Photo Courtesy Channel News Asia

 

The Southern Region Industrial Estate in Songkhla province of Thailand is unusually quiet. Long winding roads, usually bustling with heavy vehicles, are mostly empty. There are only two industrial estates in southern Thailand, the other being the Songkla Industrial Estate. In total, there are 67 industrial estates across the country. Sirianya Pornsuwankun, a tenant of the Southern Region Industrial Estate and owner of waste recycling company Nano Recycle, said doing business in southern Thailand is different from other parts of the country.

 

Some experts believe that southern Thailand struggles to attract foreign investors compared to the Greater Bangkok area and the eastern side, where the majority of the industrial estates are located. The perception of southern Thailand as unsafe due to ongoing insurgencies in the provinces of Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat may have hampered economic growth. Last year, Thailand’s economy grew at 2.6%, significantly lower than other Southeast Asian nations like Malaysia and Indonesia, which registered 8.7% and 5.3% growth, respectively. The World Bank and Asian Development Bank have projected Thailand’s gross domestic product growth to be below 4% this year.

 

In hopes of stimulating the economy, politicians have made electoral promises to attract foreign investment to the region. The Democrat Party, which held a stronghold in the previous election mainly in southern Thailand, has ambitious plans for the region. Niphon Bunyamanee, the party’s deputy leader, envisions Hat Yai—Songkhla province’s commercial hub—as an economic powerhouse rivaling Singapore and Hong Kong. He believes Hat Yai’s strategic location near the Gulf of Thailand and the Malaysian border offers immense potential.

 

Prommin Lertsuridej, the head of the Pheu Thai Party’s economic affairs committee, said his party aims to establish a new business zone in Songkhla as a pilot project for the southern region. They hope to make business laws more accessible, create facilities for foreign and domestic investors to collaborate, and actively promote peace and prosperity in the region. Although he did not reveal specifics, Prommin claimed Pheu Thai has drafted the law for the proposed business zone, reports Channel News Asia.

 

Caretaker Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha stated that he would push for more infrastructure in the south if he remained in power. Running for the premiership with the newly formed United Thai Nation Party, Prayut said his next government would do more to help southern Thailand, such as building a new highway and pushing forward other ongoing infrastructure projects. He cited dual-track trains linking Thailand with Malaysia and bridging the Andaman side to the Gulf of Thailand side to boost the economy.

 

Full Story: https://thethaiger.com/news/national/southern-thailands-struggle-to-attract-foreign-investors

 

-- © Copyright Thaiger 2023-05-10

 

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7 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

Caretaker Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha stated that he would push for more infrastructure in the south if he remained in power.

hope not remain, this guy has been making promise after promise for the past 9 years and so far nothing to show for his promises

Any wonder the trouble they have down there who would invest in anything

Any multinational company building down there would have to be barking mad ....    why would anyone spending millions on offices and factories want that risk when they can open in KL or Bangkok. 

20 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Caretaker Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha stated that he would push for more infrastructure in the south if he remained in power.

But done nothing for the last 9 years?

23 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

In hopes of stimulating the economy, politicians have made electoral promises to attract foreign investment to the region.

Time and effort better invested in finding a lasting solution to the southern unrest. Little point trying to stimulate the economy and attract investment whilst the unrest remains.

 

23 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Caretaker Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha stated that he would push for more infrastructure in the south if he remained in power.

He's done sod all in the nine years he's been in power.

With the complete failure of the government and military to stop the terrorist killings, bombings, attacks etc

It's hardly surprising that businesses don't want to set up there, would you?