Somkid Jatusripitak, foreign affairs adviser to the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), is confident the US and EU will not impose harsh sanctions on Thailand if the country can show determination and integrity in resolving their concerns over human trafficking and democracy.
Somkid: Asserting Thailand's integrity
“I don’t think they will implement harsher-than-expected measures if we can show them our determination and integrity,” said the former deputy prime minister.
Mr Somkid said the country must show determination based on genuine action in solving purported problems to regain foreigners’ confidence and make them understand Thailand better.
His comment came after the US decided to drop Thailand to Tier 3 — the same level as Syria, Iran and North Korea — in its annual “Trafficking in Persons” report, while the euro zone has downgraded its diplomatic ties in a move to pressure the junta to restore democracy.
“Thailand has long-standing relationships with the EU and the US, and it's believed that Thailand can solve these problems through negotiation,” he said.
Both the public and private sectors, however, have to cooperate to restore confidence in the country, Mr Somkid said.
He said the private sector had a pivotal role to play in reforming Thailand, as it could propel the country forward on reform measures and the seven private sector organisations can help to combat corruption and social inequality.
Corporate governance in Thailand has been good, but two main issues — the extension of corporate governance to smaller companies; and preventing human trafficking, corruption and environmental degradation — need to be addressed, said Mr Somkid.
Thailand is standing at a crossroads, said Mr Somkid, citing the Philippines three decades ago as an example of corruption and nepotism, which continue to stall the country’s development.
The economy is expected to recover from the second quarter, and confidence will be restored, he said.