'Thailand Is Back' theme for landmark conference

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'Thailand Is Back' theme for landmark conference
The Nation


Kan Trakulhoon

BANGKOK: -- "Thailand Is Back" is the theme of a breakthrough international conference spearheaded by the Federation of Thai Industries with 500 business leaders next Tuesday at the Dusit Thani Hotel.

"It's time for the private sector to join forces to move the Thai economy forward," FTI chairman Supant Mongkolsuthree said yesterday.

The conference, co-organised by The Nation, will see leading Thai chief executives and Bangkok-based foreign business leaders presenting and debating how Thailand will position itself as the hub of the Asean Economic Community.

Economic growth and sustainability will also be hot topics.

This is the first international business conference since the military took power two months ago, and on top of the participants' minds will be the promised reforms of the country's political and economic systems.

Putting the reforms into context will be keynote speaker Professor Surakiart Sathirathai, chairman of the Asian Peace and Reconciliation Council and a former deputy prime minister and foreign minister.

Joining the 500 invited guests will be ambassadors and commercial counsellors as well as representatives from the seven Thai private-sector organisations, plus the local and foreign press.

Speakers include Kan Trakulhoon, CEO of SCG Group; Boonchai Chokwatana, executive chairman of Saha Patanapibul Group; Frank Krings, chief country officer of Deutsche Bank; Derek Kidley, CEO of PwC South East Asia Consulting; Lionel Danitacq, head of Michelin in Southeast Asia and Oceania; Stanimira Koleva, general manager of small and mid-market solutions and partners for Microsoft Asia-Pacific; and Prinn Panitchpakdi, managing director of CLSA Securities (Thailand).

Suthichai Yoon, chairman of Nation Multimedia Group, and Patrick Barta, Asia news editor of The Wall Street Journal Asia, will moderate each of the panel sessions.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Thailand-Is-Back-theme-for-landmark-conference-30239212.html


-- The Nation 2014-07-23

[NongKhaiKid]

Thailand as the hub of the AEC !

That should go down well with other more stable, successful, less corrupt etc members and who can also use English as a lingua franca.

[LuckyLew]

When was Thailand ever "there"?

A third world country that will never change for the better

Politicians that are out to serve themselves

Criminal enterprises at every corner

Unless the military stay in power for years Thailand will revert to its "same same" as soon as the next5 sham democratic election comes around

I hope not ....

IMO come AEC in 2015Thailand will go further down the drain, losing out to countries like Burma

[CelticBhoy]

And that's the poster boy . . . . . what a coupon.

[Payboy]

Hubba Hubba

[noitom]

Bring your flatulence gas masks to this event. 500 Thai and foreign business leaders passing hot air around and signaling each other. 500+ of these people all figuring out how to keep their deals and business secret under Thailand's military dictatorship. No transparency and disclosure in this room. It would be neat to hear what they all have to say about bribes, payoffs and corruption in Thailand and let's not forget what they have to say about human rights abuses in Thailand's industries and money laundering. All the things that the Thai military dictatorship is aiming to clean up. The moderators probably won't have much to say about truth in journalism and freedom of the press and speech since they have been told what to print and what not. Will they be honest about it?

[15Peter20]

"Thailand Is Back" - about 30 years back, I'd say.

Edited July 23, 2014 by 15Peter20

[klauskunkel]

'Thailand Is Back' theme for landmark conference

Back, where?

Back in the saddle again? Back in Black? Back in the USSR? Back to where it once belonged?

[Thailand]

Be interesting to be the fly on the wall for some of the less public conversations to see what these business leaders really think of the current situation.

Not very complimentary I would guess?

[JesseFrank]

Will they speak a language that any of the other members of the conference will be able to understand, like English for example.

[UbonRatch]

Thailand is back? Where did it go? It maybe back from the brink, but I doubt that, very much.

I wonder if in history there's ever been a time when a country has been so bankrupt that the receivers have had to step in and shut it down?

Is this what we are witnessing?

[JoeThePoster]

Back to 1932.

[wandasloan]

Thailand as the hub of the AEC !

That should go down well with other more stable, successful, less corrupt etc members and who can also use English as a lingua franca.

Have you had a look at the Asean membership?

[Pib]

Slick New Slogans R Us--Thailand.

[UbonRatch]

Thailand as the hub of the AEC !

That should go down well with other more stable, successful, less corrupt etc members and who can also use English as a lingua franca.

Have you had a look at the Asean membership?

I have, in fact I write about it. You know as well as I do that Singapore and Malaysia are eons ahead... and Burma and Cambodia have pretty much caught up Thailand. Laos is not too far behind. There is also much less corruption in Singapore and Malaysia, and they both speak pretty fluent English.

I can't work out your point. .. ???

[wandasloan]

I have, in fact I write about it. You know as well as I do that Singapore and Malaysia are eons ahead... and Burma and Cambodia have pretty much caught up Thailand. Laos is not too far behind. There is also much less corruption in Singapore and Malaysia, and they both speak pretty fluent English.

I can't work out your point. .. ???

Singapore speaks English, but there was a reason they moved the Asian secretariat out - because a tiny, first-world city state is hugely un-representative and in fact unable to provide the bodies needed for the civil service of an Asean HQ. Malaysia is certainly not aeons ahead, but it speaks English and has less corruption. That's one country. That's the end of the good news. And just for fun, I bet I can come up with two inconvenient little problems about Malaysia for each one you mention for Thailand. That is, both of them are very easy to criticise, but there's nothing above them.

