Kriengsak Chareonwongsak Thailand’s own internal, tumultuous agenda

Thailand’s own internal, tumultuous agenda

 Despite the fact that Thailand’s foreign policy aims to preserve cordial relations with Burma, in practice, it has been at times ignored. Chartichai Choonhavan’s government emphasized congenial relations with other Indo-Chinese countries but not Burma. Later on, Banharn Silpa-Acha’s government encouraged investment in Burma. However, this policy was short lived when the Silpa-Acha government was overthrown in a vote of non-confidence.
The relationship between the two countries was strained even further during the second Chuan Leekpai’s administration when the government took a particularly tough stance against drug smuggling and border infringements. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned human rights violations in Burma and enforced the repatriation of illegal workers from Burma in both the ASEAN and global arenas – stances that both irked Burma. As a result, during the Chuan Leekpai’s administration, the number of confrontations with Burma increased.

The continued failure to implement a congenial relations policy has fostered a sense of mutual mistrust between the two countries and has therefore  hindered the process of nurturing positive reciprocal relations.
If the tumultuous agendas in either Burma or Thailand are not obliterated, the conventional approach that Thailand has been taking over the past 30 years will fail to create a congenial relationship. Consequently, a radically new approach must be taken.

A sustainable solution: View Burma as a strategic economic partner 
By placing economic issues at the forefront, Thailand could re-vitalize its relationship with Burma. The starting point would be to identify Burma as a “strategic economic partner”. Thailand’s concern over its relationship with Burma should take high precedence, perhaps even over relations with many other nations, because of the shared borders of the two nations.
At present, Burma has begun the process of liberalizing its economy. The Burmese government is also endeavoring to elevate the national image to attract foreign investors. Thus, now could be Thailand’s golden opportunity to forge economic links with Burma.
If Burma responds to Thailand’s economic overtures, it could help to heal the diplomatic gaps between the two nations. Healthy economic relations could help pave the way for negotiations on other issues. For example, tension over illegal drugs could diminish as better economic conditions provide better education and employment opportunities for the people. The furor over illegal Burmese workers in Thailand could abate as more Burmese find jobs in their own country.

At the same time, Thais will benefit from increased sources of industrial raw materials and new investment opportunities in industries with cheap labor.

In the long term, all will benefit. Thailand, Burma and the world community will benefit from increased democracy in Burma. As economic conditions improve, the growth of a middle class and increasing awareness of global issues would automatically enhance democratic values within the society. Thus, by fostering economic relations with Burma, Thailand could be inadvertently helping to gradually nurture democracy within Burmese society.
Promoting economic relations with Burma is a win-win scenario. However, seeing the fruit of this policy may require some patience. The results of such a policy will not only be sustained economic benefit to Thailand, it will help to enhance democracy with one of our valued neighbors.

Professor Dr Kriengsak Chareonwongsak
Executive Director, Institute of Future Studies for Development (IFD)
 kriengsak@kriengsak.com, http://www.ifd.or.th

Kriengsak Chareonwongsak Coping with the Thai-Burmese conflict

Coping with the Thai-Burmese conflict
Thai-Burmese conflicts have been in the news for the past few years and many Thai government agencies dealing with issues such as foreign affairs and national security, have endeavored to resolve the conflicts, but often to no avail. While this lack of progress is often blamed on the Burmese government, but at the same time, Thailand is some times equally culpable.

Myanmar’s internal, tumultuous agenda
It is difficult to ignore Burma’s sizeable domestic troubles. About 16 minority groups, most of who live along the Thai-Burmese border, have declared their independence from Burma. Thailand is often caught in the middle between these groups and the Burmese government itself. In the past, Burma has accused Thailand of fostering anti-government sentiments within these groups, while Thailand has accused Burma of using the groups to smuggle illegal drugs into Thailand. On several occasions, these tit-for-tat altercations resulted in Burma postponing Township Border Committee meetings.
Most Thais believe that one of these 16 groups, the Wa, is primarily responsible for illegal drug smuggling operations in Thailand. This issue was addressed in a 1996 United Nations agreement between the Rangoon government and the Wa army. At that time, development projects were proposed to encourage the cultivation of alternate crops. However, these proposals were never fully implemented. One UN report stated that 75% of this ethnic group cannot harvest enough rice because of drought. At the same time, 96% of Wa stated they were willing to grow opium as a means of earning income, while no less than 95% claimed they would stop growing opium if better alternatives would be provided. These figures represent the changing and conflicting sentiments of this group.
Many of Burma’s current problems stem from its lack of democratic practice. This prevents minority peoples from participating in resolution of their nation’s problems. In addition, democracy will enhance national respects for international meeting protocol - such as attendance at Township Border Committee meetings without last minute cancellations.

