The Minister of Foreign Affairs Kasit Piromya led a group of 23 ambassadors and charge d'affaires to Thailand, who are resident in other countries, to pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva as they travelled to Thailand as guests of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The President of the Thai Trade Representative Mr Kiat Sittheeamorn was also at the meeting and joined in the discussion. The following is the synopsis of the discussion.   

     The Prime Minister first gave an overview of the current political and economic situation in Thailand, pointing to the fact that Thailand has been an open market economy and thus could not avoid impacts from last year’s global financial crisis. The Prime Minister noted that the immediate tasks for the government then were to keep the money within the system in order to maintain public purchasing power and to implement a medium-term stimulus package, focusing on improving education and health care. These have resulted in the GDP growth of 12% in the first quarter of 2010, which is the fastest rate of growth in 15 years. At the same time, the unemployment rate, which was a cause for concern, has been very low, at 1-1.5%. While the Prime Minister said that the economy is expected to grow at 6% overall this year, several academics from various institutions have forecasted a 7-8% growth for the Thai economy this year. As a result, the government has reduced the borrowings to maintain fiscal responsibility. Exports and tourism, especially in Bangkok, are rising, as exports grew by 30-40%. Several indicators also show the Thai economy is growing strongly, but the next task for the government, said the Prime Minister, is to distribute the economic growth to the people more broadly.

      In regard to political situation, the Prime Minister said that, as the ambassadors and charge d'affaires have seen by themselves, Thailand is a stable and functioning nation even though the emergency decree remains in place in 10 provinces, including Bangkok. The decree is retained to assist the security officials in maintaining safety while precautions to prevent any abuse of authority have been taken, and the law enforcement process is transparent and verifiable, said the Prime Minister. Independent committees have been set up to investigate the fact and to propose solutions leading to reconciliation. It must be noted that, when the political situation is absolutely stable and secured and all parties decide to pursue their goals with peaceful means, the government would gladly call a general election, said the Prime Minister.      On foreign policy, Thailand is committed to international co-operation in economic, commerce, and investment affairs. By establishing the One Start One Stop Centre to assist investors and providing tax incentives to attract investments, the government is seeking more companies to set up regional operation headquarters (ROH) in Thailand.   Also on this occasion, the Swaziland Ambassador, on behalf of all attending ambassadors and charge d'affaires, expressed a well-wishes for Their Majesties the King and Queen. He also  commended the Prime Minister for his visions in administrating the country, and for his deep understanding of the economy. The ambassador said that it is no surprise that the Thai economy has recovered quickly and strongly. The Ethiopian and Jamaican Ambassadors also agreed with this assertion, and each separately said that the Thai political situation has been followed closely. They expressed confidence that the reconciliation plan will proceed smoothly and that the Thai political situation will remain stable.       The Dominican Republic Ambassador was in favour of cooperation between Thailand and the countries in the Caribbean and Latin America in trade and investment, and especially in tourism. The ambassador noted that if visa limitations are reduced, there would be more tourists from Latin America.     Likewise, the Tunisian Ambassador and Djiboutian Ambassador mentioned trilateral cooperation between Thailand, African countries, and a third party, for example, Japan. The ambassadors noted the benefits for all parties and thanked Thailand, as a country with advanced agriculture, for the cooperation in agricultural knowledge transfer and exchange with Africa.   At the end, the Prime Minister reiterated Thailand’s commitment to international economic co-operation, in trade and investment, including tourism. At the same time, the Prime Minister asked the international community to help build up cooperation for global food security and noted that there would be Thai delegations travelling to several countries in all regions to strengthen bilateral ties.