National economic development board strategies to be given to govt soon

CHIANG MAI, Nov 29 (TNA) — Members of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC) have prepared six strategies aimed at boosting seven businesses and improving competitiveness and will present them to the government soon, a senior TCC official said Sunday.

Chatchai Boonyarat, vice chairman of TCC, said besides boosting competitiveness, the strategies also focus on adjusting the national economy, developing knowledge, boosting good governance, preservation of the environment and upgrading the quality of life.

His remarks were made following the end of a three-day meeting of the TCC held in the northern city of Chiang Mai. More than 1,000 chamber members participated.

The private sector felt it is necessary to draw up their strategies after the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) had implemented 10 national plans with several of them out of alignment, especially for political reasons, because of frequent changes of government, said Mr. Chatchai.

He said the private sector considered that they should have a voice in laying out national economic development and forward it to NESDB so that the agency could use it in its plan.

Next year’s TCC meeting will be held in the northeastern province of Khon Kaen.

Meanwhile, Thanawat Palavichai, director of the Economic and Business Forecast Centre at the University of Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC), said a poll conducted of 270 TCC members attending the meeting found that 37.9 per cent agreed that the current Thai economy is worse than last year’s.

Slightly over one fifth of those polled — 20.8 per cent of total respondents — said the national economy would start recovering in the first quarter of 2010 while 30.8 per cent thought it would pick up in the final quarter this year.

Up to 23.8 per cent of the respondents agreed that the government should immediately end Thailand’s political unrest, 18.9 per cent said that confidence must be restored and 15.9 per cent said the sluggish economy should be revitalised. (TNA)