Professor Dr Kriengsak Chareonwongsak
Executive Director, Institute of Future Studies for Development (IFD)
 kriengsak@kriengsak.com, http://www.ifd.or.th

Kriengsak Chareonwongsak the fishing industry

Other industries have likewise been affected also. For example, the fishing industry has been severely affected by the withdrawal, for an indeterminable period of time, of international fishing concessions given to Thai fishing boats. Instead, the Burmese government welcomes Taiwanese, South Korean and Chinese fishing boats into its territorial waters. Consumer product industries are also affected and closure of border crossings cuts off Burma’s access to goods available in Thailand. As a result, Burma is looking increasingly to China, Singapore, India, and Japan for the consumer goods they used to buy from Thailand. This is despite the fact that when relations between the nations were normal, Thailand was a favored trading partner because trade with Thailand put the least amount of strain on Burma’s deficient transportation infrastructure.
Thailand will suffer long-term disadvantage from a continuing poor relationship with Burma. In the past, Burma supplied cheap raw materials and labor supplies to Thailand. If Burma’s internal transportation infrastructures were improved Thailand could use Burma as an industry base for exporting goods to China, India and other parts of the South Asian region. However, while Thailand pays scant attention to Burma, other nations such as Japan, Australia, and Singapore have increased their investments in the country.
Although the Thai government has tried to improve relations with Burma, conflicts have only seemed to increase a fact that could result in long-term drawbacks for both sides.

Professor Dr Kriengsak Chareonwongsak
Executive Director, Institute of Future Studies for Development (IFD)
 kriengsak@kriengsak.com, http://www.ifd.or.th

Kriengsak Chareonwongsak Burma as a strategic economic partner

Professor Dr Kriengsak Chareonwongsak
Executive Director, Institute of Future Studies for Development (IFD)
 kriengsak@kriengsak.com, http://www.ifd.or.th

This article was first published in the Bangkok Post on July 8th 2001 during a period of considerable conflict between Thailand and Myanmar, so much so that the border between the two countries was closed.


The recent decision by the Thai Prime Minister to visit Burma on 19 – 20 June 2001, in the midst of ongoing tense relations between both countries, was highly risky. It was particularly risky in light of the fact that some parts of Burmese history textbooks were amended to negatively accuse the Thai royal institution, thus further igniting anti-Burmese sentiment. Yet, the result of these negotiations will prove that Thailand’s leader has a world-wide vision, looking at the advantages of good, Thai-Burma relations. What is especially significant about this visit to Burma is that it marks a significant step towards the better recovery of the conundrum between the two countries. It builds upon and at the same time, builds up, the intentions of both nations to eliminate drug smuggling and to open border trade both at Tah Kee Lek border crossing and at the border of Mae Sai District of Thailand from 24 June 2001.
Restoring Thai-Burma relations will bring advantages to both parties. Thailand’s relationship with Burma has become increasingly strained in recent times. Tensions between the two nations have increased mostly because of security issues such as amphetamines smuggled into Thailand, illegal Burmese workers, and Burmese minorities camped along the 2,400 kilometers of shared borderline. Poor relations with Burma have resulted in a number of Thai civilian deaths, damage to cities and towns within reach of Burma’s munitions, and other significant losses.

However, border trade worth about 10 billion baht per year would be lost if relations between the two were not restored. When Burma closed the Ta Kee Lek border crossing, over the last 4 months (March-June 2001) it resulted in a loss of more than 2,000 million Baht in revenue and was the cause of many business owners, in Thailand’s adjoining Mae Sai District, incurring huge financial losses. Similarly, closure of other border crossings would result in the loss of valuable tourism income to the merchants in those other areas.

Professor Dr. Kriengsak Chareonwongsak Peru is a place of high promise

Peru is a place of high promise for future trade relations with Thailand because it is the gateway nation of the ANDEAN Group, which has a combined population of more than 110 million people. With the proper strategy, Thailand-Peruvian trade could grow from its present limited levels into a mutually beneficial economic relationship. Peru could become the jumping board for Thailand to access other nations in South America, and beyond, to the rest of Latin America. Proactive steps to creating such a relationship include the distribution of trade information, the nurturing of good bi-lateral business relationships, negotiating a reduction in tariffs, the development of compatible products and services that will suit the needs of consumers in both countries, the development of public utilities and the improvement of transportation services linking the two nations. Peru is a land of possibility for Thailand.

new gateway to Latin America

Professor Dr. Kriengsak Chareonwongsak
Executive Director, Institute of Future Studies for Development (IFD)
kriengsak@kriengsak.com, http://www.ifd.or.th

Kriengsak Chareonwongsak The Peruvian economy

The Peruvian economy is more stable than that of its neighbors. Peru has experienced higher economic growth than any other nation in South America during the past decade. In 1999, when many South American nations faced economic slow downs, or serious economic crises, or less than 1% economic growth, Peru’s economy grew by 1.4%. This was due to its stable currency caused by international reserve funds of more than 15 months of the country’s import value. The Peruvian financial industry is also strictly regulated in such a way as to promote vigorous development of the nation’s financial system, a natural lure for overseas trade and investment interests.

