About 1,500 parliamentarians worldwide are gathering in Bangkok for the 122nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) to discuss issues facing the international community.

According to the Foreign Office of the Thai Government Public Relations Department (PRD), the gathering at the Centara Grand CentralWorld in Bangkok from March 27 to April 1 has drawn the participation of 131 out of 151 IPU member countries together with six associate members from international organisations, observers from 44 countries, and two other countries that have been invited by the host country.

In her speech at the opening ceremony, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn pointed out that parliament is considered a major mechanism in the democratic system and serves as the voice of the people.

She said she hoped that this parliamentary gathering would provide a good opportunity for IPU members to discuss political, economic, and social issues facing the world community, promote cooperation among parliamentarians and strengthen the prevalence of democracy worldwide.

President of the Thai Senate Prasopsook Boondech said that the world is still grappling with imbalanced development and the need to protect the environment sustainably. The IPU assembly is well placed to push for the efficient resolution of such problems, he said.

Thai Deputy Prime Minister Trairong Suwankiri referred to the clearly separate duties of legislative, judicial, and executive powers. He stressed the need for the three branches to solve problems concerning peace, security, sustainable development, finance and trade, democracy, and human rights.

According to IPU President Theo-Ben Gurirab, every nation has a particular experience of democracy and Thailand is no exception. He stated that parliament is at the heart of political tolerance, national reconciliation, and good governance./.