Ministry's site puts Surakiart atop UN
With the race to find a new UN secretary-general entering the final lap, the visit here by outgoing chief Kofi Annan is drawing added attention because he will meet Surakiart Sathirathai, the deputy prime minister who hopes to replace him.
Annan's visit is being closely watched for possible clues about Surakiart's chances of becoming the United Nations' No 1. Surakiart was nominated by Asean to replace Annan, whose second term ends in September. When Surakiart was seen walking side by side with Annan, many wondered whether Annan was being quizzed about what it is like at the helm of the UN. Their conversation may have been private, but the Foreign Ministry appears to have been tipped as to whether its former boss will win the race. It may have even passed on a clue. On the ministry's website, www.mfa.go.th, Webmasters ran a lead picture with a caption that read, "UN Secretary-General addresses a high-level panel on His Majesty the King and Human Development at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs." Viewers of the website were unlikely to be surprised by news of Annan's visit, but when they looked at the picture accompanying the caption they might have been shocked. It was a photo of Surakiart delivering a speech to a panel at the Foreign Ministry. Viewers would have been able to understand it was a simple mistake if the caption had included the name "Kofi Annan", but the caption mentioned only a position. The website was, however, redone, with a picture of Annan replacing the one of his would-be successor. Perhaps ministry officials realised they had made a mistake in sharing their "clue" and decided it was best to keep the information to themselves.
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