However, some drawbacks to this proposal do exist. Peruvian tariffs are, on average, higher than those of neighboring countries. However, between 1990 and 1998, Peru’s import levies have fallen steadily from 80% to 13%. Moreover, laws exist for the creation of four types of free trade zones specializing in the following four areas: export processing, special commercial treatment, special development, and tourism. This falls in line with WTO direction that supports the elimination of none-tariff barriers, state subsidies, the need for import licenses, import prohibitions and quantitative restrictions. In addition, Peru is the only nation in the ANDEAN Group that is, like Thailand, a member of APEC. This link alone should open opportunities for the reduction of trade barriers between the two countries.

new gateway to Latin America

Professor Dr. Kriengsak Chareonwongsak
Executive Director, Institute of Future Studies for Development (IFD)
kriengsak@kriengsak.com, http://www.ifd.or.th

Kriengsak Chareonwongsak benefit of developing

One other benefit of developing such a relationship is the complimentary nature of the production structures in each of the two regions. In most likelihood, Thailand could benefit from the variety of primary and secondary level manufacturing conducted in Latin America. In turn, that region would benefit from the electronic and high technology goods produced in Thailand. Peru is a country rich in mining and fishery resources, meaning that most merchandise imported from Peru would be raw (primary level) products such as mined metals, fish and marine products, vegetable oils, crops and animal products. Peru would welcome secondary and tertiary level products from Thailand such as motor vehicles, electrical appliances, rubber products and synthetic fibers. Trade between the two nations would grow as each became more familiar with complementary products and industries in the other nation. In this way, trade would be mutually supportive instead of competitive. 

new gateway to Latin America

Professor Dr. Kriengsak Chareonwongsak
Executive Director, Institute of Future Studies for Development (IFD)
kriengsak@kriengsak.com, http://www.ifd.or.th

Professor Kriengsak Chareonwongsak an economic point of view

From an economic point of view, Latin America may be divided into two sub-regions: the MERCOSUR Group, having links in eastern and southern South America, and the ANDEAN Group, having links in the northwestern and northern sections of the continent. Peru is geographically situated in the middle of the 5 member countries of the ANDEAN Group: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador Bolivia and Peru. It lies along the coastline of the Pacific Ocean and has at least 7 seaports, which the Peruvian government plans to modernize. These ports would be able to serve large freighters and would provide public storage facilities for shipped goods. Moreover Peru has its own commercial fleet and good roads for rapid and convenient transportation to neighboring target markets. All these features make Peru highly attractive as a regional trading hub for the ANDEAN Group for Thailand.

In addition, Peru's location makes it a good connecting point between the 2 sub-regions, especially at the southern port of Ilo, which could certainly be used as a transfer point to countries with no access to the sea, such as Bolivia and Paraguay. Also, a network of over-land transportation routes, composed of both highways and railways reaching to Northern Argentina and Western Brazil, is easily accessible from Ilo. This would make Thailand’s access to the markets in these two nations much shorter than by using Atlantic routes.

Already, Thailand has developed a higher level of trade with Peru than with any other nation in the ANDEAN Group. In the first 9 months of 2000, trade with Peru totaled 3 billion baht, higher than the 1.2 billion bath worth of trade with Colombia, Thailand’s second most significant trading partner in this sub-region. Even though Thailand’s trade relationship with Peru is still in its infancy, it is abundantly clear that Peru is better suited than any other nation for becoming a regional trade hub.

new gateway to Latin America

Professor Dr. Kriengsak Chareonwongsak
Executive Director, Institute of Future Studies for Development (IFD)
kriengsak@kriengsak.com, http://www.ifd.or.th

Professor Kriengsak Chareonwongsak new gateway to Latin America

new gateway to Latin America

Professor Dr. Kriengsak Chareonwongsak
Executive Director, Institute of Future Studies for Development (IFD)
kriengsak@kriengsak.com, http://www.ifd.or.th

This article was first published in the Bangkok Post on June 24, 2001 during the period when the government was trying to seek new export markets to decrease dependency on existing major markets . After this article was published, the government initiated negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement with Peru during the APEC meeting in Thailand in October 2003 in order to make Peru a gateway for exports to the Andean Nations and Latin America.

Trade between Thailand and South America is still quite limited, accounting for less than 1% of Thailand’s international trade value. Factors such as lack of information, distance, and language difficulties contribute to Thailand’s lack of ties with this region. Even so, new trade opportunities continue to grow between the two regions, providing Thailand with a natural segue for new markets in this region.

Because ties between Thailand and Latin America are minimal, one of the best strategies for accessing these new markets would be to establish strong relationships with one nation that could act as a centralized trading hub and regional distribution center, saving Thailand per unit costs for transportation across the continent. I suggest that Thailand take a serious look at the advantages Peru could offer as a regional trading hub, at least for one section of the region.

