreed to forward the proposal to the 18-member Statute of the International Criminal Court Committee (SICCC), set up by the cabinet in 1999, for further study.
The director general of the Foreign Ministry’s Department of Treaties and Legal Affairs was assigned to coordinate with the SICCC.
When a resolution is achieved, it will be decided if the Foreign Ministry or the Justice Ministry is authorised to submit the issue to the cabinet for approval, said Mr Surapong.
He said the meeting agreed that Thai laws on extradition, criminal cooperation, prisoner transfer, and privilege and immunity must be amended to cover the ICC-stipulated offences.
Concerns from different quarters on the ICC jurisdiction will be discussed by the SICCC, he concluded.
