On behalf of the Royal Thai Government, I wish to express my deepest condolences concerning the events that occurred against the Government and people of the United States. Such actions greatly deserve to be condemned since they resulted in the loss of innocent lives and disruption to the world. I have already sent a letter of condolence, on behalf of the Royal Thai Government, to U.S. President George W. Bush last night.

On the part of Thailand, I would like to inform my fellow countrymen that these events are highly regrettable. We have taken measures to ensure that such events do not have too much of an impact upon the Thai people and economy. Since the Government has to consider what actions need to be taken, a Cabinet meeting was held this morning involving all the agencies dealing with security and economic matters.

Orders have been given today concerning security and law enforcement issues, with additional stricter security measures to be enforced. Increased security has been provided to foreign embassies and consulates, which will receive special attention. Airports and communications routes will be safeguarded in order to prevent any problems from occurring. Having assessed the situation, we do not believe that there will be any impact on Thailand in terms of security and safety. We must not be complacent, but the Thai people should be comforted by the fact that the Government has attached special attention to this matter. They should not be alarmed since we do not believe the events will impact upon our country.

With regard to Thai Airways International, special care will be taken in choosing flight routes in order to ensure the safety of passengers. This should not be a matter of concern.

In terms of the economy, the Securities Exchange of Thailand has been temporarily closed. Many countries have taken similar actions to assess the situation since the largest stock market in the world and the center of global capital and commodity markets, namely, the New York Board of Trade, have been suspended. Therefore, we have decided to close our stock market temporarily to assess the situation, which is in line with most capital markets.

As for our financial market, the situation is normal with nothing irregular taking place.

With regard to the oil situation, oil prices appeared to increase considerably during the early stages of the incident but in the end the price increases were not too significant. We have an adequate level of oil reserves, and exports of oil processed in Thailand have been halted. Consequently, our oil supply is sufficient for the time being and should not have any impact on the Thai people over the short term. The situation is still under control.

In terms of electricity, there will not be any power shortages so the Thai people should not be unduly concerned about the situation.

We have expressed our sympathies regarding the events to the American people. For our part, the Thai Government has carefully considered the situation and has taken steps to ensure that everything is in order, whether in terms of security or economic matters. A center has been set up to monitor events around the clock.

The Secretary-General of the National Security Council is in charge of security matters.

The Minister of Finance and the Governor of the Bank of Thailand are responsible for the financial and capital markets.

With regard to the oil situation, Minister Chaturon Chaisang and the Secretary-General of the National Energy Policy Office will be responsible for this matter and will monitor the situation prudently and closely.

The Minister of Interior will be in charge of maintaining domestic law and order.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs will continuously monitor foreign developments and events.

I would like to reassure you once again, my fellow countrymen, that the Government has carefully tended to the situation. You should be able to carry out your daily activities in a normal manner without being overly concerned that some events may impact upon Thailand that are beyond the capability of the Government to take care of.

Thank you.