Kriengsak Chareonwongsak Globalization drives tourism

Globalization drives tourism to become a concern for continental regions

    The scope of tourism issues has widened to the international level and as a result, national agencies need to make Thailand's negotiating power and attractions stronger. For instance, international tourists are touring regions now and not just one particular country. As a result they prefer to visit Southeast Asia as a whole rather than travel to Thailand only. Besides, our neighbors have their own tourist attractions, and readily available, convenient transportation, so consequently, travel between the attractions of several countries has become easily accessible. Above all, Thailand urgently needs a national agency to monitor and deal with foreign policies that could affect our tourism sector. Some years ago certain foreign governments warned their citizens not to visit Thailand because of the heavy air pollution. Such warnings discouraged tourists from coming to Thailand aand need to be deealt with by a national agency.

Presently, the tourism sector plays a significant role within the Thai economic system. Nevertheless, tourism resources are limited and could deteriorate without proper management. Many government departments, charged with looking after the effectiveness of the tourism sector, are scattered throughout a variety of ministries resulting in coordination difficulties between them. A clear vision on the greater development of tourism really must be determined so as to cope with related restrictions. For these reasons I think that a Ministry of Tourism must be established and charged with looking after this important mission.

Travelling the high road

Professor Dr Kriengsak Chareonwongsak
Executive Director, Institute of Future Studies for Development (IFD)
kriengsak@kriengsak.com, http://www.ifd.or.th

Kriengsak ChareonwongsakThai tourism resources

Thai tourism resources need to be developed appropriately

    Income from the tourism sector can be characterised as high value-added since it virtually needs no import content. It uses natural resources, cultures, national congeniality, all of which already exist here. Compared to other countries, Thailand has the advantage of having a large number of natural tourism resources. However, these resources genuinely need good management, since they may become depleted unless proper planning and maintenance are practiced. Problems such as the pollution that deteriorates natural resorts, and security for tourists are continually growing for Thai tourism. These problems can be costly to the tourism industry and cause it to lose its competitiveness against other countries. Tourism has been widely promoted by many other developing countries as a means of expanding national income, for example, in China, Vietnam and Malaysia. The problems in Thailand need to be dealt with urgently. If the tourism industry is revitalized, cleanliness enhanced and tourist safety measures improved, the reward will be an increased national income generator. 

Travelling the high road

Professor Dr Kriengsak Chareonwongsak
Executive Director, Institute of Future Studies for Development (IFD)
kriengsak@kriengsak.com, http://www.ifd.or.th

Kriengsak Chareonwongsak Tourism plays

Tourism plays an important role in the Thai economy

    Not only is tourism good for the country’s current economy but it is also good for Thailand's future economic development as well. Each year, the tourism sector generates hundreds of billions of baht, or nearly 10% of our country's income (GDP). In addition, it is known to boost the economy both in normal times and in times of crisis. In 1987, the ‘Visit Thailand Year’, initiated by General Chatichai Chunhavan's government, demonstrated just how obviously important this sector was to the country’s economy. Not only did it bolster the country's income but it also created growth in the Thai economy during the early 1990s. In 1997, Thailand's tourism sector again played an important role in Thailand's future economic development, at a time when Thailand struggled with the economic crisis. A policy to promote tourism has an immediate earning potential in the form of foreign currencies, which enhance our economic survival. It should be noted however that tourism significantly benefits not only developing countries but indeed many developed countries such as USA, England, France, and the Netherlands, all promote tourism as a vital source of income as well. 

Travelling the high road

Professor Dr Kriengsak Chareonwongsak
Executive Director, Institute of Future Studies for Development (IFD)
kriengsak@kriengsak.com, http://www.ifd.or.th

Professor Kriengsak Chareonwongsak Travelling the high road

Travelling the high road

Professor Dr Kriengsak Chareonwongsak
Executive Director, Institute of Future Studies for Development (IFD)
kriengsak@kriengsak.com, http://www.ifd.or.th


This article was first published in the Bangkok Post on May 20, 2001 after the government announced a reform of the bureaucracy and subsequently initiated restructuring ministries and offices according to their functions. The author suggested that a Ministry of Tourism be established in order to promote tourism in Thailand. Later, the government created a new ministry, “ The Ministry of Tourism and Sports”.

It is to the credit of the Thai government that it has given special attention to the tourism sector. The workshop on tourism, held recently at Chiang Mai (2001), is a welcome sign of this attention and it is hoped that the outcome of this workshop will benefit this important sector. Several years ago, I proposed the establishment of a Ministry of tourism that would become an important benefit to the Thai economy, and urged the suggestion be considered seriously. However, at the present stage of the country's tourist sector I would add now that the Ministry of Tourism be established as a matter of urgency and it will benefit Thailand greatly. Setting up this Ministry should be given a high priority, since such an organization would be timely for both stimulating the growth of this sector and would be helpful for economic recovery. 

