Policy Announcement*

Mr. President,

My name is Chuan Leekpai, Representative of Trang Province. Persuant to His Majesty's gracious appointment of myself as Prime Minister, per Royal Command dated 23 September 1992, and the subsequent appointment of the Council of Ministers, per Royal Command dated 29 September 1992. The Council of Ministers has now formulated a policy for the administration of state affairs, which I shall, hereby, present to you, as follows:

1. Policy on Politics and Administration of State Affairs

The government intends to uphold and protect the institutions of Nation, Religion, Monarchy, democratic rule with the King as Head of State, to improve and strengthen the political institution, as to remain ready for efficient operation, for the protection of public well-being, and to support the popular political participation, be it from local to national, according to these steps:

1.1	Support the amendment to the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand, in order to achieve greater sense of democracy.
1.2	Support the parliamentary activities, in order to facilitate the efficient functions of members of the Parliament.
1.3	Improve the Act of Political Parties, enabling it to recognize public and private support, and encourage political parties to be more involved in the political development.
1.4	Improve the Election Act and other related laws, as to register transparency and justice in the General Election and all-level elections, and support the establishment of free organizations, as to supervise those elections.
1.5	Improve the State Auditory Act, so that the Parliament shall bear greater auditing role in state finance.
1.6	Support all-level academic institutions and mass media, both state-owned and privately owned, promoting their role in imparting knowledge, understanding and faith of the process and substance of democracy with the King as Head of State, both in theory and in practice.
1.7	Protect the rights and freedoms of mass media, both state-owned and privately owned, in imparting knowledge of state administration and operation of civil servants, under the legal framework, in opinion-expressing and in accurate, fair and rapid news broadcasting.
1.8	Improve and facilitate the justice process, with emphasis on court investigations and trial procedures, as to increase efficiency, promptness and justice, as well as, improved skill of judicial officers in specific lawsuit, in accordance with the changing economic and social environment, i.e., Intellectual Property and International Trade, as for due preparation for the establishment of specialized courts, and respect the dignity, status, and freedom of the judiciary institution.
1.9	Improve the judiciary personnel and appeal process, as well as, prepare for other related factors, leading to the implementation of the Administrative Court, in time within four years.
1.10	Implement the administration distribution to the provinces, organizing all-level local administrators, as well as, increasing the decision-making role and responsibility in the development and management of natural resources, environment and city planning, in accordance with the self-governing democratic principles, and support the Tumbon local administration to achieve the juristic person status, as for greater versatility and efficiency of collective problem-solving in the Tumbon.
1.11	Modernize the government agencies and state enterprises, central, regional, or local alike, by means of improved regulatory amendments, intra-departmental procedures, enhanced government service system, minimized redundancy, under the time and budget limit.
1.12	Enforce, in due course, the administrative laws, as to attain national security, supervise civil servants in all levels, abiding by the law, as well as, institute public awareness and realization in legal solemnity. Should any law be found obsolescent or unfair, the stringent improvement or abolition should then be applied.
1.13	Enhance the crime preventive and suppressive system, as to provide nationwide life and property safety, by means of improved quality in personnel, equipment and technology, necessary for the operations.
1.14	Prevent and suppress corruption and malfeasance in both the civil service and government agencies, by improving the efficiency of the organization and personnel, related to the prevention and suppression, improve the internal control system of government agencies, supervise the mentioned control system, as well as, generate morale and will amongst the civil servants, by means of the consideration of virtues, merit, remuneration and welfare, in accordance with the systematic economic change.
1.15	Administer the departmental and ministerial reform, according to the current situation and necessity of the national economic and social growth.

2. Policy on Security

The government is aware of the changing world security and the internal security situations, the peace and good understanding process, amongst neighbouring countries, hence, has formulated the policy on security, as follows:

2.1	Develop the military structure into a compact but efficient unit with modern weapon, as to guarantee the national independence, sovereignty, and benefit.
2.2	Reform the reserve force and concription system, according to the current situation, and establish the military co-operation with other sovereign nations.
2.3	Modernize the curricula of all-level military academies, as to respond to the current economic, social, and political changes.
2.4	Support and encourage the military participation in national development, as well as, economic benefit protection, both in land and at sea.
2.5	Improve the morale and will of low-ranked servicemen, by means of enhanced welfare and vocation, as to provide sufficient professional ground for them, once off duty.

