Ministry of Labour joins Govt’s energy saving campaign

(13/03/2013)

Ministry of Labour has laid out three measures to help the government conserve energy, covering fuel, water and electricity conservation measures.

 

The move came after the cabinet on March 20, 2013, held a resolution, requesting all concerned agencies to reduce energy consumption.

 

Under the measures, Office of the Permanent Secretary would turn off all the lights in its building during the lunch break from 12 pm-1pm, while the spotlights in front of the ministry’s sign and buildings would be turned off after 9pm.

 

The ministry would also reduce the number of light bulbs in areas, where sunlight can come in through windows and curtains as well as turn on air conditioners only from 9am 12pm and 1pm to 4.30 pm to decrease hours of air conditioning use. The air conditioners will be set at 25-26 degrees.

 

Officials would be instructed to avoid closing and opening doors of air-conditioned room to reduce the work load of the air conditioners. Computers’ monitors would be turned off if they are not used for more than 15 minutes while the computers would be rearranged to areas through which the air can come in and out.

 

The officials would also be instructed to photocopy only when necessary, turn off photocopy machines when not using them, pull out plugs from water boilers when not using them, switch off TVs and radios when not using them and take stairs instead of elevators when going one-two floors. Some elevators would also be shut-off.

 

The ministry’s drivers would also be instructed to study their route before their journey; they must take the shortest route or the least time consuming route. They would also be instructed to drive at 90 kilometre per hour on normal road, 110 kilometre per hour on highway and 120 kilometre per hour on motorway as well as turning off their car when they have to park for a long period.

 

Officials would also be asked to take the same car when they have to work in a group. Unnecessary items must also be removed from the vehicle to reduce its weight.

 

Ministry of Labour would conduct checkup on all taps and toilets to make sure they are in good conditions. Officials would also be asked to make sure that all taps are turned off when they finish using them to save electricity from water pumps.

Ministry of Labour provides training for Bhutan labour officials

(12/03/2013)

Ministry of Labour holds seminar on Labour and Employment Development to pass on its experience to officials from Ministry of Labour and Human Resources of Bhutan.

 

Mr. Kamol Sawatchukeo, expert at Ministry of Labour’s foreign relations division, presided over the seminar, saying that the seminar has objectives to exchange labour knowledge between the two countries.

 

The seminar would help strengthen strong relations between Thailand and Bhutan and forge labour ties between the two countries. He hopes the knowledge would help the development of Bhutan’s workforces, Mr. Kamol said.

 

A group of labour official from Bhutan, led by Thailand’s Mahidol University’s Institute for Population and Social Research, attended the seminar, the second of its kind, which was held at Office of Labour Protection and Welfare’s conference room at Ministry of Labour headquarter in Bangkok. The first group of labour official from Bhutan attended the seminar on this topic on February 18, 2013.

 

Officials from Office of Labour Protection and Welfare and Department of Employment gave the officials lectures on various topics including their mission, Thai labour situation, Thai labour laws supervised by their agencies,  labour management (Department of Employment’s E-Job service), the establishment of labour relations office, and dispute settlement.

 

The Bhutan officials also raised questions about the 300 baht daily minimum wage policy to the Thai officials, which they clarified that the policy is initiated by the central minimum wage after it surveyed the cost of living of Thai population. Based on the economic principle that an increase in wage would stimulate more spending, the policy is expected to drive forward the Thai economy in the macro level.

Minister of Labour hails vocational skill competition as a success

(12/03/2013)

Minister of Labour is pleased with the performance of disabled persons who participated in the 6th vocational skill competition, held at MCC Hall in The Mall Ngamwongwan Department Store from March 9-11, noting that his ministry will continue organizing skill competitions for people with disability.

Mr. Phadermchai Sasomsub, Minister of Labour, said during the closing ceremony of the competition that people with disability are as important human resource as normal people. They have shown through private and government skill competitions that they have creativity and capable of working. Ministry of Labour has organized the vocational skill competition for people with disability for six consecutive times to provide a platform for them to show their capability. People with disability showed during this year competition that they had strong will for living and self-improvement, which is a good example for normal people.

