Serious thought needs to go into AEC integration

[Lite Beer]

EDITORIAL
Serious thought needs to go into AEC integration
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Boosting trade is one thing, but planners also need to ponder organised crime and trafficking when devising new protocols

Thailand is looking to engage in a more seamless region as the deadline for Asean Economic Community (AEC) integration approaches.

All sorts of ideas have been floated but what this means in real terms is still up in the air for many people.

To welcome the AEC, the national flag of each of the 10 Asean members have been put up in many public schools and more and more people are taking a closer look at the various languages used in the region.

Malay, for example, is seen as the language of commerce, as more than 50 per cent of people in Southeast Asia speak the language in various dialects and forms.

People-to-people contact is expected to be more vigorous with the AEC, although much, much more can be done in this matter judging from the kind of insults and abusive language we throw out at our neighbours.

While the social-political sphere of the region may move closer at its own pace, the country's business sector, on the other hand, is working hard to make sure that they are not left behind by the rest of the region.

Reducing costs and risk while improving efficiency appears to be the theme and strategy the business sector is looking for.

In this respect, some are calling for the business sector to concentrate more on cross-border and trilateral trading among countries with connected borders under the AEC.

Under the supposedly seamless market, it is predicted that Thailand's border trade with neighbouring countries is expected to double to Bt2 trillion after regional integration.

Niyom Wairatpanij, chairman of the Economic Cooperation with Neighbouring Countries Committee under the Board of Trade, predicted that border trade between Thailand and its four immediate neighbours, as well as trilateral trade among countries such Singapore, China and Vietnam, should increase significantly once full integration is achieved.

While physical infrastructure like paved roads are ready to link Thailand to its immediate neighbours and beyond, regulations and specific details surrounding customs and border trade have yet to be worked out.

Bilateral and trilateral trade should be one of the country's key priorities as it costs less and can help ease local companies' entry into international commerce.

One not need be reminded how corruption and the lack of law enforcement around the border areas, as well as along remote roads linking Thailand to China via Laos and Myanmar, have hampered trade.

Handing over a pack of cigarettes used to get people past these checkpoints, but not any more. With more trade going along these remote roads, one can be sure the "tea money" will also go up.

It's easy to paint a nice and rosy picture about the region and use fancy words like 'connectivity' to describe the task at hand. But Thai goods

will be transported through some lawless regions ripe with human trafficking, smuggling, the illicit drug trade and arms smuggling.

Have you ever wondered how hundreds of Chinese prostitutes ended up in the Sadao district bordering Malaysia? Or about the difficulties behind attempts to crack down on foreign crime syndicates in Phuket and Pattaya because they don't have the cooperation of local police?

In some ways, these crime syndicates appear to be more efficient than legal entities.

What the Asean leaders agree on paper is one thing. Perhaps these officials should visit trade routes and see what people will be up against when they move their goods through these areas.

-- The Nation 2014-04-20

[Tatsujin]

How long have they known this has been coming . . . ?

[hgma]

Far to little to late...an immigration nightmare on the surface and a goldmine for the shadow officers@the borders.

The overall price will be paid by the general public.

Crime and an overloaded police apparatus.

AEC bleuprint is like Karl Marx pretending to declare communism a success!

[JoeThePoster]

Civil war would be an excuse to get out of the commitment, yes.

[ChrisY1]

"But Thai goods will be transported through some lawless regions ripe with human trafficking, smuggling, the illicit drug trade and arms smuggling."

This before the goods even leave Thailand......

Difficult to see how the AEC is going to work for Thailand....governments throughout the region are now committed, but the people and traders are a long way away from having an understanding......

Then this:

"Have you ever wondered how hundreds of Chinese prostitutes ended up in the Sadao district bordering Malaysia? Or about the difficulties behind attempts to crack down on foreign crime syndicates in Phuket and Pattaya because they don't have the cooperation of local police?"

????

[Songhua]

How long have they known this has been coming . . . ?

