Thai PM cites efforts to spread wealth, close social divides
September 8, 2010, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
EDITOR'S Note:
Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva spoke to Shanghai Daily reporter Ni Tao in Shanghai on September 4 about the security and political situation in Thailand, following the crisis that took a huge toll on tourism, its mainstay industry. The Prime Minister was in Shanghai to attend Thailand's National Pavilion Day at the World Expo.
Q: A grenade reportedly exploded at the Thai National Television Center in Bangkok on August 31. How do you see the security now in Thailand?
A: We continue to see sporadic incidents like this. It means that the government has to continue to work hard and ensure that we stay on our path toward greater stability.
But on the whole I think in the last two or three months, we have seen a clear trend toward stabilization. And the government is in the process of gradually lifting the state of emergency in various provinces while it remains in Bangkok. But we've done it cautiously and we hope to manage the situation so that we'll return to complete stability and normalcy as soon as possible.
Q: The yawning social disparity between Bangkok's elite and rural populations in the north and northeast is widely considered to be at the heart of the crisis engulfing Thailand. What has your government done to bridge that divide and promote national reconciliation in the aftermath of the political turmoil?
A: The inequality has been one contributing factor to political events, but it is an issue that successive governments have tried to address. My government is no exception.
And if we look at the numbers for the last year and a half, there has been an improvement in this area, because of the way we have handled the economic crisis.
We put a lot of emphasis on making sure that the least fortunate have had their purchasing power sustained. I think that is one of the reasons why our domestic economy was able to recover quite quickly.
At the same time we have also taken a number of policy initiatives, in terms of income guarantee for farmers, free education, helping the elderly and handicapped. So all this will set the path toward greater equality.
We also aim to have a welfare system to make sure that nobody is left behind.
Q: How has Thailand capitalized on the Shanghai World Expo to promote its image as a safe tourist destination after the political upheavals buffeted your tourism industry?
A: So far we have a total of 4 million people visiting the Thai Pavilion, which is roughly around 10 percent of the people visiting the Expo. So it's a good opportunity for us to showcase Thailand, since there are a number of places with continued interest in Thailand as an attractive destination. And that's a country we continue to be.
The pavilion has a theme that runs through it, which shows the diversity in Thailand and how we've been able to live in that diversity. That's a message we want to get across to foreign visitors and we are using this opportunity to showcase the country as well as reaffirm our commitment and friendship to China.
Q: You told The Wall Street Journal that China and India are of growing economic importance to Thailand. Meanwhile, there is a mounting concern in the West of China "getting too big for its britches." How would you allay this concern?
A: I think in terms of the global economy, clearly big economies like China and India, alongside economies like Brazil and Russia, will be very important engines of global growth.
And for an economy like Thailand, which is a very open economy, it means that the role of these economies will be considerably bigger as we move ahead. I don't believe that this notion in any way takes away from the fact that the US, European or Japanese economies' foothold in the region will necessarily weaken.
On the contrary, I think we'll live in an age where we can see some healthy competition and expect trade and investment contributions that these major economies can make to the development of the region.
Q: The Obama administration has enhanced its relationship with Southeast Asian countries after he assumed office. Does it herald a return of US presence in the region?
A: Part of the change with the current US administration has been to address what might have been a deficit before in terms of attention to the region. The previous US administration was engaged more in other regions.
The Obama administration decided that it's time to engage Asia and Southeast Asia in particular. We welcome that. But again we still see that there are issues that continue to distract the US administration in other regions.
But we hope to build on what we've already been starting last year.
For instance, the meeting of US and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) leaders. And we hope to build on some of the cooperation, particularly the issue of education and human resource development, where both sides have held discussions.
Q: You said you won't call the national election until early next year. Are you optimistic about your odds of winning the re-election?
A: Nobody can be sure about how election results will turn out.
The idea that we will not call an election this year is basically due to the belief that the country needs a period of stability and the reform commission should be left to run its course so that people can lay foundations for longer-term reconciliation.
We have some indications of the national election in the formal five local elections. The government has been largely successful in those.
But you know they say "a week is a long time in politics." If the election is held next year, it can be very difficult to know how it will turn out. But we'll work hard at it.
Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva spoke to Shanghai Daily reporter Ni Tao in Shanghai on September 4 about the security and political situation in Thailand, following the crisis that took a huge toll on tourism, its mainstay industry. The Prime Minister was in Shanghai to attend Thailand's National Pavilion Day at the World Expo.
Q: A grenade reportedly exploded at the Thai National Television Center in Bangkok on August 31. How do you see the security now in Thailand?
A: We continue to see sporadic incidents like this. It means that the government has to continue to work hard and ensure that we stay on our path toward greater stability.
But on the whole I think in the last two or three months, we have seen a clear trend toward stabilization. And the government is in the process of gradually lifting the state of emergency in various provinces while it remains in Bangkok. But we've done it cautiously and we hope to manage the situation so that we'll return to complete stability and normalcy as soon as possible.
Q: The yawning social disparity between Bangkok's elite and rural populations in the north and northeast is widely considered to be at the heart of the crisis engulfing Thailand. What has your government done to bridge that divide and promote national reconciliation in the aftermath of the political turmoil?
A: The inequality has been one contributing factor to political events, but it is an issue that successive governments have tried to address. My government is no exception.
And if we look at the numbers for the last year and a half, there has been an improvement in this area, because of the way we have handled the economic crisis.
We put a lot of emphasis on making sure that the least fortunate have had their purchasing power sustained. I think that is one of the reasons why our domestic economy was able to recover quite quickly.
At the same time we have also taken a number of policy initiatives, in terms of income guarantee for farmers, free education, helping the elderly and handicapped. So all this will set the path toward greater equality.
We also aim to have a welfare system to make sure that nobody is left behind.
Q: How has Thailand capitalized on the Shanghai World Expo to promote its image as a safe tourist destination after the political upheavals buffeted your tourism industry?
A: So far we have a total of 4 million people visiting the Thai Pavilion, which is roughly around 10 percent of the people visiting the Expo. So it's a good opportunity for us to showcase Thailand, since there are a number of places with continued interest in Thailand as an attractive destination. And that's a country we continue to be.
The pavilion has a theme that runs through it, which shows the diversity in Thailand and how we've been able to live in that diversity. That's a message we want to get across to foreign visitors and we are using this opportunity to showcase the country as well as reaffirm our commitment and friendship to China.
Q: You told The Wall Street Journal that China and India are of growing economic importance to Thailand. Meanwhile, there is a mounting concern in the West of China "getting too big for its britches." How would you allay this concern?
A: I think in terms of the global economy, clearly big economies like China and India, alongside economies like Brazil and Russia, will be very important engines of global growth.
And for an economy like Thailand, which is a very open economy, it means that the role of these economies will be considerably bigger as we move ahead. I don't believe that this notion in any way takes away from the fact that the US, European or Japanese economies' foothold in the region will necessarily weaken.
On the contrary, I think we'll live in an age where we can see some healthy competition and expect trade and investment contributions that these major economies can make to the development of the region.
Q: The Obama administration has enhanced its relationship with Southeast Asian countries after he assumed office. Does it herald a return of US presence in the region?
A: Part of the change with the current US administration has been to address what might have been a deficit before in terms of attention to the region. The previous US administration was engaged more in other regions.
The Obama administration decided that it's time to engage Asia and Southeast Asia in particular. We welcome that. But again we still see that there are issues that continue to distract the US administration in other regions.
But we hope to build on what we've already been starting last year.
For instance, the meeting of US and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) leaders. And we hope to build on some of the cooperation, particularly the issue of education and human resource development, where both sides have held discussions.
Q: You said you won't call the national election until early next year. Are you optimistic about your odds of winning the re-election?
A: Nobody can be sure about how election results will turn out.
The idea that we will not call an election this year is basically due to the belief that the country needs a period of stability and the reform commission should be left to run its course so that people can lay foundations for longer-term reconciliation.
We have some indications of the national election in the formal five local elections. The government has been largely successful in those.
But you know they say "a week is a long time in politics." If the election is held next year, it can be very difficult to know how it will turn out. But we'll work hard at it.
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