“This year’s competition was more success than many had expected. Ministry of Labour, therefore, plans to cooperate with concerned agencies in organizing such a competition to improve skills of people with disability. To promote capability of disabled persons and boos their morale, It will also organize an exhibition to showcase the works of people with disability from this completion as well as events to sell products made by people with disability,” said the labour minister.

Ms. Duangta Wongjinda, the gold-medal winner for the painting contest, said she was delighted for being a representative from the southern region and to have an opportunity to show her ability.

Her work wanted to show the way of living of Thai southerners, which she believe is completely from what people from other regions have seen from the media. People regardless of their religion can live together peacefully, she noted, urging other people with disability who may feel depressed due to being disabled to be strong, saying it is part of their life and they can be happy if they try to live to with it.

Mr. Pirasak Saranrom, the gold-medal winner for the mechanical computer-aided drafting contest, said he was delighted to receive the award after failing twice in the past competitions. He has trained hard for the past ten years to gain experience and improve his skills. He wants to join the competition to show that he is no less capable than other persons. He urged people with disability to become strong, saying there are people who are more unfortunate than them and they must try to live in the society so that they do not become burden of their family and the society.

The vocational skill is a biannual competition organized by Ministry of Labour. It consists of 15 contests including dress-making for men, dress-making for women, knitting, crocheting, threading beads, embroidering, painting, computer-aided poster design, computer assembling, creating document on computer, mechanical computer-aided drafting, electronics, creating useful items from unwanted items, flower making and cloth-painting.

MoL official learned to survey labour demand, supply

(04/03/2013)

Ministry of Labour holds a meeting to educate officials from central and regional offices how to assess labour demand and supply as well as impacts of the government’s 300 baht daily minimum wage policy. The meeting is aimed at improving the officials’ knowledge and understanding on how to correctly survey, store and analyze data.

 

Mr. Poonsak Sethanandha, Deputy Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Labour, said at the opening ceremony of the meeting that his ministry is among the main agencies that are responsible to carry out the policy; so it is necessary to prepare its officials to know how to correctly survey data on wages, incomes, expenses, impacts of the policy on firms, labour demand and labour shortages in provincial and macro levels.

 

Mr. Poonsak said the new minimum wage could affect operational coast and cause layoffs and closure of businesses, especially SMEs. It could also promote fair distribution of income, increase purchasing power and reduce social problem stemming from labour movement.

 

He said the data would help his ministry analyze and prepare workforces to match with the demand in any given economic situation and increase the country’s competitiveness ahead of the formation of ASEAN Community in 2015.

 

“The survey of the data and the impacts of the new minimum wage policy is an important mechanism. Officials from central and regional agencies need to have correct knowledge and understanding on how to survey data in order to obtain creditable and correct information. They must plan, understand the objective of the survey and know how to take sample, check and store the information. The information will be forwarded to the Central Wage Committee so it could work out assistance measures for firms that are affected by the policy,” said the deputy permanent secretary of Ministry of Labour.

 

The meeting was aimed at helping Ministry of Labour’s personnel prepare how to correctly collect and store data and uses them to assess employment tendency and develop appropriate workforce plan, given the current social and economic conditions

Seminar held to assist 18 firms reduce production cost

(13/03/2013)

Ministry of Labour organizes a seminar to assist 18 firms reduce production cost and loss in their manufacturing process to increase their competiveness in the international level. It also signs a memorandum of understanding (Mou) with the firms to systematically provide them assistances on the matter.

Mr. Phadermchai Sasomsub, Minister of Labour, said at opening of the seminar, which was held at the Emerald Hotel in Bangkok, that things can change quickly in the current social and economic situations. Couple with the new 300 baht daily minimum wage policy, firms might experience higher production cost. The best way out of this are to reduce production cost and enhance labour productivity. Such moves would also help increase firms’ competiveness in the international level.

