Thai diplomat elected as Law of the Sea judge

BANGKOK, June 17 (TNA) -- Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-ocha is pleased to learn that Kriangsak Kittichaisaree, ambassador to Russia, has been elected as a judge of the United Nations’ International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, according to a government spokesman. Mr Kriangsak will serve from this October 1 to September 30, 2026. Spokesman Lt Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the prime minister is happy because ambassador Kriangsak will be the first Thai and from the ASEAN member countries to hold such post, displaying that the international community recognises the kingdom to attach importance to the international marine law. According to a statement issued by the Thai Foreign Affairs Ministry, the tribunal is composed of 21 independent members elected from among people enjoying the highest reputation for fairness and integrity and of recognised competence in the field of the law of the sea. The elections were for seven vacancies, two of them allocated for the Asia-Pacific group, in which Thailand competed against Indonesia, Lebanon and India. The Indian delegate was elected to one seat with 120 votes and Mr Kriangsak to the second with 110 votes. In elections for the five other vacant seats, Algeria and the Republic of Cabo Verde (Cape Verde islands) represent Africa; Russia represents eastern Europe; Paraguay represents Latin America and the Caribbean; and the Netherlands represents western Europe and the others group. Ambassador Kriangsak is the first Thai national to be elected to a judicial organ of the UN and also the first member of the tribunal from Southeast Asia and Oceania. (TNA)