Pichet lauded as DE minister

Pichet lauded as DE minister

IT and telecom sectors welcome appointment

Pichet: Wins praise for his dynamism
Pichet: Wins praise for his dynamism

The appointment of Pichet Durongkaveroj as the new digital economy (DE) and society minister has been welcomed by the telecom and IT sectors.

Mr Pichet, who was previously science and technology minister, has pledged to accelerate development of digital hard and soft infrastructure to serve the government's digital economy roadmap.

Somchai Lertsuthivong, chief executive of mobile leader Advanced Info Service, said Mr Pichet is a dynamic and energetic person and the ideal candidate to push the country towards its goal of becoming a competitive digital economy and Asean's digital hub.

"As I have watched Mr Pichet through projects supporting the digital ecosystem, I believe he is the right man for the position, especially to collaborate with the Science and Technology Ministry," Mr Somchai said.

Thanachart Lumnonda, president of the Association of Thai ICT Industry, said Mr Pichet is knowledgeable about the ICT sector as he has been involved in the implementation of the country's ICT master plan since 2010.

In addition, the new DE minister also has strong management skills in the fields of science and technology.

But Mr Thanachart said Mr Pichet needs executive teams to monitor the rapid change in technology in order to implement digital economy policies. In the next six months, he will also have to reform and amend outdated regulations governing the ICT industry.

Vichai Bencharongkul, head of the creative digital economy committee at the Thai Chamber of Commerce, said he hopes to see a clear action plan over the next three months on how to implement the digital economy policy through collaboration with the private sector.

Anant Kaewruamvong, president of the Thai Internet Service Provider Association, said the new DE minister should drive all public agencies to implement at least two e-government services by 2017.

"Having more e-government services will eliminate paper-based processes which are inefficient and costly," he said, adding that this will eventually accelerate the development of the digital economy.

Mr Pichet, 61, said he will accelerate the development of the first phase of the national broadband network across villages nationwide.

Pushing the enforcement of a series of digital economy draft bills as well as promoting tech startups will be also be priorities.

He met officers at the Science and Technology Ministry to express his appreciation for their cooperation during the past two years.

"Although I am now DE minister, I'm confident that I can cooperate well with the Science and Technology Ministry to facilitate the government's digital economy roadmap," he said.

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