Government Policy

Unofficial Translation

Policy Statement of
The Council of Ministers
of Prime Minister General Prem Tinsulananda
Delivered to Parliament
on Wednesday, 27 August 1986

Policy Announcement*

Mr. President,
Distinguished Members,

Persuant to His Majesty the King's gracious appointment of myself as Prime Minister, per Royal Command dated 5 August 1986, and the subsequent appointment of the Council of Ministers, per Royal Command dated 11 August 1986. At this auspicious moment, the Council of Ministers would like to present the formal policies for the state administration, in accordance with the public well-being, democratic administration, with King as Head of State, economic and social developments, as well as, national security, to the Parliament, as follows:

Policy on Politics and State Administration

The government shall intend to protect the institutions of the Nation, Religion, King, and democratic administration, with King as Head of State, and implement the efficient measures, as to preserve the national prosperity, security, and peace, following these steps:

1.	Maintain the national security, as for the life and property safety, reduce the crimes and delinquences, suppress the illegal weapons, enhance the efficiency of the government agencies and related officers, as to enforce the legal solemnity and justice, as well as, encourage the public participation in the preservation of the national stability.
2.	Enhance the welfare and standard of living of the civil servants and officers, as to achieve the greater efficiency, morale, and will, prevent and suppress the corruption and malfeasance in the administration, minimize the civil bribery and incapability, and implement the anti-corruption measures and the frre financial auditor system.
3.	Facilitate government procedures, in accordance with economic and social development plans, suppress administrative redundancy and repetitiveness, implement administrative power distribution to the provinces, and liberate local administration.
4.	Envisage the role development of the political parties and institutions, in accordance with the democratic development, with King as Head of State, support the public awareness in the importance of the Legislative members, and encourage the public participation in the national and local politics.
5.	Fight against the menacing ideology, by means of the pro-political measures, as to preserve the democratic administration, with King as Head of State.

Policy on Security

In order to preserve the national security, sovereignty, benefits, and self-reliance, the government shall:

1.	Maintain and strengthen the royal armed force, in accordance with the current economic situation.
2.	Integrate the royal armed force, be it military, paramilitary, police, volunteer, civil servant, and general public, as for the suppression of the national threats.
3.	Modernize and upgrade the military warfare, practice, and development, as to excel the efficiency of the royal army, suppress the internal and external threats, and provide the vocational education to the army, as for the professional sake, once off-duty.
4.	Encourage and support the national weapon industry and research, enhance the weapon standard, upon self-sustenance basis.
5.	Implement the efficient measures, as to excel the military resources, as for the calling system and national protection.
6.	Encourage the army participation in the national developments and disaster alleviation plan, including the public assistance.
7.	Stimulate the military morale and will, by enhancing the military welfare, and enhance the welfare and guarantee, as seen appropriate, to the veteran soldiers and their families, with the focus on the handicapped soldiers and families of dead ones.

Foreign Policy

The government shall run the foreign affairs freely, in order to attain the national independence, sovereignty, integrity, security, benefits, and economic prosperity, harmonize the public and private agencies, as for the greater efficiency and unity, and collaborate with the sovereign nations and international organizations, as to achieve the national security and development, following these steps:

1.	Promote the good relations and understandings with the neighbor countries, upon the reciprocity, equality, and justice basis, and resolve the international conflicts, through political and diplomatic measures.
2.	Envisage the peace and peaceful co-existence, upon the independence, sovereignty, integrity, equality, non-aggressiveness, non-interference in the internal affairs, and peaceful resolution of international conflicts.
3.	Establish the political and diplomatic relations, as to achieve the mutual benefits, regional peace, and stability.
4.	Cherish the political, economic, and social cooperations and unity of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), encourage the tight relationship between the members, and support the establishment of South East Asia as peace, liberty, and neutrality zone.
5.	Implement and improve the diplomatic relations with the superpowers, as to preserve the national security and prosperity.
6.	Respect the United Nations' Charters and Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and preserve the rights in the international treaties and obligations, upon the equality, reciprocity, and justice basis.
7.	Establish the diplomatic, economic, and commercial relations with all countries, and support the mutual trade.
8.	Implement the efficient measures, in order that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and all government agencies shall survey, improve, and extend the trade, labor, and tourism market network, and encourage the foreign capital and technology investment, as for the national economic developments.
9.	Implement the public relations measures abroad, as to resurface the good attitude towards Thailand and Thai people, preserve and support the Thai reputation, and encourage the public understanding and support in the foreign affairs.
10.	Implement the economic, commercial, academic cooperation and support with other developing countries, as for the national political and economic benefits.
11.	Protect the Thai people and benefits abroad, as for the international fair treatment.

