It is always a pleasure to listen to messages about upbeat economic growth in the country, especially when such messages are trumpeted at an audience that has been making Thailand great for decades.
Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak had a similarly upbeat message for the people of Japan earlier this week at the Nikkei Forum in Tokyo when he came out to say that Thailand's national reforms would continue. Despite any persisting adversity, gross domestic product (GDP) would rise by at least 3.5% this year after having grown 3.3% year-on-year in the first quarter, he said.
These buoyant messages prompted resounding applause from the more than 400 businessmen at the event. What was not revealed was the fact that the current government is looking at pursuing the Thai dream of attracting foreign direct investment (FDI), especially with a new promotional drive to build the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC).
Umesh Pandey is Editor, Bangkok Post.
The EEC, spanning a combined 30,000 rai of land in the three eastern provinces of Chon Buri, Rayong and Chachoengsao, is intended as a special zone for investment in 10 targeted industries promoted as clusters by the government.
The 10 industries are next-generation cars; smart electronics; affluent, medical and wellness tourism; agriculture and biotechnology; food; robotics for industry; logistics and aviation; biofuels and biochemicals; digital; and medical services.
All this is good to hear but the message about the EEC and how it will be developed has barely reached the ears of decision-makers in Japan and other countries.
One can blame the Board of Investment (BoI) for its failure to promote the idea, or the lack of communication by the incumbent government. But upon learning that the Japanese investors had not heard about the EEC and how this will benefit from the "One Belt, One Road" initiative being undertaken by China, Mr Somkid has undertaken a public relations blitz by bringing all his economic ministers to Japan to answer any and every question.
Apart from Mr Somkid, Minister of Transport Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, Minister of Industry Uttama Savanayana, Minister of Commerce Apiradi Tantraporn, secretary-general of the BoI Hirunya Suchinai and a host of other high-ranking government officials have flooded Tokyo, all to convince Japanese investors that Thailand remains relevant and that it is important they remain in Thailand and possibly invest more in the country.
The move by Mr Somkid is commendable because it comes at a time when the nation's closest rival -- Vietnam -- had its Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc make an official visit to Japan in a bid to woo the same investors to shift their investments out of countries such as Thailand to Vietnam, the so-called new Asean tiger.
As Thailand faces a series of challenges from attracting new investment to keeping hold of current foreign investors, this kind of marketing campaign blitz is crucial.
Japanese investors have for decades been a key player in driving the economic growth of Thailand. The two nations established diplomatic relations 130 years ago.
Now it is as important as ever for Thailand to stay ahead of its competitors, many of whom are deploying various tactics to derail its growth, citing political uncertainty or other matters.
But what is also needed -- more than just a one-time bombardment of information -- is for other Thai governmental organisations such as the BoI, and even the commercial counsellors at the embassies of key investor countries, to follow up and disseminate the information that the government is making available.
The lack of knowledge about the EEC among Japanese investors is a good example of how Thai civil servants have failed to help market this "new product" of Thailand.
Such failures could in the long term prove fatal. This is because when investment starts to flow to rival countries in bulk, we Thais will be left with nothing to do except lick our wounds and hope we don't suffer a similar fate to that of the Philippines, which until recently was known as the "sick man of Asean" after its fall from grace as an economic powerhouse a few decades ago.