 

To reduce production costs, Mr. Phadermchai explained firms must eliminate unnecessary work process, combine similar work process, rearrange to effectively smooth work process and simplify work process. Enhancing labour production systematically would also help increase firms’ productivity, he said.

 

The labour minister said these mentioned steps would involve the application of logistics and supply chain processes. They would help firms systematically enhance labour productivity and increase firms’ competitiveness.

 

Representatives from 18 firms in 15 industries from 8 central Thai provinces namely Nakhon Pathom, Suphan Buri, Ratchaburi, Phetchaburi, Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram, Kanchanaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan joined the seminar.

 

Ministry of Labour also signed the MoU with the firms to provide advice and intensive knowledge on the matter to the firms. If succeed, the ministry plans to extend the result to the national level, which will help increase labour productivity in industrial sector.

Providing SMEs and OTOP with Greater Access to Funding Sources

(19/03/2013)

Five ministries and six state-owned financial institutions are joining hands in promoting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the “One Tambon, One Product,” or OTOP, program. They signed a cooperation document to work in an integrated manner to strengthen SMEs and the OTOP program. The signing ceremony took place on 18 March 2013 and was witnessed by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. The five ministries include the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, and the Ministry of Interior. The six financial institutions include the Export-Import Bank of Thailand, the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Bank of Thailand, the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives, the Government Savings Bank, the Islamic Bank of Thailand, and the Thai Credit Guarantee Corporation. Industry Minister Prasert Boonchaisuk said that SMEs and OTOP are strong foundations for Thailand’s economic development. Cooperation between the five government agencies and the six financial institutions is intended to provide SME and OTOP operators with greater access to financial sources. It will help upgrade SMEs and OTOP enterprises, so that they will move onto the global stage for sustainable development in the future. After witnessing the signing ceremony, Prime Minister Yingluck also presided over a workshop titled “SME Roadmap: Moving toward AEC.” The Prime Minister said that both SMEs and OTOP are major factors in the country’s economic drive, and their combined value is 3.9 trillion baht, accounting for 37 percent of GDP. They employ almost 11 million people, accounting for 84 percent of the country’s labor force. SMEs and OTOP producers export items worth 2.2 trillion baht, representing about 30 percent of Thailand’s total export value. The Prime Minister said that, after the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) is in place in 2015, ASEAN will become a market of 600 million people. Both SMEs and OTOP operators would have greater opportunities, and they would face greater challenges, as well. So all relevant organizations should offer a helping hand to enhance the competitiveness of Thai entrepreneurs and accommodate new markets brought about by AEC. The Government is ready to help develop networks between large industries and SMEs for greater production efficiency and added value. It will offer assistance in terms of innovation and technical know-how for product development. The assistance also includes the upgrading of product standards, imports of modern technology to increase productivity, and the expansion of domestic and foreign markets. The Government will provide financial sources for new entrepreneurs, so that they will be developed from small to medium-sized enterprise operators and then to large enterprise operators in the future.

CLMV Reiterated Commitment to Enhancing Relations and Benefits

(19/03/2013)

The Heads of State/Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam (CLMV) gathered for the 6th CLMV Summit last week in Vientiane, Lao PDR. H.E. Le Luong Minh, the Secretary-General of ASEAN was also present at the Summit that reiterated their commitment to enhancing the traditional relations of friendship, good neighbourliness and mutual benefits among the CLMV countries.

They reviewed the progress on the implementation of agreed upon projects at the 5th CLMV Summit in Phnom Penh, the Kingdom of Cambodia on 16 November 2010, aimed at narrowing the development gap among ASEAN Member States as we move toward the ASEAN Community Building by 2015. They also exchanged views on the future direction of CLMV cooperation in light of the Vientiane Declaration on Enhancing the Economic Cooperation and Integration among CLMV countries adopted in 2004 and its Plan of Action.

