Thais to improve communication skills for AEC

BANGKOK, Aug 6 (TNA) - Authorities in Thailand's investment and energy sectors have suggested that Thai nationals improve communication skills in the lead-up to the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by 2015. The suggestion was aired on Friday by Energy Minister Arak Chonthanont and executives of the Board of Investment of Thailand (BOI), the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), PTT Public Company Limited (PTT) and Siam Cement Group. The authorities said they viewed that Thai people have had limited skills in English, which may be at a disadvantage in investment opportunities after the single economic community of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is formed over the next three years. The Thai authorities also acknowledged that local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) appear not to be ready for the AEC and Thailand will, probably, face the problem of labour shortages after the AEC is formed. However, the authorities foresaw Thailand's advantages in several aspects, including its location as a regional centre of land transport, its status as a regional hub of many industries, namely petrochemical, food processing and electronics, and its potential production base of renewable energy such as ethanol and biodiesel. Besides, according to the Thai authorities, local business operators can invest in neighboring countries, as the over gross domestic product of the 10-member ASEAN has kept growing. (TNA)