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Published on November 27, 2007

The Office of the National Culture Commission agreed to put off the merger and said the issue needed thorough consideration and should be proposed to the Cabinet first.

Senior social critic Prawase Wasi slammed the proposed merger, saying it would cause disunity and conflict in society, which right now is in need of repair and harmony.

After presiding over the commission's meeting yesterday, Culture Minister Khunying Khaisri Sriaroon said the members agreed unanimously that the merger was a sensitive issue. They agreed that making a decision without a thorough study would be risky.

The commission concluded that the government should postpone the decision pending such a study and allow all sides to voice their opinions first, she said.

The Culture Ministry would then gather all information for Deputy Prime Minister Kosit Panpiemras, who supervises the Office of National Buddhism, to bring it before the Cabinet, she added.

Prawase, a member of the National Culture Commis-sion, said merging the two agencies, which used to be one entity before bureaucratic reform split them apart, would cause disruption in their work.

He said the merger would also create conflict among officials.

 The Nation