MOE Representatives Visit Myanmar

(18/03/2013)

From 10 to 12 March 2013, the Deputy Permanent Secretary of Education Mr. Sombat Suwanpitak and representatives of the Thai Ministry of Education paid an official visit to Myanmar to strengthen relations between the two countries and to discuss bilateral cooperation in education. During the visit, they met the Deputy Minister of Education of Myanmar, H.E. Dr. Myo Myint, visited schools in Rangoon and discussed educational cooperation with UNESCO in Myanmar. The major issues under discussion were as follows:


1. The Office of the Higher Education Commission (OHEC), on behalf of the Ministry of Education, will organize an academic seminar to promote cooperation between Thai and Myanmar universities in the middle of June, 2013. Myanmar will be pleased to support the event.

2. The Education Ministry of Myanmar asked the Thai Ministry to send Thai teachers to teach in Myanmar to promote Thai language and culture. Thailand is pleased to do so.

3. The Ministry of Education of Thailand will invite high school students from Myanmar to participate in the ASEAN +3 Youth Camp hosted by Thailand in June, 2013. Myanmar is pleased to send teachers and students to this activity.

4. The Ministry of Education of Thailand proposed to send Thai teachers to monitor English teaching in Myanmar while Myanmar is interested in sending teachers to monitor professional teaching in Thailand as well as looking at education quality assurance and qualification certification. Both parties will start the work between July and August, 2013.

5. The Ministry of Education of Thailand proposed to improve Community Learning Centers in Myanmar by giving training to staff from Myanmar, Thailand and other neighboring countries.

6. The Ministry of Education of Thailand would like to send staff from the Center of Educational Technology to tape educational management programs in Myanmar and broadcast them via ETV. Myanmar is pleased to help and asks the Ministry of Education of Thailand to make contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

7. The Ministry of Education of Myanmar informed the Education Ministry of Thailand that it had already received a drafted Memorandum of Understanding 

MOE Ready to Mobilize Education towards ASEAN Community

(19/03/2013)

On 14 March 2013, the Minister of Education, Mr. Phongthep Thepkanjana, and the Assistant to the Minister, Mrs. Phuangphet Chunlaiad, attended a board meeting at the Ministry of Education to mobilize Thai education in preparation for the opening of the ASEAN Economic Community.  The Minister of Education said that the board to mobilize was divided into two working groups: an administrative committee chaired by the Minister of Education and an operational committee chaired by the Deputy Minister.

The Ministry of Education's strategy towards the ASEAN Community is composed of 5 major areas emphasizing and focusing on education, an investment in human resource development, the promotion of proper work ethics, information technology and improved access to the applied sciences and technology. All of these will be carried out through two major projects: educational development towards the ASEAN Economic Community and the development of an international education hub.

The Assistant to the Education Minister added that the ASEAN Community was part of the national agenda and the five major organizations under the Ministry of Education had to work together to successfully achieve this. Moreover, they should encourage the other ministries to cooperate with them in formulating national frameworks for this project, such as creating the learning curriculum required by ASEAN countries, developing human resources especially in English and ASEAN language skills as well as teacher training in the languages of our neighboring countries so that in the future the teachers can disseminate this knowledge to their students and their local communities.

Graduation Ceremony of Cholburi Vocational College

(19/03/2013)

The Deputy Permanent Secretary of Education, Mrs. Siriporn Kitkuakul, chaired the graduation ceremony of the academic year 2012 on 14 March 2013 at the auditorium of Cholburi Vocational College in Cholburi.

Mrs. Siriporn gave a speech to all graduates, saying that an important thing that everything that graduates do together with education and knowledge development should demonstrate an understanding of the moral issues involved because if everyone takes a moral stance then their actions will bring benefits to themselves, their society and their country. Therefore, teachers should regularly teach their students about morality until they are thoroughly familiar with it.

Mrs. Siriporn referred to a speech of His Majesty the King where he said, "Education is everyone's concern at all times. Since being born, children have to be educated. Even after they graduate from university, they continue learning from working. This means that education is infinite learning."             

