Madrid - Asean chief Surin Pitsuwan said yesterday that Thailand badly needed major political reform and social restructuring after recent redshirt protests turned bloody in Bangkok and other major provinces.
Though the situation looks calm after last week's crackdown and most protesters have returned home, the country still faces the task of ensuring permanent peace and stability, he said.
The secretarygeneral of Asean was in Spain this week for an AseanEuropean Union (EU) meeting, where the issue of peace and stability in the region was brought up.
The grouping had earlier expressed concerns about Thailand's political turmoil and urged all parties to exercise restraint and use peaceful methods to resolve the conflict, he said.
Unfortunately, the marathon protest by the red shirts had to be brought to a violent end, which left 88 people and more than 1,500 injured.
The redshirt movement, which comprises workingclass people from rural and urban areas as well as supporters of exPM Thaksin Shinawatra, took to the streets of the capital to call for equal rights and justice.
Surin said the Thai government had to introduce reforms that will bridge the gap in the social strata and bring justice to one and all.
The cause behind the protest was the imbalance between economic and political development, he said.
"It is a lesson for all developing countries, not just Thailand, to learn how to manage social inequality," Said said.
"It is not about being democratic or undemocratic, but about the effectiveness of socialmanagement agencies," he told reporters on the sidelines of the meeting.
Foreign Ministry's deputy permanentsecretary, Chitriya Pinthong, who was representing Thailand, said the recent violence was top on the agenda.
"Member countries were relieved to learn that the government had managed to end the protest, despite some loss of life," she said. "But they understand that the government needs to protect social order and people's lives."