Kriengsak Chareonwongsak people should receive state assistance

Consideration 2: Determining who should be partially responsible for their own medical costs. At least four groups of people should receive state assistance.

Firstly, those with contagious diseases such as tuberculosis, dengue fever, malaria, cholera, leprosy, pertussis, smallpox, and anopheles, which form a public social hazard. Individuals suffering from these diseases may not have the motivation to take preventive measures, or even after initially contracting it, to deal with it quickly without passing it on to others. As a result, the state should provide free innoculations against these highly contagious but preventable diseases. Those with highly infectious diseases must have access to competent medical help thereby preventing the spread of such diseases. On the other hand however, those with less infectious diseases, such as venereal diseases, need to be handled differently. Such individuals would be responsible to take preventive measures and to pay for any medical costs they incur.

Secondly, the state must cover the costs of the disadvantaged and destitute, such as the disabled, children, poor, elderly and so on. Often these people are abandoned by their own families and become a burden to society. The state’s Public Assistance Scheme does help to defer medical costs for those on low incomes and others such as children and the aged; however, this plan is still not available to everyone who needs it. A 1999 report released by the Ministry of Public Health shows that only 5.5% of the elderly, 7.3% of children below the age of five, 11.1% of primary and secondary school children and 1.5 % of disabled have taken advantage of this program. As a result, distribution of the Public Assistance Card must be improved to enhance the effectiveness of the card in providing health care services for the most needy.

Thirdly, those with incomes below the poverty line, that is, lower than 10,932 baht per year should have their health costs covered. The 4.4 million people in this group should be given free medical aid through the existing state welfare systems, including the Public Assistance Card. Centralized information centers should be established to collect lists of people below the poverty line incomes, such as poor farmers or slum dwellers in urban areas. These lists would be given to the various social agencies and medical facilities so that users could choose the clinics and hospitals they prefer. 

Fourthly, those with incomes higher than the poverty line but lower than the survival line that is, those with incomes between 10,932 and 14,623 baht per year. This group would also struggle to pay medical costs when their incomes fall below the survival line and would be unlikely to have sufficiently high incomes to purchase private insurance plans. Thus, Thai citizens in this category should pay as much as they are able for their medical costs and the state should cover the balance. The government should allow this group into the 30 baht payment scheme whereas the rich cannot qualify for the 30 baht payment scheme thereby ensuring no abuse of the scheme occurs.

If we use the above criteria we can cover everyone under the various health care systems, whilst having equity at the same time. They would bring many benefits including reduced long-term monetary burdens, release from the need to raise taxes for the upper classes, a more even distribution of medical services for all the people in Thailand and, in the end, a more equitable health care system that can truly meet the needs of all Thais.

Professor Dr Kriengsak Chareonwongsak
Executive Director, Institute of Future Studies for Development (IFD)
kriengsak@kriengsak.com, http://www.ifd.or.th

แนะนำหนังสือใหม่

CAI Pneumatics = บทเรียนคอมพิวเตอร์ช่วยสอน เรื่อง นิวแมติกส์ [ interactive multimedia ] / กรุงเทพฯ : ภาควิชาคอมพิวเตอร์ศึกษา คณะครุศาสตร์อุตสาหกรรม สถาบันเทคโนโลยีพระจอมเกล้าพระนครเหนือ , 2546. 1 แผ่น : เสียง , สี ; 4 ? นิ้ว. ประกอบด้วยบทเรียนทั้งหมด 6 บทเรียน คือ หลักการเบื้องต้นของระบบนิวแมติกส์ อุปกรณ์จ่ายลม อุปกรณ์ทำงาน อุปกรณ์ควบคุมการกำหนด โค้ดของอุปกรณ์ภายในวงจร และการแสดงขั้นตอนการทำงานของวงจร ลักษณะการดำเนินงานเนื้อหาเป็นแบบการนำเสนอภาพนิ่ง ภาพเคลื่อนไหว 3 มิติประกอบคำบรรยาย ในแต่ละบทเรียนจะประกอบด้วย วัตถุประสงค์ เนื้อหาและแบบทดสอบท้ายบทเรียนที่ช่วยให้ผู้เรียน ประเมินตนเองได้หลังจากจบบทเรียน

English Listening : Advanced = ฟังภาษาอังกฤษขั้นสูง [ electronic resource] / เชียงใหม่ : ยินดีดอทคอม, [2545]. 1 แผ่น : เสียง,สี ; 4 ? นิ้ว Listening : Advanced เหมาะสำหรับท่านที่เข้าใจภาษาอังกฤษในระดับปานกลางดีแล้ว และต้องการยกระดับการเรียนรู้ภาษาอังกฤษจาก ระดับปานกลางขึ้นสู่ขั้นสูง พัฒนาทักษะการฟังภาษาอังกฤษในชีวิตประจำวัน เช่น การประชุม ร้านอาหาร เครื่องตอบรับอัตโนมัติ การประกาศ ข่าว โฆษณา สุนทรพจน์ การพูด เป็นต้น