The Cholburi Vocational College offers many courses at lower and higher vocational levels, namely food science, fine arts, commerce and the hotel and tourism industry. For the academic year of 2012, of 614 students who had completed their studies, 417 of them were lower vocational graduates and 197 had studied at higher level.

Ambassador of Thailand Visits Canada’s Oil-rich Region to Promote Cooperation

(18/03/2013)

During 4-7 February 2013, H.E. Mr. Udomphol Ninnad, Ambassador of Thailand to Canada led a delegation on a four-day visit to the city of Calgary and Edmonton in Alberta, and the city of Regina in Saskatchewan to promote networking and strengthen the cooperation between Thailand and the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. These provinces are recognized for their abundant oil reserves and fast-growing energy-related industries.

On 4 February 2013, H.E. Mr. Udomphol Ninnad, Mr. Narong Boonsatheanwong, Minister-Counsellor,  Mr. Nopakhun Luichant, First Secretary, met with Dr. Yothin Tongpenyai, President of Petroleum Authority of Thailand Exploration and Production Co. Ltd. (PTTEP) for a briefing on current status of PTTEP’s oil sands investment project in Alberta.  The following day, the delegation visited the University of Regina to meet with Dr. Dennis Fitzpatrick, Vice-President (Research) and Dr. Paitoon Tontiwachwuthikul, a Thai professor who is also Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science.  Dr. Paitoon briefed the Delegation on the functions and importance of the International Test Centre for CO2 Capture which he co-founded. The Delegation and President of  PTTEP later met with Thai students and the President of the Thai Student Association of the University of Regina. There are approximately 40 Thai students currently pursuing their studies at the University of Regina.

On February 6, 2013, the Delegation arrived in Edmonton and was greeted by Mr. Dennis Anderson, Honourary Consul-General of Thailand. The Delegation also conversed with Mrs. Jitra Kriangkum, President of the Alberta Thai Association and other members of the association during luncheon hosted by the Honourary Consul-General.

On the last day of the visit, the Delegation and President of PTTEP paid a courtesy call on Hon. Allison Redford, Premier of Alberta. The Delegation also met with Hon. Thomas Lukaszuk, Deputy Premier, Mrs. Maryann Everett, Assistant Deputy Minister, Enterprise and Advanced Education Ministry, Hon. Cal Dallas, Minister of International and Intergovernmental  Relations and Hon. Teresa Woo-Paw, Assistant Minister of International and Intergovernmental Relations who hosted luncheon for the Delegation.  During the meeting, issues such as energy, workforce, education, consular affairs, and promotion of relations between Alberta and Thailand were discussed.

Ambassador of Thailand to the United States visit was to enhance economic, political and people-to-people relations between Thailand and the State of Washington

(18/03/2013)

From February 24 to 27, 2013, H.E. Dr. Chaiyong Satjipanon, Ambassador of Thailand to the United States, led a delegation comprising of representatives from the Royal Thai Consulate General in Los Angeles, the Thai Board of Investment in Los Angeles, the Office of Commercial Affairs in Washington, DC, and the Thai Trade Center in Los Angeles to Seattle, Washington. The objectives of the visit was to enhance economic, political and people-to-people relations between Thailand and the State of Washington, especially the city of Seattle.

During his stay in Seattle, the Ambassador and the delegation visited Washington-based companies doing business in and with Thailand, namely, Boeing, Microsoft and Starbucks.

They also met with members of the Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle to brief its members about economic opportunities in Thailand and exchange views on potential to expand the economic ties even further.

In strengthening political and people-to-people relations, Ambassador Chaiyong and the delegation met Mr. Michael McGinn, Mayor of Seattle. He also hosted a dinner for members of the Thai community in Seattle and nearby areas, including academicians, architects, attorneys and businessmen/women.

Additionally, H.E. the Ambassador and the delegation took the opportunity to enhance academic and educational ties. They met with Mr. Richard Ellings, President of the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR), and Dr. Laurie J. Sears, Director of the Southeast Asia Center, as well as Dr. Resat Kasaba, Director of the Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington.

