From: tai@lizardo.WPI.EDU (Lisa Taikitsadaporn)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.thai
Subject: GOVT POLICY WILL PROMOTE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Date: 7 Nov 1992 18:51:49 GMT
Organization: Worcester Polytechnic Institute
NNTP-Posting-Host: lizardo.wpi.edu

	Since there have been quite some discussion going on about R&D in
S&T in Thailand, I think many of us will fine this article of interest.  I 
just began my subscription to the Bangkok Post's Post Database (sent to my US
address) and recently received my first issue.  Upon receiving subsequent
issues I will post articles that I feel is relevent to this group, or
headlines with excerpts from the articles.  I have also listed the headlines
of three other articles from this same issue.  If anyone is interested in
getting the complete articles let me know and I'll either post it (if I get a
lot of request) or email it.

Sincerely,
Lisa Taikitsadaporn

p.s. Please excuse any typing mistakes.


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GOVT POLICY WILL PROMOTE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Post Database, Wed., Oct. 21, 1992


The Chuan Leekpai Government has drawn up a seven-point policy to help
promote science and technology here, which it sees as playing an important
role in increasing productivity to enable Thailand to be more competitive
globally and in turn to improve the standard of living here.

This will be imcorporated as part of the new government's policy statement
to be delivered to Parliament today, and the policy outline was made
available to Members of Parliament before today's delivery so that they
could prepare to debate any points.

According to the outline, the Government plans to promote co-operation
between public and private sectors and to encourage both to become more
involved in research and development, which it would support financially;
increase the quality and number of trained engineers; establish laws to
promote innovation; encourage the transfer of technology here and promote
co-operation with other countries.

The seven-points policy, in more detail, is as follows:
    *  To encourage both the public and private secotrs to get more involved
in joint science and technology development projects, and use technology to
increase productivity in agriculture, industry and the service sector.
    *  To promote cooperation between the public and private sectors in
defining the direction and priorities of research and development projects,
objectives and goals.  R&D projects would be in areas of economical need
with both sectors co-developing technology that could be transferred to
other entrepreneurs.
    *  To support R&D in the government sector by allocating sufficient
budget and manpower to projects that would increase Thailand's capacity to
compete globally.  R&D would be in areas suitable for local manufacturers,
especially small manufacturers, to increase productivity and jobs.
    *  To increase the quantity and quality of engineers produced here, and
encourage the private sector to play a bigger role in developing the
nation's human resource base through more scholarships and training - both
locally and abroad.
    *  To establish appropriate laws that would promote private sector
investment in science and technology R&D and more locally produced
innovative products.  Laws may be amended to reduce imports of foreign
technology by giving special tax privileges or other privileges to increase
R&D locally in ares that would benefit the country.
    *  To support the transfer of technology from other countries by
providing special tax privileges and encouraging foreign experts to come
here to help transfer know-how and technology.
    *  And to expand co-operation with other countries.

Assocataion of Thai Computer Industry committee member Pravit Chattalada
noted that it was good that the Government had stated a more-specific focus
on science and technology development policy, especially when it saw the
importance of cooperation between the government and private secotr in
research and development.

He added that incentives such as special tax privileges would encourage more
R&D investment from the private sector where he believed many companies were
ready to invest in R&D here.

However, he foresaw that if the Government really wanted the plan to be
implemented effectively there must be an independent body, chaired by
representatives from Government and private secotr, to monitor and follow up
on the policy implementation.

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Other articles of interest:

ATCI calls for review of software tariffs
Thai Windows release well-timed
Windows now offers new Thai "platform"  -  a commentary from Tony Waltham,
					   editor of Post Database

Note: ATCI = Association of Thai Computer Industry

Newsgroups: soc.culture.thai