พจนานุกรมศัพท์กฎหมายไทย (อังกฤษ-ไทย, ไทย-อังกฤษ) = Dictionary of Thai Law Words (English-Thai, Thai-English) [electronic resource ] / ศ.ดร.วิทย์ เที่ยงบูรณธรรม.กรุงเทพฯ : ดีไอดีอินเตอร์เนชั่นแนล , [2546]. 1 แผ่น : เสียง , สี ; 4 ? นิ้ว. ค้นหาความหมายของคำศัพท์ได้รวดเร็ว, มีพจนานุกรมคำศัพท์ใช้บ่อยเพื่อช่วยค้นหาและจดจำได้ง่าย, มีพจนานุกรมส่วนบุคคลสำหรับเพิ่ม คำศัพท์ส่วนตัวได้, แสดงคำศัพท์พร้อมความหมายในขณะที่กำลังเล่นอินเตอร์เน็ต หรือกำลังใช้โปรแกรมอื่นๆ ได้เป็นพจนานุกรมที่รวบรวม นานาศัพท์วิทยาการที่เกี่ยวกับกฏหมายไทยทั่วไปในอดีตและปัจจุบัน จากประมาลกฏหมายพระราชบัญญัติพจนานุกรม และสุภาษิตกฏหมาย ไทยต่างๆ อีกทั้งศัพท์เกี่ยวกับกฏหมายรัฐศาสตร์ เศรษฐศาสตร์ การเมืองและการปกครองที่เกี่ยวข้อง

สนทนาภาษาญี่ปุ่นในชีวิตประจำวัน [ interactive multimedia ] / กรุงเทพฯ : ซัคเซส มีเดีย , [2545]. 1 แผ่น : เสียง,สี ; 4 ? นิ้ว สื่อการเรียนการสอนภาษาญี่ปุ่นนำเสนอด้วยการ์ตูน 3 มิติแบ่งเป็น 3 Step คือ 1. การทักทายและการแนะนำตัว - การถามเบอร์ - โทรศัพท์ - การถามเวลา - วันและเดือน 2. การซื้อของ - การอธิบายลักษณะของสิ่งของต่าง ๆ - การชักชวน - การอธิบายเกี่ยวกับการเดินทาง 3. สอบถาม ตำแหน่งที่ตั้งและเส้นทาง - การโทรศัพท์และการรับโทรศัพท์ - สภาพอากาศ - ถามอาการไม่สบาย

มัณฑนา เกียรติพงษ์. รู้ภาษาไทยให้ลุ่มลึก เขียนถูก อ่านได้ ใช้เป็น. กรุงเทพฯ : The Knowledge Center, 2547. หนังสือ รู้ภาษาไทยให้ลุ่มลึก นำเสนอเรื่องเกี่ยวกับการใช้ภาษาไทยให้ถูกวิธีโดยเริ่มตั้งแต่รู้จักอักษรไทย มาถึงการเขียนให้ถูก อ่านได้ ใช้เป็น และการอ่านคำที่มีอักษรนำ รวมถึงการสร้างคำใหม่ในภาษา อย่าง คำซ้ำ คำซ้อน คำประสม ภาษาดิ้นได้ ทำให้ผู้อ่านได้รับความรู้ใหม่ๆ เพิ่ม มากขึ้นจากการเรียนรู้ภาษาไทยและใช้ภาษาไทยเป็น หนังสือเล่มนี้จึงเหมาะสำหรับนักเรียน นักศึกษาและ ผู้สนใจทั่วไปที่รักการอ่านภาษาไทย

โลว์, เจเน็ต. ; เกรียงศักดิ์ เจริญวงศ์ศักดิ์, แปล. วาทะของ เท็ด เทอร์เนอร์ : มุมมองของมาเวอริกผู้ยิ่งใหญ่ที่สุดของโลก. พิมพ์ครั้งที่2. กรุงเทพฯ : ซัคเซสมีเดีย, 2544. หนังสือ เรื่อง วาทะของ เท็ด เทอร์เนอร์ มุมมองของมาเวอริกผู้ยิ่งใหญ่ที่สุดของโลก นำเสนอเรื่องเกี่ยวกับวาทะของคนแถวหน้า อาทิ วอร์เรน บัฟเฟทท์ , บิล เกตส์ , โอปรา วินฟรีย์ , แจ็ค เวลช์ , ซึ่งล้วนแต่เป็นบุคคลสำคัญในสังคมอเมริกัน ที่ประสบความสำเร็จอย่างสูง ซึ่งหนังสือ เล่มนี้เป็นหนังสืออยู่ในชุด "Speak series" จากการอ่านทำให้ผู้อ่านได้มีโอกาสเรียนรู้ และศึกษาประสบการณ์ ปรัชญาการดำเนินชีวิต แบบอย่างชีวิตหลาย ๆ ด้านเป็นแนวทางสู่ความสำเร็จ เหมาะสำหรับนักศึกษา และผู้สนใจทั่วไป