H.E. the Ambassador also presented some funds to the Thai Students Association at the University of Washington to support their activities.

Calling for Justice

(18/03/2013)

On 13 March 2013, Mrs. Paveena Hongsakul, the chairperson of the Paveena Hongsakul Foundation for Children and Women, visited the Ministry of Education with Mrs. Somkhuan Rungthong, the grandmother of Anuphat Samthong, a five year old boy, from Suphanburi. They came to meet the Minister of Education, Mr. Phongthep Thepkanjana, and call for justice after Anuphat was hurt and severely injured by Grade 1 students at the same school.

According to Mrs. Paveena, Mrs. Somkhuan asked her for help after the incident which left Anuphat, a kindergarten student, in a coma and unconscious with complications. The symptom is so serious that the student was transferred from Chao Phraya Yommarat Hospital to Chulalongkorn Hospital. Mrs. Somkhuan added that the boy's parents and relatives had learned what had happened when they asked the school. They were informed that, at lunchtime, a Grade 1 student had hit Anuphat's head and a Grade 7 student had pushed him down. Then the Grade 1 student punched him again. The school did not give any further explanation as to why the situation had happened, so the boy's relatives were asking Mrs. Paveena to help them.

Mrs. Paveena said that such incidents had happened to others students before, because, during lunchtime, no one supervised the students at school. However, Anuphat is a very young boy and the school should have informed the parents or relatives immediately instead of telling them nothing.

Mr. Phongthep, thanking Mrs. Paveena for her deep concern, said that taking care of students at school is very important. This incident should be investigated in order to prevent any re-occurrence. The best way to solve the problem in the long run is not to transfer students to other schools but to enable all students to understand their rights and responsibilities. Teachers are supposed to take good care of them. However, this incident should be investigated quickly and those who had done wrong should be punished.

Finally, Mr. Phongthep said that he would ask ministerial staff to visit the school and thoroughly investigate the incident. In terms of other measures to be taken, he will ask the Deputy Minister of Education, Mr. Sermsak Pongpanit, who supervises the Office of the Basic Education Commission to formulate strict measures. The Ministry of Education will be responsible for Anuphat's medical expenses..

Advanced Course on Persuasive Communication

(18/03/2013)

On 12 March 2013, the Advisor of Educational Policy and Strategies, Mr. Phinitsak Suwanrang, chaired the opening of a project for developing the quality of public officers relating to advanced key performance skills, i.e. the art of persuasive communication, at the Metro Resort Hotel in Bangkok.

According to Mr. Phinitsak, successful leaders should have three main attributes. The first is effective self-management. The second is strong human resources management skills, especially regarding colleagues and employees. The last one is an active work management ability to achieve the objectives and goals required.

Mr. Phinitsak added that leaders should be able to persuade others to work and achieve the intended goals. So, the art of persuasion is a necessary skill for public officers because it brings about successful communication, interaction, news exchange, opinion-sharing and mutual understanding. Only when public officers possess such skills, will they become successful leaders and their professional efficiency will be enhanced.

The project for developing this quality in public officers is organized on three levels. The basic one took place from 5-6 March 2013 and was divided into three sections. The advanced level, provided for two groups of participants, took place on 12-13 March 2013 and 14-15 March 2013. All participants were from the Office of the Permanent Secretary of Education. Mr. U-domdetch Burapak, of D One Training, was a resource speaker throughout the events.

Fundraising Campaign for Teachers in Southern Thailand

(18/03/2013)

The Inspector General of Education, Mr. Rojana Krischareon, and the Director of the Bureau of Coordination and Educational Integration in the Southern Provinces of Thailand, Mr. Chaithawee Atiphaet joined a charity walk to raise funds for a project to help teachers in southern Thailand. This event was also attended by famous Thai actors along with students who had worked together to collect donations in Soi Lalai Sap in Silom, Bangkok.

This project to help teachers in southern Thailand aims to provide financial and moral support to relatives and families of teachers or educational personnel killed or handicapped due to the insurgency in three southern Thai provinces. It was launched on 16 January 2013 and televised via Channel 9 Thailand on a special program entitled, "A Hundred Million Hearts for Teachers in the South".

