Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been assigned to make a proposal and recommendation for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to start working towards adopting a cryptocurrency, he said on Friday.
This would be in his capacity as a personal adviser to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the current chair of Asean, he said.
The former premier said he was entrusted by the Asean chair to do the job because he has demonstrated his special interest in cryptocurrencies.
Now is the time for the regional bloc to pay attention to the importance of this issue as United States President Donald Trump has now thrown his support behind Bitcoin and other digital currencies, Thaksin noted.
Late last month, Mr Trump, who has promised his supporters to overhaul America's cryptocurrency policy, ordered the creation of a working group tasked with proposing new digital asset regulations and exploring the creation of a national cryptocurrency stockpile.
Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia will likely become the first Asean nations to take part in the region's cryptocurrency initiative, according to Thaksin, who met Mr Anwar in Malaysia on Feb 2 and 3.
The assignment was one of three main topics of discussion he had with Mr Anwar, he noted.
Mr Anwar also asked him to help find a way to deal with concerns caused by political conflicts in Myanmar, Thaksin added.
Mr Anwar does not want any Asean member to have an "unusual" governing system, and he wants Thaksin to engage all sides in Myanmar's political conflict in talks as a potential way of defusing it, said Thaksin.
He added that he knows most sides involved in the conflict and will next try to talk them into agreeing to dialogue with one another.
The other important topic Thaksin discussed with Mr Anwar was Thailand's southern unrest.
He said he hopes the situation will begin to improve soon as both the Thai and Malaysian governments already know why the past efforts to restore peace in the far South were not successful.
He did not elaborate on the reasons.
In related news, one police officer was killed and three others injured when a bomb exploded on Friday morning on a road near a petrol station in Nong Chik district of Pattani province.
The four officers -- Pol Sgt Maj Nopphon Raksaphram, Pol Cpl Anucha Khwanthong-on, Pol Sgt Maj Chatmongkhol Nutsri, and Pol Cpl Keelarat Thongma -- were travelling together on two motorcycles while conducting a routine patrol when the blast occurred.
Pol Cpl Anucha sustained severe injuries and succumbed to his wounds despite the best efforts of doctors trying to save him at nearby Nong Chik Hospital.