3. Foreign Policy

The government shall uphold all international commitments under various treaties and agreements to which Thailand is party, the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, achieve the national benefits, in security, politics, economy and society, fully aware of the changing global and regional situations, which emphasize on the importance of international co-operations, as to promote Thailand's role in actively assuming its responsibilities in regional economic, financial, and transportation hub, as follows:

3.1	Establish friendship, amity, and cooperation amongst Southeast Asian countries.
3.2	Increase and improve political, economic, social, cultural relations and cooperations with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries, support the economic integration by implementing successfully the ASEAN Free Trade Area.
3.3	Reiterate economic relations and cooperations with major trade partners, including the countries of other regions, under free trade system and fair competition, and minimize international conflicts, be it trade, investment, technology transfer, and intellectual property protection, considering the national awareness.
3.4	Support bilateral and multi-lateral economic, academic, cultural cooperations and human resource development project, improving Thailand's reputation by granting economic assistance to developing nations, especially neighbor countries, as to reiterate good diplomatic relations and understandings between the people of the two countries.
3.5	Develop Thailand's role in international stage in Environmental Preservation For Everlasting Development And Balance.
3.6	Facilitate, protect, and support the rights and benefits of Thai nationals, laborers, and private sector abroad.

4. Economic Policy

As of the fact that certain Thai nationals are poverty-stricken, living in sub-standard environment, and the economic prosperity has yet reached all corners of the kingdom, the government is determined to raise the standard of living of Thai people from all walks of life, together with the prosperity allocation to the regions and localities. Meanwwhile, the government shall run liberal economic policy, based upon the market mechanism, attempting to suppress unfair monopolization, as to preserve the eventual economic growth, at continual and stable pace, enhance national economic potential, as to render competitive in world market, and focus on the developments of economic factors, following these steps:

4.1	Finance and Monetary: The government shall preserve the financial and monetary discipline and stability, in line with the financial and monetary versatility and efficiency development, as follows:

4.2	Agriculture: The government is well aware that the agricultural poverty suppression must be dealt with urgently and requires integrated collaborations, hence, has formulated the policy, as to raise the income of the agriculturists.

4.3

Industry

Aware that the industrial developments play a major role in the economic growth, the government has formulated a policy to help support the continuous high rate of growth in the industrial sector, the distribution to the regions, the good technology incorporated as to prevent the pollution problems from national factories, as follows:

4.4	International Trade: In order to support the competitiveness of private entrepreneurs in the protected international trade and investment, the government shall follow these steps:

4.5	Domestic Trade: The government is determined to control the domestic trade, according to the fair market mechanism, as follows:

4.6	Transportation: In order to develop, expand, and modernize the transportation and communication systems, as to service efficiently to the national and regional economic growth, the government shall follow these steps:

4.7	Energy: As to develop the energy resource, according to the national economic and social growth, upon the self-sustainable basis and environmental impact, the government shall follow these steps:

4.8	Natural Resource and Environment Management: Due to the fact the natural resources and environment have been gradually affected by the dramatic change in economic and social growths, the government shall follow these steps:

4.9	Tourism: In order to implement the continuous developments in the tourism industry, the government shall follow these steps:

5. Policy on the Prosperity Allocation to the Regions and Provinces

As of the fact, the previous economic and social developments have only clustered in and around the Greater Bangkok Area and have yet to benefit the whole nation. In this respect, there encounter various problems in Bangkok Metropolitan Area and the economic and social disparities, hence, the government has formulated the policy to help distribute the prosperity to the regions and provinces, as follows:

5.1	Expand the basic economic infrastructure network, especially transportation system, communication system, water works, electricity works, and telephone system, to meet the provincial requirements and regional economic opportunities.
5.2	Establish the basic social service, e.g., academic centers, health care centers, and decent accommodation, as to raise the standard of living of the provincials.
5.3	Encourage the private investment distribution to the provinces, by means of enhanced investment measures, notably in taxation issues, and financial loans by public and private financial institutions.
5.4	Support the private participation in trade, service, agriculture, and industry projects, in accordance with regional potentials, leading to the investment and the generation of work positions in the provinces.
5.5	Cherish the private participation in the economic and social developments of the regions.
5.6	Ratify the Regional Economic Strategy Plans, as follows:

6. Policy on the Revival of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration

As to resolve the problems resulted from the rapid but disorganized growth of Bangkok, the government shall follow these steps:

6.1	Implement the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Master Plans, as to resolve and revive the capital's problems, especially in traffic, flood, environmental pollution, lack of accommodation and slum area, by implementing the mass rapid transit system, improving the bus and suburban train systems, constructing the major and minor roads and grid interlinks, implementing the water treatment system and air pollution control, expanding the infrastructure service network, as to provide standardized and sufficient coverage, constructing the decent accommodation for the low-income, improving the slum areas, as well as, establishing parks, stadia, and playgrounds in government's land.
6.2	Administer all-level public fund raising, as to finance various projects, with the fair investment and operation ratio between the government, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and the people benefiting from the service.
6.3	Support the establishment of the Coordination Council, to be responsible for the operation of the projects, and harmonise the private and public cooperations in major projects.
6.4	Implement the water treatment system in Chao Phraya River and radiating canals, by means of the enforcement of legal resolution.
6.5	Implement the resolution of the lack of accommodation and slum problem, by encouraging the private participation in cheap accommodation construction investment, conforming to the special low-interest loan, as well as, the expansion of infrastructure service and, especially water and electricity standard raise in the slum area, as to uplift the standard of living of the general public.
6.6	Implement the relocation of potential government agencies and state enterprises to the provinces, as to reduce the traffic congestion.
6.7	Develop Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, in accordance with new economic zones in the Eastern Sea Board, and provide the link to the Second Bangkok International Airport (Nong Nguhao) and the upper central plain, as for the growth of the metropolis.

7. Policy on Science and Technology

As to maintain the economic and social developments, the government shall support the improvements of science and technology, as important factors in the increase of the international competitiveness, as well as, the development of the public quality of life, by following these steps:

7.1	Implement the public-private cooperation in scientific and technological researches and modern developments, as to enhance agricultural, industrial, and service efficiency increase, as well as, the establishment of Information Processing and Service Zone.
7.2	Support the public-private collaboration in researches and technological developments, conjoining the tendency, priority, and objective, in accordance with the national economic requirements, as well as, the diffusion and transfer of those developments.
7.3	Support the researches and developments in the public sector, both in budget and personnel, as to achieve the same capacity level of competitive countries, especially in applied researches, and develop the appropriate technology for domestic manufacturers, mainly small ones, as to increase the productivity and employment.
7.4	Recruit the qualified scientific and technological personnel and encourage the private participation in personnel recruitment and development, by means of scholarships, practices, and researches, both in Thailand and abroad.
7.5	Encourage the private investment in scientific and technological researches and developments, as to substitute the imports with new products, conforming to the special tax privilege and other privileges.
7.6	Support the transfer of advanced technology from abroad, by granting special tax privilege and facilitating the specialists, related to the said tranfer.
7.7	Increase scientific and technological cooperations with other sovereign nations.

8. Social Policy

The dramatic change in the national economic and social structures have obliged the people to modify their lifestyles and modes of life, which have resulted in various social problems. The government needs to resolve the said problems, following these steps:

8.1

Education

8.2	Religions and Arts

8.3	Public Health: As to raise the public quality of life in public health, the government has formulated a policy on administration and service developments, AIDS disease control, health promotion, and personnel recruitment and development, as follows:

8.4	Consumer Protection: As to render safety and justice to Thai consumers, the government shall follow these steps:

8.5

Labour: The government is fully aware of the role and importance of the labour, imposed in the national developments, competitiveness and efficiency in global stage, hence, supports the joint-investment between the government and the private sector, as to improve the knowledge, quality, skill, and capacity of the labourers in the profession. As for the achievement of reasonable and fair wage, as well as, the protection in work environment and employment, the government shall follow these steps:

8.6	Children and Ladies: As to protect the rights of children and ladies, the government has formulated the policy, as follows:

8.7

Sports

8.8	Others: As to resolve other problems, the government shall follow these steps:

Mr. President,
Distinguished Members,

Having all policies stated, I would like to assure you that the government should run the state administration with honesty and transparency, for the sake of the nation and the people, which is the main objective of the government. I am confident that the government should receive good collaborations from the distinguished members of the Parliament.

Thank You.

*Parliament Assembly Report, Series 18, Year 1, Session 1, 21 October 1992, Pages 19-53.

Unofficial Translation