ASEAN-China Review dialogue relations and cooperation

(18/03/2013)

The 14th ASEAN-China Joint Cooperation Committee (ACJCC) Meeting reviewed ASEAN-China dialogue relations and cooperation for the past one year.  Held last week, the Meeting focused on the implementation of ASEAN-China joint cooperation projects and activities covering the three pillars of political-security, economic, and socio-cultural, as well as the follow-up to the initiatives and outcomes of the 15th ASEAN-China Summit. The Meeting also looked into proposed commemmorative activities in celebrationof the 10th Anniversary of ASEAN-China strategic partnership.

China expressed its strong commitment to support the implementation of projects and activities under the ASEAN-China Plan of Action(2011-2015) and ASEAN community-building efforts.In this regard, the Meeting highlighted several important areas that both sides could work on to further strengthen their cooperation, which includes maritime cooperation and ASEAN connectivity. The Meeting also appreciated the work of theASEAN-China Centre (ACC) in Beijing—which is at its very early stage of operations—and endeavoured to work closely to support the ACC’s activities in promoting trade, investment, tourism, education, and culture.

The Meeting was co-chaired by H.E. Mr. Suvat Chirapant, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Thailand to ASEAN and H.E. Mme.  Yang Xiuping, Ambassador of the Mission of China to ASEAN in Jakarta. The Permanent Representatives of ASEAN Member States to ASEAN and their representatives, officials of the Mission of China to ASEAN and several line agencies in China, and the ASEAN Secretariat attended the meeting.

Fitch Ratings Cited as an Indication of Thailand’s Economic and Political Stability

(18/03/2013)

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong stated that the upgrading of Thailand’s credit rating by Fitch Ratings reflected Thailand’s economic and political stability. Speaking in the weekly program “Yingluck Government Meets the People” on 16 March 2013, Mr. Kittiratt referred to Fitch Ratings’ statement on 8 March 2013, which raised Thailand's Long-Term Foreign Currency Issuer Default Rating from BBB to BBB+. The credit rating was upgraded on the grounds that Thailand’s political situation has stabilized and economic fundamentals and external finances remain strong. Moreover, the country’s inflation and public debt are at low levels. Mr. Kittiratt said that another reason was that Thailand would invest in infrastructure mega-projects on a long-term basis. According to the statement, Thailand's economy has been resilient to repeated shocks, including heavy flooding in the fourth quarter of 2011, underpinned by a flexible monetary and exchange-rate policy framework. He said that the rating agency had collected information from public, private, and civic organizations in Thailand before coming up with the new rating. Mr. Kittiratt thanked all agencies involved for their cooperation in giving actual information to experts from Fitch Ratings, which led to the better credit ranking. He hoped that the rating would be upgraded further in the near future. This would increase confidence among Thai and foreign investors. The economic growth of 5 to 7 percent was cited as a suitable rate for the country to receive higher rating. Thailand expects that GDP will expand at around 4.5 – 5.5 percent in 2013. According to Mr. Kittiratt, long-term planning for Thailand’s development could strengthen Thailand's credit ranking as a whole. For example, the Government has planned two trillion baht’s worth investment in infrastructure mega-projects over the next seven years. Borrowing for the projects would be carried out gradually in line with economic growth. In implementing these projects, he said, the Government would ensure that public debt would not exceed 50 percent of GDP. Based on financial disciplinary principles, Thailand has set its public debt ceiling at not over 60 percent of GDP. Meanwhile, the Secretary-General of the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Board, Mr. Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, said that the upgrading of Thailand’s credit rating would attract more investment in the country. Private sector investment expanded throughout 2012. The planned two-trillion-baht investment projects would facilitate business operation and create confidence among investors. He believed that more foreign investors would invest in Thailand, as the mega-projects would promote connectivity in the region, lower logistics costs, and enhance Thailand’s competitiveness.