Economic Policy

The government believes the economic policy is prioritary and urgent, hence, shall revive the economic situation and stability, in due course, revise the economic structures, be it manufacturing, marketing, monetary, finance, and income distribution, which shall lead to the resolution of the poverty, unemployment, and debt burden, following these steps:

1.	Promote and support the free economy and market mechanism, encourage the private participation in the national developments, changing the idea of the supervision and control to support system, and facilitate the economic activities, especially exports, unless in the exceptional cases, affecting the national economic security and public well-being.
2.	Support and promote the economic projects, especially those involved with the employment generation, national labour, and raw materials, and enhance the private role in the large-scale projects.
3.	As for agriculture, the government shall resolve the agricultural low-price problems, as follows:

3.1	Enhance the manufacturing system, as for the vending, and support the agricultural manufacturing, in accordance with the market requirements, in terms of quantity and range.
3.2	Reduce the manufacturing cost, through the utilization of the appropriate technology, and provide the manufacturing factors, especially the agricultural loan, at the reasonable level.
3.3	Promote and support the agricultural industry, as for the value-addition.
3.4	Implement the agricultural land reform, as to provide the rightful assistance to the have-not agriculturists and revise the land structure for the productivity.
3.5	Expand the international agricultural markets and speed the exportation, in accordance with the manufacturing date.
3.6	Establish the responsible organization, as to plan, supervise, control, and resolve the manufacturing, processing, and marketing drawbacks, and encourage the decision-making from the related agencies, especially agriculturists and agricultural organizations.

4.	Enhance the land, water, forest, and fishery administration, as for the development and preservation.
5.	Prioritize the rural developments, in terms of areas and activities, enhance the state administration and civil viewpoint, in accordance with the new rural development plan, as for the public self-reliance, and strengthen the rural organizations.
6.	Support the national industries, especially those involved with the national products, as for the national employment, through the technology utilization, in order to increase the value of the products, expand the infrastructural network, and support the loan assistance, as for the distribution of the industrial investment to the provinces, as for the local labor and agricultural products.
7.	Resolve the mining industry drawbacks, by reducing the debt burden of the proprietors, support the value-addition of the ore smelting, prior to exportation, survey and manufacture the national energy, as to reduce the imports, and support the exploitation of economic ores, which have never been harnessed before, as for the industrial distribution to the provinces.
8.	Revise the investment policies and measures, by means of the enhanced technological efficiency, as for the technological self-reliance, and support the machinery industry, which is the foundation, and advance technology industry, which is the leader of the industrial developments.
9.	Enhance and upgrade the national transportation and telecommunication services, as for the versatility, comfort, rapidity, and safety, as to support the commercial, tourist, and land developments, improve the land transportation networks and links, where necessary, enhance the efficiency of the railways, provide the rail links to other means of travel, especially the waters, promote the national shipline service, develop the air transportations, as to establish Thailand as the regional aviation hub, improve the telecommunication system, through advance technologies, and encourage the private participation in the investment and operation, as to meet the increasing needs.
10.	Develop the tourism industry seriously, as for the national employment and foreign currency, through the tourism promotion measures, safety prevention, and marketing investment, decree the Tourism Regulatory Act, establish the new tourist attractions, preserve the national heritages, and enhance the customs and immigration systems, as for the greater efficiency and convenience for the tourists.
11.	Revise the state financial administration system, reform the taxation system as for the economic developments, especially the exports, manufacturing, and labor hire, enhance the direct and fair tax collection system, as to avoid the reverse tax collection, administer the state expenditures efficiently, as for the government and state enterprises, distribute the budget, especially in the investment and development, as to revive the economic status, and reduce the national debt, by modernizing the system and measures and controlling the debt generation, in accordance with the national capacity.
12.	Enhance and strengthen the financial system, as for the mobilization of the national savings, improve and develop the efficiency of the financial markets, especially the interest structure and financial mechanism, as for the versatility, investment and expansion support, enhance the financial institution system, especially the stock exchange, and suppress the economic crimes.
13.	Revise the administration of the state enterprises, as for the efficiency, self-sustenance, revenue, and, in case of infrastructural enterprises, rapid service expansion or cost cut, which shall, in turn, reduce the manufacturing and service cost, as to be competitive in international markets, abolish or sell the non-productive state enterprises.

