On 25 September 2018, H.E. Mr. Virasakdi Futrakul, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, deposited Thailand’s instrument of ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) to Mr. Santiago Villalpando, Chief of Treaty Section, United Nations Office of Legal Affairs, on behalf of the United Nations Secretary-General, the treaty’s depositary.             Mr. Lassina Zerbo, Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) and Mr. Thomas Markram, Deputy to the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs also joined in witnessing the ratification ceremony.

                    Thailand signed the CTBT in 1996 and has continually worked to finalize its national legislation to correspond with all CTBT provisions, namely (1) updating the Atomic Energy for Peace Act of 1961, which at present the Nuclear Energy for Peace Act of 2016 entered into force on 1 February 2017 and (2) enacting the law on privileges and immunities under the CTBT, which entered into force on 28 July 2018. As these laws came into place, Thailand then became ready to ratify the CTBT and cement its commitments toward ending nuclear tests.  

                      After the ceremony, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs also held a meeting with Mr. Lassina Zerbo to discuss ongoing technical cooperation between Thailand and the CTBTO, including the certification process of the radionuclide monitoring station in Thailand and the recent election of the Thai State Audit Office to serve as CTBTO External Auditor in 2018-2019. The Executive Secretary commended such efforts and noted that as Thailand will soon take up the ASEAN Chairmanship, it is timely that Thailand has ratified the CTBT and made ASEAN the second region where all member countries have ratified the Treaty. The Deputy Foreign Minister expressed appreciation for the CTBTO’s support and emphasized that the CTBT complements ASEAN’s goal under the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone, which has been implemented for over 20 years.