Saowaruj Rattanakhamfu Designed to attract foreign and domestic investment to the three eastern provinces of Chon Buri, Rayong and Chachoengsao, the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) is the current government’s most important engine to drive its “Thailand 4.0” policy which is attempting to propel the country towards high-income status. Even though investment is important for short-term […]
Tippatrai Saelawong Most people in Thailand, be they business people, foreign investors or the public, would agree that the country urgently needs to invest in building, extending and upgrading its public infrastructure. At the same time, they would also cast doubt over the administrative transparency of infrastructure projects. For many years, political instability resulted in […]
NIPON POAPONGSAKORN PHUNJASIT CHOKESOMRITPOL Thailand 4.0 is the Thai government’s new economic model aimed at pulling the country out of the middleincome trap. For agriculture, it means a seven-fold increase in average annual income of farmers from 56,450 baht to 390,000 baht within the next 20 years – an extremely difficult, if not impossible objective […]
NIPON POAPONGSAKORN PHUNJASIT CHOKESOMRITPOL Thailand 4.0 is the Thai government’s new economic model aimed at pulling the country out of the middleincome trap. For agriculture, it means a seven-fold increase in average annual income of farmers from 56,450 baht to 390,000 baht within the next 20 years – an extremely difficult, if not impossible objective […]
Sumet Ongkittikul Road traffic accidents are a leading cause of death in Thailand. Fatalities are extremely high. The Ministry of Public Health estimated the number of road accident fatalities using several data sets to be around 23,000 in 2012. Although the trend of road accident casualties is not increasing, it is not decreasing either, and […]
Somkiat Tangkitvanich Since 1932 Thailand has had 19 constitutions. Each one has been longer than the one before. The current draft is 43,000 words (in Thai), 10 times as many as the first one written in 1932. If a constitution were a car, Thailand would be forever changing models. Now it seems the latest […]
As Thailand’s population ages and shrinks, policymakers need to speed up efforts to adapt on many fronts. By Nareerat Wiriyapong Thailand has a 20-year population development plan that contains many measures to deal with a growing ageing population and a shrinking labour force. However, the country’s long record of political volatility suggests that turning plans into […]
KunmIng to bangkok raIlroad a wIn-wIn InItIatIve for all three natIons, but laos must be Involved from the outset On the sidelines of November’s Apec Summit in Beijing, China and Thailand agreed to cooperate on railway development that will eventually link Kunming to Bangkok and Thailand’s eastern seaboard, and could go all the way to […]
Thailand needs to step forward boldly to dismantle the patriarchal political structure and rid itself of corruption, a seminar was told yesterday. Experts said the nation needs improved government procurement laws, public access to information and better laws to ensure transparency regarding officials’ assets. People should feel empowered to stand up against the abuse of […]
By Nareerat Wiriyapong Thailand’s turbulent politics and frequent changes in transport policies have resulted in delays in rail project development, with links to serve regional integration still on the drawing board, experts say. While securing finances seems to be the biggest headache in neighbouring countries, frequent changes in government and the people in charge of […]
Sumet Ongkittikul The transport infrastructure investment plan that the Ministry of Transport proposed to the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) will play an important role in the economy for years to come. This investment plan is a reworking of the 2 trillion baht proposal offered by the previous administration, with the some adjustment […]
Competitiveness hurt by production costs Thai rice is in danger of losing further export competitiveness over the next 10 years after having been hurt by rising production costs over the past decade. A rice farmer brings in the crop in Sukhothai’s Kong Krailat district. Local growers are speeding up their harvest after the Yom River […]