Social Policy

The government is determined to provide the social justice, public well-being, both in the education and health care system, life and property security, woman developments and role, child and juvenile developments, in terms of physical and mental, public morals and Thai traditional and cultural values, as follows:

1. Justice

1.1	Preserve the legal solemnity and eliminate the social gap.
1.2	Enhance and revise the administration, organization, laws, rules, regulations, building, equipment, and technology systems, as to facilitate the court procedures.
1.3	Enhance the detention system, as for malefactors and accused, as to protect the city from crimes, and provide the assistance to the fools, and low-profile criminals, as to convert into the good citizens, with no punishment and imprisonment, and encourage the social participation in the control, supervision, and change of the malefactors and accused.
1.4	Suppress the public oppression, amend the legal loopholes, as to correspond better to the current situation, as for the social justice and national well-being.

2. Education

2.1	Provide the all-level education, as for the better quality of life of the people, focusing on the equality and educational distribution to the rural, underprivileged, and handicapped students, and support the religious participation in the moral education.
2.2	Implement the educational administration: pre-elementary, as for the rural kindergarten establishment, secondary, as to increase the number of students, vocational and universitarial, as to meet the national and laboral requirements, and teacher formation, as for the qualified teachers.
2.3	Support the surveys and researches, as to resolve the national problems and better the community welfare, and recruit the scientists and technicians, in terms of quantity and quality, as for the advance technology.
2.4	Enhance the all-level academic administration and management structures, as to establish the harmony, unity, and efficiency of the policy and operation, promote the utilization of shared resources, as for the highest efficiency, support the local educational administration, in accordance with the local requirements, and encourage the community participation in the educational developments.
2.5	Establish and support the Educational Information Centers, as in the vocation, arts, culture, sports, health, recreation, and information, as for the students and general public.
2.6	Promote the private participation in the academic development and support the financial assistance and education quality to the private institutes.
2.7	Support the status of all-level teachers and civil servants, as for the morale, will, and security.
2.8	Raise the Underprivileged Education Support Fund.

3. Public Health

3.1	Provide the basic health care network to the uncovered cities and provinces, as for the disease prevention, health care, and basic aids, and integrate the traditional with the conventional health care, as for the self-reliance, both in normal and urgent times.
3.2	Support the public and private participation in the basic health care especially for the low-income, children, and elders.
3.3	Enhance the quality and service of the hospitals and health care centers, support the conversion of the health care centers into the municipal hospitals, as in the high density area, and improve the patient interlink system, as to meet the local requirements.
3.4	Collaborate with the public and private universities and hospitals, as to recruit new medical officers, as to meet the expansion of the local health care.
3.5	Encourage the awareness and collaboration of the private medical officers in the state health care, as for the public-private cooperations.
3.6	Encourage the medical research and development, state and private alike, as to manufacture the medicine, medical equipments, and materials, without any monopolistic acts incurred.
3.7	Develop and enhance the national health care system, in cooperation with the related ministries, and private sector, as to improve the public health care, in normal and urgent situations.
3.8	Develop and provide the enhanced physical education, via new technology and mass media, formal and non-formal alike, in order that the public, especially the primary and secondary students, shall be informed of the disease prevention, protection, and basic health care treatment.
3.9	Implement the consumer protection scheme, prevent, suppress and punish the food, medicine, and agricultural product malfactors, and encourage the right and appropriate technology to be used in the production, distribution, and advertisement, as for the safety, worth, and savings.
3.10	Support the sports and exercise, as for the good health and correct recreational activity.
3 .11	Cure off the contagious disease, in all ages and occupations, especially the eliminable diseases, implement the accident and/or disaster alleviation projects, and rehabilitate the handicapped, as for the decent living and earning.
3.12	Recruit and support the medical and health expertises, as for the innovative research, both from domestic and foreign sources, as to resolve the public health problems.
3.13	Implement the potable water for the people, both in the cities and provinces.
3.14	Promote the family planning and support the nutritional and sanitary status for the mother and child.
3.15	Establish and support the voluntary social security system.

4. Life and Career Security

4.1	Support the establishment of the Career Promotion Institution.
4.2	Realise the establishment and improvement of the Agricultural Development Mobile Unit.
4.3	Support the skilled labor knowledge, practice, and development, as to enhance the economic status, collaborate with the representative of the labor union in the formulation of the labor protection policy and the resolution of the laboral issues, and implement the appropriate safety, protection and social security for the laborers.
4.4	Standardize the labor support measures, as to render the rightful assistance to Thai laborers abroad, as of the deceit and maltreatment, and encourage the private participation in the provision of international employment.
4.5	Revise the laws, regulations, and organizations, involved with the labor, as for the efficiency and responsibility to the laborers.
4.6	Provide the decent accommodation for the underprivileged, as for the community support.
4.7	Establish the qualified nurseries, especially in the urban slums, as for the correct nurture and professional opportunity for the low-income.