พิศิษฐ์ ชวาลาธวัช และคณะ. วิ่งไปกับข่าวก้าวไปกับโลก. กรุงเทพฯ : อินฟอร์มีเดีย บุ๊คส์, 2546. หนังสือวิ่งไปกับข่าวก้าวไปกับโลก นำเสนอเรื่องเกี่ยวกับข่าวที่ซ่อนเร้นเหตุการณ์ที่สังคมควรรับรู้พร้อมที่จะนำมาตีแผ่ ตักเตือนและประจานเชิง ประณามต่อโลก และสาธารณชนทำให้ผู้อ่านได้หลักในการอ่านข่าว การรายงานข่าวประเภทต่างๆ รวมถึงทราบหลักในสิทธิเสรีภาพ การนำเสนอข่าว และจริยธรรมของผู้สื่อข่าว ทำให้หนังสือเล่มนี้เหมาะสำหรับผู้อ่านที่เป็นนักข่าว นักศึกษา และผู้สนใจทั่วไป

จิตรา ก่อนันทเกียรติ. ขุมทรัพย์ความรู้ซ่อนอยู่ในคำจีน. กรุงเทพฯ : จิตรา, 2545. หนังสือ ขุมทรัพย์ความรู้ซ่อนอยู่ในคำจีนนำเสนอเรื่องเกี่ยวกับสำนวนจีนซึ่งแปลเป็นไทย ความรู้จากคำคมจีนที่เป็นที่นิยม พร้อมกับการอธิบาย คำศัพท์จีนเหล่านั้นโดยแปลเป็นภาษาไทยทำให้ผู้อ่านได้คำศัพท์ใหม่ พร้อมกับนำคำนั้นมาใช้เป็นความรู้ในการเรียนรู้ภาษาจีนเพิ่มเติม ทำให้ผู้อ่านได้ความรู้จากชีวิตประจำวันของคนจีนมากขึ้น หนังสือเล่มนี้จึงเหมาะสำหรับ ผู้อ่านที่เรียนรู้เรื่องทั่วไปของจีนและนักศึกษาทั่วไป

เกรียงศักดิ์ เจริญวงศ์ศักดิ์. ค้นคว้าค้นคิด : กรอบความคิดวาระการวิจัยแห่งชาติ. พิมพ์ครั้งที่ 3. กรุงเทพฯ : ซัคเซส มีเดีย, 2543. หนังสือ ค้นคว้าค้นคิด นำเสนอเรื่องเกี่ยวกับมุมมองใหม่ของแนวทางการพัฒนาประเทศ เสนอตัวแบบของการพัฒนาประเทศเชิงบูรณาการ ที่เหมาะสำหรับเมืองไทยในยุคปฏิรูป พร้อมหลักแนวความคิดแบบบูรณาการ 3 แนวคิดสำคัญ เช่น ปฏิรูปครบวงจร ปฏิรูปสามประสาน กระบวนทัศน์การสร้างชาติสู่อารยรัฐ สู่ "กรอบความคิดวาระการวิจัยแห่งชาติ" เพื่อ "ผลประโยชน์แห่งชาติ" หนังสือเล่มนี้จึงเหมาะ สำหรับนักเรียน นักศึกษา และผู้สนใจทั่วไป

วรศักดิ์ ทุมมานนท์. งบกระแสเงินสด งบการเงินรวม. พิมพ์ครั้งที่ 2. กรุงเทพฯ : ไอโอนิคอินเตอร์เทรด รีซอสเซส, 2542. หนังสือ งบกระแสเงินสด งบการเงินรวม นำเสนอเรื่องการจัดทำงบกระแสเงินสด งบกระแสเงินรวม รวมถึงหลักการวิเคราะห์งบกระแส เงินสดซึ่งการพิมพ์ครั้งที่3 นี้ผู้เขียนได้เพิ่มเนื้อหาบางส่วนของหนังสืออย่างการวิเคราะห์งบกระแสเงิน สด โดยยกตัวอย่างพร้อมการสาธิต การใช้สูตรและการตีความหมายสูตรต่าง ๆ ที่คำนวณขึ้น หนังสือเล่มนี้เหมาะสำหรับผู้อ่านและนักศึกษาในสาขาการบัญชี และผู้สนใจทั่วไป

