‘SEAG no longer an Asean issue’

KUALA LUMPUR (via PLDT) — President Arroyo and other heads of state attending the 11th Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ summit here will no longer take up the issue of accusations reportedly made by Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra that the Philippines cheated in the just-concluded 23rd Southeast Asian Games in Manila.

The Philippines was declared champion of the biennial regional games after winning the most medals, and officials said it was time to move on.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo noted his counterparts congratulated him for the sports victory during one of their meetings here.

Asked if Thai Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon was one of them, he said: "Maybe."

Romulo did not reply when asked if he heard the Thai foreign minister congratulate the Philippines. But he said the Philippine government would rather "let sleeping dogs lie."

"Don’t keep flogging a dead horse. There is no need for nitpicking on this," he explained.

Romulo said the Thai foreign ministry had issued a statement saying Thaksin’s statements were taken out of context and that he was not referring to any country when he said that the focus of the SEA Games should not be on winning gold medals but on camaraderie.

Thai officials even said that Bangkok would "do better" when it hosts the games in 2007.

"Panis na ‘yang story (That story is already stale)," Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Policy Sonia Brady told reporters.

She said it was just a ripple in a long-standing bilateral relationship that remained intact.

Brady said the efforts should now be focused on areas of cooperation and making it stronger.

"There’s no break of friendship or relationship," she said. "I think it’s best forgotten."