Thai governors, top envoys work out strategies for AEC

BANGKOK, August 7 (TNA) - The Thai Ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs jointly organized a meeting of governors of 20 northeastern Thai provinces and Thai ambassadors and consuls-general to neighboring countries in Bangkok on Tuesday to work out economic and trade promotion strategies in the lead-up to the formation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). At the meeting, economic development opportunities which the AEC may bring to the northeastern Thai provinces, located near neighbouring Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, were explored and the top Thai diplomats presented information on the AEC and economic development opportunities, while the provincial governors reported local obstacles and demands. The Interior Ministry also presented its strategies for the development of the northeastern provinces and asked the top Thai envoys to promote potential Thai products overseas to, thus, enhance Thailand's competitiveness on the world market. Meanwhile, Deputy Permanent Secretary for Interior Pracha Terat suggested that moves to prepare Thailand for the AEC should include the setting up of information centers of clusters of provinces, starting with the northeastern provinces, to study economic, social and cultural opportunities which exist for Thailand and not for neighboring countries, and that local universities should support such information centers, with results of the study to be used for the development of Thailand's relevant strategies in the future. (TNA)