Don't panic, the important matters have been addressed:

" the national flag of each of the 10 Asean members have been put up in many public schools"

Other issues such as human trafficking, arms smuggling and border control can be worked out as the time draws nearer.

[Bluespunk]

So just signing bits of paper and showing up to meetings and seeing what happens next or covering up what went wrong because of no thoughts of the consequences of their actions isn't an option?

PT may be in trouble here.

[NongKhaiKid]

The headline threw me at first as I thought the other member countries were having doubts about letting the LoS into the club

[Langsuan Man]

Just wait till the Thai concept of "freedom of speech" is tested with it's ASEAN partners

Right now Reuters and other foreign news organization have Singapore where they can publish freely, wonder how long that will last

[noitom]

And behind every crime syndicate operating in Thailand there is a Thai Mr. Big somewhere up the food chain. Either the Thai press is in denial about this or they are inept and incompetent.

[PatOngo]

And behind every crime syndicate operating in Thailand there is a Thai Mr. Big somewhere up the food chain. Either the Thai press is in denial about this or they are inept and incompetent.

...................or very scared of reprisal.

[Bluespunk]

And behind every crime syndicate operating in Thailand there is a Thai Mr. Big somewhere up the food chain. Either the Thai press is in denial about this or they are inept and incompetent.

...................or very scared of reprisal.

Could be all of the above really.

[Thait Spot]

The past 3 years have been squandered by this government of charlatans.

Thailand blunders forward directionless with though to its domestic policies alone. Even the rice scheme took its product completely out of the international market. Foreign policy and commercial policy has been a joke alongside transport, education, policing etc.

If it weren't for Thailand's civil service and SMEs it would be a busted flush

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[kotsak]

"Serious thought" is an oxymoron.. :>

[chainarong]

Whatever the out comes whatever the moment ,Thailand will not be there , so it matters not what is said, AEC integration could be light years away Thailand wont be there, there will be total disarray as they are not up to speed on any of the requirements, rules or trade agreements, as usual they will stumble about in the dark as with any other issue , rice pledge scheme (scam) comes to mind.

[NongKhaiKid]

And behind every crime syndicate operating in Thailand there is a Thai Mr. Big somewhere up the food chain. Either the Thai press is in denial about this or they are inept and incompetent.

Sometimes the press hint that whatever is being reported on is ' connected to a well known local politician ' but never anything more than that and most definitely no investigative reporting.

[JDGRUEN]

The International language of trade and commerce is English not Malay in any of its dialects. Also the biggest problem for Thai citizens will be the near open borders proposed which through various mechanisms will allow a flood of neighbor workers. This action will create turmoil in Thailand as the citizens wake up and find wages gutted and that they have been replaced in their job. it is a totally near sighted aspect of the ASEAN pie in the sky dream.

[Mentors]

Civil war would be an excuse to get out of the commitment, yes.

Thailand will find an excuse to not take a part in AEC.

[MrJohnson]

Just wait till the Thai concept of "freedom of speech" is tested with it's ASEAN partners

Right now Reuters and other foreign news organization have Singapore where they can publish freely, wonder how long that will last

What makes you think that Freedom if Speech exists in other members of ASEAN? The group has an overt policy of non-interference in the domestic political activities if each if the member states. It is explicit in the charter. ASEAN is a paper tiger. There will be no comment on what goes on in Thailand or anywhere else.

[bigbamboo]

You can see why so many Thais cheat in exams here...... their preparation is abysmal.

Maybe they'll ask ASEAN for more time to prepare for entry into the AEC?

[MaxLee]

"Thailand is looking to engage in a more seamless region as the deadline for Asean Economic Community (AEC) integration approaches."

Forget it,... Thailand is still stuck in middle age centuries of nepotism, influential Face culture status and full of political corruption, where certain politicians can behave like animals and get away with whatever crime they commit...

[sirchai]

Have you ever wondered how hundreds of Chinese prostitutes ended up in the Sadao district bordering Malaysia?