The claim that Cambodia and Burma have "caught up" to Thailand, I don't get YOUR point. Caught up in what way? Cambodia is far more corrupt than Thailand and suffers the current Thai sickness that ;all the corruption is focussed in one place. At least Thai corruption will start to spread around again after Gen. Sarit leaves the scene, but Cambodia is simply caught up in it. Burma is still decades behind in every department, and "corruption" doesn't begin to describe the economic depravity of that poor country. They have no infrastructure, no civil service depth.

Vietnam will be an economic power one day but corruption is far more ingrained and government directed than Thailand. Their civil service system and legal system are complete messes. I presume you're using Laos as the comedy spot in your otherwise serious post.

You forgot to mention those English speaking paragons, Brunei and the Philippines. Is there a problem with them TOO, hmmm?

The fact is that when you put all the requirements together, there's no standout. Not only that but Thailand is in the top tier.

.

[Halion]

How to come back when you have never been anywhere. This is going to be a hard sell . Remove the propaganda and it is an empty bucket.

[spidermike007]

Fascinating "made up post". There are a percentage of politicians in this country, that just feel if you say something, then it will be taken as fact. I suppose a percentage of people who read stuff, believe it. So, you are always going to be able to fool a few people. But why not engage in proactive actions? If you want Thailand to really "come back", why not implement policies that will bring it back? There is a long way to go, to truly "come back".

How about a 40% discount on all Thai Airline tickets for the next 12 months? It is called a proactive marketing strategy. How about the arrest of all the jet ski scammers in Pattaya, Phuket and Samui? That would be something these neophyte marketing guys could promote. How about relaxing, rather than tightening the tourist visa policies? Free multiple entry visas. How about offering a very good, and well priced national insurance policy for tourists, to take the place of the ones they cannot get now, due to the military takeover? How about engaging is a massive clean up of the beaches on Koh Samui. How about implementing real traffic safety here, so less tourists who rent motorbikes leave in a body bag? How about doing something positive, anything positive, and real, rather than traveling all over the world jaw boning? Words only have so much impact. Real action, a real demonstration of the awareness of the extent of the problem, and the willingness to fix it, might go a long way towards making a sincere statement to the world. I think that is what people are looking for. Sincerity instead of BS.

[UbonRatch]

I have, in fact I write about it. You know as well as I do that Singapore and Malaysia are eons ahead... and Burma and Cambodia have pretty much caught up Thailand. Laos is not too far behind. There is also much less corruption in Singapore and Malaysia, and they both speak pretty fluent English.

I can't work out your point. .. ???

Singapore speaks English, but there was a reason they moved the Asian secretariat out - because a tiny, first-world city state is hugely un-representative and in fact unable to provide the bodies needed for the civil service of an Asean HQ. Malaysia is certainly not aeons ahead, but it speaks English and has less corruption. That's one country. That's the end of the good news. And just for fun, I bet I can come up with two inconvenient little problems about Malaysia for each one you mention for Thailand. That is, both of them are very easy to criticise, but there's nothing above them.

The claim that Cambodia and Burma have "caught up" to Thailand, I don't get YOUR point. Caught up in what way? Cambodia is far more corrupt than Thailand and suffers the current Thai sickness that ;all the corruption is focussed in one place. At least Thai corruption will start to spread around again after Gen. Sarit leaves the scene, but Cambodia is simply caught up in it. Burma is still decades behind in every department, and "corruption" doesn't begin to describe the economic depravity of that poor country. They have no infrastructure, no civil service depth.

Vietnam will be an economic power one day but corruption is far more ingrained and government directed than Thailand. Their civil service system and legal system are complete messes. I presume you're using Laos as the comedy spot in your otherwise serious post.

You forgot to mention those English speaking paragons, Brunei and the Philippines. Is there a problem with them TOO, hmmm?

The fact is that when you put all the requirements together, there's no standout. Not only that but Thailand is in the top tier.

.

You're welcome to believe Thailand is in the top tier. That's true. But it is not the eschelon of the ASEAN member states, and it's far from it. Being in a tier is as much as 'being in a queue'. You make many statements, or deliver opinions, yet you corroborate nothing with facts and figures.

As for Burma, run by a junta, what exactly is Thailand currently? Is there any difference between 'foreigners' now flocking to Myanmar beaches and that of Thailand? Brunie's first language is Malay. Malaysia's is Malay also, and Thailand's is Thai, of course. Singapore's is English. Does that make anything clearer, with regards to Thailand being a viable option to be the HQ of ASEAN?

Economic depravity can be measured in many ways. Are you willing to lay down that you don't see, or have not seen, as much depravity in Thailand as that of Myanmar? Civil rights issues maybe, depravity is on the same level.

ASEAN's intent is to become viable worldwide, as a financial player in international business - as a group of member states, may I add.

Call to Singapore: "Good Morning, how may I help sir?"

Call to Thailand: "Mai kao jai.". der der deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer.

Yep, you're right. Thailand should be the head of ASEAN.

[catweazle]

Back to where? Stoneage?

[lostmebike]

Where did Thailand go?

... to one of the islands with a 'kik'?

... or maybe to a casino with a wanted politician across the Cambodian border???

I didn't know it went anywhere!