5. Women Development

5.1	Harmonize the public and private cooperations in the woman development, as in the local and national sectors, and revise the unfair laws in the woman maltreatment.
5.2	Provide the educational opportunity and practice to the women, as for the family, social, economic, and political developments.
5.3	Revise the woman laborer protection measure, as to avoid the social oppression.

6. Child and Youth Development

6.1	Provide the development opportunities to the underprivileged children and youths, especially in the poor remote areas and urban slums, with the focus on the physical, intellectual, and mental support.
6.2	Institute the ethics, moral, discipline, honesty, patience, diligence, responsibility, savings, and concordance.
6.3	Support the rehabilitation of the affected children and youths, as in the physical, cerebral, and emotional problems, promote the child and youth development, in accordance with the capacity and distintinction of each individual, and provide the righteous protection for working children and youths, as from the physical and mental oppression and abuse.
6.4	Encourage the child and youth awareness in the time-saving scheme, as for the own and social good, and support the professional skill, as for the self-reliance and national benefits.
6.5	Ingrain the child and youth awareness in the importance of the nation, democratic administration, with King as Head of State, role of the citizen in the national developments, and membership of the international communities.
6.6	Enhance the intellectual and talented potentials of the children and youths, as for the national developments.
6.7	Encourage the child and youth interest in the sports and sports practice, as to enhance the sports standard to meet that of other sovereign countries.

7. Arts, Culture, and Religion

7.1	Preserve, support, diffuse, and develop the Thai cultures, and encourage the public awareness in the importance and pride in the national identity.
7.2	Support, promote, and diffuse the religious activities and freedoms, and encourage the patience and concordance between the people of different religions, as for the national moral and ethic revival.
7.3	Encourage the public awareness in ethics and morals, with the focus on the civil servants, as a respectful and trustworthy model.

8. City and Environment

8.1	Implement and enforce the city planning.
8.2	Implement the city and community developments, according to the local economic requirements and city plannings.
8.3	Improve the environmental quality and reduce the pollution, as for the national health.
8.4	Install the sports facilities, recreational centers, parks, as well as, expand the forest parks, national parks, and conservation area.

Policy on Science, Technology, and Energy

1.	Establish the science and technology, as important factors for the national and social developments, through the continuous scientific researches and developments, as to resolve the economic, social, and political problems, create the appropriate research and development atmospheres, and encourage the private participation in the researches and developments.
2.	Establish the Research and Development Administration Organization, as the scientific and technological mobilizing sources, both internal and external, and encourage the private participation in the researches and developments, and revise the related laws, rules, and regulations.
3.	Improve the methods and equipments for the administration of the Information Technology, advanced analysis and processing, as in science, manufacturing, marketing, diffusion, and transfer, in accordance with the national requirements.
4.	Support and promote the utilization of the science and technology, as for the efficiency in the manufacturing and value-addition in the agricultural industry, energy, environmental management, natural resources, and security.
5.	Enhance the administrative efficiency of the energy organization, support the energy-saving, develop all types of national energy, encourage the private investment in the energy sector, and regulate the energy usage, at reasonable level, in accordance with the national economic status.
6.	Harmonize and improve the administration and management of the natural resources and environment, in accordance with the economic and social developments, with the focus on the industry, agriculture, commerce, and quality of life.
7.	Preserve and develop the natural resources, as for the national benefits and social justice, especially in the reforestation and mineral exploitation.

Apart from the aforementioned, Thailand is still experiencing another important problem, the international refugee issue, which the government shall implement the efficient humanitarian measures, according to the national sovereignty, security, safety, and benefits. In this respect, the government shall collaborate with the United Nations, international organizations and communities, and friendly nations, in order to resolve the problem, with the focus on the refugee expatriation from the national territory.

In addition, the narcotic manufacturing and distribution has posed the critical problems, hence, the government shall prevent and suppress seriously. As for the rehabilitation of the drug addicts, the government shall collaborate with the private sector in the conversion of the underprivileged into the good citizens.

Mr. President,
Distinguished Members,

I would like to vow that the government shall run the state administration, in accordance with the aforementioned policy, with honesty and good intention, and, in this respect, intend to preserve the national benefits. I hope the government shall be able to bring about the national security and prosperity.

Thank you.

*Parliament Assembly Report of 1/1986, 27 August 1986, Pages 173-192

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