Pm Pledges More Money For It Sector

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Thailand PM pledges more money for IT sector

Says progress still too slow

BANGKOK: The government has renewed its commitment to invest in IT with an ambitious goal to make Thailand a leading country in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Southeast Asia in the next five years.

It also plans to spend 10 billion baht to set up a Knowledge Management Development Organisation (KMDO).

Speaking at a gala dinner hosted by the ICT ministry on ``ICT for the Future,'' Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said ICT was an enabling technology for every branch of science.

``We cannot ignore technology because the future world will have big changes. The government system and laws have slowed us down,'' he said.

The prime minister said that although the government had completed many IT projects over the past year, ICT progress in the country was still slow, pointing out that the National Communication Commission and National Telecommunication Commission have not yet been set up.

The government will invest heavily in ICT next year in order to encourage both government agencies and the private sector _ especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs) _ to use ICT to increase their efficiency and capabilities.

The planned Knowledge Management Development Organisation (KMDO) will be operated under the Prime Minister's Office in order to increase levels of knowledge and its role will include promoting reading activities, creating a ``living'' library such with e-books. It will also house a museum and design centres.

Other tasks for next year include support for more software engineers and greater focus on e-government projects.

``E-Government is like a front office offering e-services to citizens, so every government department must have their own web site with lively information,'' he said.

By April next year, all government agencies that provide services to people must provide at least one transaction service via their web sites.

For example, the Department of Industrial Works last week introduced an e-licensing service that allows manufacturers to submit a form online to continue their manufacturing operations.

The Internet must link every agency up-country in order to streamline services to people there, he said.

``The `last mile-high speed' idea will be reality by the end of next year. People in remote areas will have access to information resources and can use the Internet to provide e-commerce for their OTOP (One Tambon, One Product) items,'' he said.

For its back-office system, the government will finish rolling out the Government Financial Management Information System (GFMIS) next year.

The Prime Minister said the system would be based on the SAP platform and it would change the way government agencies process and manage their yearly budgets.

Electronic fund transfer technology will be applied while the financial process will be more transparent and easier for the government to manage.

The low-cost PC project will continue in order to double the PC penetration rate from the current 3% this year.

Low-cost broadband will be more available, he said, adding that in the future businesses would have thinner sales margins but more purchasers.

The government will encourage more business people and those in the academic sector to use IT because it is the backbone of new knowledge, he said.

``The government will continue its investment in IT. We need to invest no matter how high the budget is because the investment has a return. It will be worthy,'' he noted.

Animation will be another focus. The government plans to encourage the use of 3D simulation programs to help design OTOP products in order to add variety, he noted.

Another big project in terms of government spending next year will be the smart ID card. This will be a multi-function card, with 10 million cards distributed to the poor and students in the first year of operation.

For the telecom sector, the NTC and NCC must be set up as soon as possible.

``This ICT business will certainly grow and there will be competition,'' he predicted. It will be a tool to enhance the economy and government system,'' he said.

--Agencies 2003-12-26