Ever thought about some female "singers" from the Philippines on Phuket?

Ever thought about the guys asking you to 'donate" some money for poor kids?

Ever thought of all the hookers who look like Thais?

Ever thought about all the people who'll take the few jobs away that are available?

Ever thought about that Thais are not allowed to visit Kao Paar Wuhaan temple?

Ever thought about the amount of drugs that will flood Thailand soon?

Goes on and on and on..........................

Edited April 20, 2014 by sirchai

[Old Man River]

Just wait till the Thai concept of "freedom of speech" is tested with it's ASEAN partners

Right now Reuters and other foreign news organization have Singapore where they can publish freely, wonder how long that will last

What makes you think that Freedom if Speech exists in other members of ASEAN? The group has an overt policy of non-interference in the domestic political activities if each if the member states. It is explicit in the charter. ASEAN is a paper tiger. There will be no comment on what goes on in Thailand or anywhere else.

Let's keep journalism and politics out of this. This is an economic alliance.

Large ASEAN companies laugh at the AEC from an economic point of view. They don't need the AEC to do business. This includes the large Thai conglomerates who hire Thai's whose spoken English is as good as mine. They are already doing business abroad. The AEC adds no value to them.

For Thailand, the AEC could add value for S M E's, but they don't normally have international systems and certainly don't have the level of English required to communicate. Thailand has one of the most literate levels for kids speaking, reading and writing in Thai in Asia. It is great. They should be proud of this, but relations in the AEC require similar levels in English. On this, in the region, Thailand is one of the worst.

Hence, for a Thailand, the AEC will hold little value.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[Thai at Heart]

Malay, for example, is seen as the language of commerce, as more than 50 per cent of people in Southeast Asia speak the language in various dialects and forms.

Malay is the language of business????? What is Thai then? The language of lust?

[upena]

6 years too late

[bangon04]

Civil war would be an excuse to get out of the commitment, yes.

Thailand will find an excuse to not take a part in AEC.

Thought they had postponed it anyway until they are ready.....

"While physical infrastructure like paved roads are ready to link Thailand to its immediate neighbours and beyond, regulations and specific details surrounding customs and border trade have yet to be worked out."

Now that is a classically crafted piece of understatement......

[schondie]

I agree with all the other forum members who've commented that one way or another an excuse will come into play to delay the AEC agreements.

The old and new elite have all got a lot to lose from this. Getting the Foreign Business Act 1999 amended will be near to impossible as whichever party passes it will be viewed as traitors by the vast majority of Thais as those foreigners are going to be stealing our jobs etc.

Somehow I don't think there's going to be a big celebration for AEC integration as I just don't think anyone has an interest in it any more. All the ASEAN indoctrination in schools over the past few years will have (or already has been) a complete waste of resources. The students still can't name half the capital cities of other ASEAN member states and their English has not improved one bit.

The whole talk of ASEAN and AEC is just a bucket full of fail.

[Lupatria]

Just wait till the Thai concept of "freedom of speech" is tested with it's ASEAN partners

Right now Reuters and other foreign news organization have Singapore where they can publish freely, wonder how long that will last

Singapore where they can publish freely...

That is simply not true!

[Langsuan Man]

They may not be able to write about Singapore but the sure can write about Thailand . There are numerous books about Thailand that are readily available there that are banned here

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[MadDog2020]

Malay, for example, is seen as the language of commerce, as more than 50 per cent of people in Southeast Asia speak the language in various dialects and forms.

Malay is the language of business????? What is Thai then? The language of lust?

I truly wonder where the "Malay is the language of commerce" comment came from. Malaysia has been trying to get the AEC to adopt Bahasa Malay for a number of years and it has been rejected. English is the only adopted and accepted language of commerce in the AEC.

But try telling that to most Thai companies. Say they have to accept a contract in English and it takes them 3-4 months to "review" the contract.

Good luck next year!!!!!

Edited April 20, 2014 by MadDog2020