Kriengsak Chareonwongsak motivate those with incomes

Consequently, the state would then be constrained to motivate those with incomes over the survival line to take out additional medical insurance. Furthermore, the government could aid employers (with more than one employee) to establish company health care coverage by legally allowing them to make monthly health-care and social security deductions from employees’ wages. Small and medium-size businesses could reduce the burden of administering such pooling systems by hiring outside agencies to administrate their health care and social security plans thereby sharing this fee. Moreover, the public social security system could be enlarged to include farmers with over-the-survival -line incomes. An intermediary agency could be charged with deducting a portion of the incomes of these farmers and can use them also to administer the disbursement of such funds by hiring outside agencies. By doing this, the government could provide for its entire people without having to provide equal medical coverage for everyone.
However, during the initial stages of such a plan, the state would need to continue to fund current social nets, as well as motivate people to take out private insurance or to join company insurance plans. Later though, when such a system was running smoothly, the state could cut down these social support systems as most people with above-the-survival-line incomes would have joined private or company social security programs. At that point, the government would only need to continue subsidizing the health care costs of those with incomes fell below the survival line. 

Professor Dr Kriengsak Chareonwongsak
Executive Director, Institute of Future Studies for Development (IFD)
kriengsak@kriengsak.com, http://www.ifd.or.th

Kriengsak Chareonwongsak public social security funds

That is to say, if the country’s average income at the poverty line in 1998 was 10,932 baht per year, to this would be added the average per capita amount spent on public welfare, about 3,691.2 baht. The resultant survival line of 14,623.2 baht could be considered the basic income required for survival. Use of such an equation results in a fluctuation of the survival line as economic conditions and average health care costs rise and fall during each period.

Consideration 1: Determining who should be fully responsible for their own medical costs (referring to those with higher-than-survival-line incomes). If this system for determining survival line were used, it would be easy to determine who should be responsible for their own medical costs, that is, those with incomes of 14,623 baht or over. This group could choose the means by which they would cover their medical fees, either by cash, health insurance or by public social security funds. 

Professor Dr Kriengsak Chareonwongsak
Executive Director, Institute of Future Studies for Development (IFD)
kriengsak@kriengsak.com, http://www.ifd.or.th

Professor Dr. Kriengsak Chareonwongsak social nets are based on the principles of egalitarianism

On the other hand, the full welfare state, as found in many European countries whose social nets are based on the principles of egalitarianism, has caused exceedingly high tax rates, which consequently weaken the overall economic efficiency of these countries. Heavy taxes on capital gains in these states tends to undermine the efforts of entrepreneurs and others who work hard. At the same time, the unemployed are indolent about finding new jobs as their needs are generously supplied by the state. In the same way, full libertarianism can lead to the neglect of some groups such as the disabled, the disadvantaged or the destitute, who cannot easily access the health care system.
Consequently, a blend of these two approaches is considered the best approach even though choosing the correct blend of the various characteristics of each ideology is an art requiring careful consideration and skilled application.
It is argued here that across-the-board 30-baht-per-visit type of equality will result in long-term fiscal burdens and even greater inequity in Thailand’s health care system. It will only exacerbate the differences between social classes and between those with differing degrees of illness.
It is necessary to take a closer look at how this new health care system would work in terms of affecting taxes and enhancing equity. This is divided into two segments: firstly, a consideration of who should pay their own medical costs, and secondly, a consideration of who should be partially responsible for medical fees.
For the purposes of this article a distinction is made between the terms ‘poverty line’ (the income level that is just enough to avoid inadequate subsistence living) and, ‘survival line’ (the income level which is the poverty line plus the average annual per capita medical fees, with adjustments for inflation). 

Professor Dr Kriengsak Chareonwongsak
Executive Director, Institute of Future Studies for Development (IFD)
kriengsak@kriengsak.com, http://www.ifd.or.th

Professor Dr Kriengsak Chareonwongsak Social security for small businesses3

Second, the effect on employees. In the past, employees had to be responsible for their own medical costs, now the public sector and employers will pay contributions for them. This will increase work productivity because of better sanitary, welfare and basic health assurance. This in turn will build security for employees who previously were not able to join a health assurance program or to join social security programs. As a result, fewer people are likely to change jobs, as they will have increased security.


    Third, the effect on the government. In the short term, the government will subsidize social security funds for six types of beneficial compensation, at the rate of 2% of the employee’s wage in 2002. This scheme will involve 9,480 million baht, higher than the current government’s contribution of 1,490 million baht. However, the scheme will encourage employers and employees to become responsible for the cost burden, rather than simply leaving it to the government. So, in the long term, the scheme will lessen the state’s burden. It will compel employees in workplaces with one to nine employees to join social security programs and to be responsible jointly for the costs with their employers, rather than, for example, relying on the afore-mentioned 30-baht project.
    Fourth, the effect on taxpayers. The scheme still does not cover some groups, such as farmers, because of many limitations in collecting. The goal is to get employers and employees to take on the responsibility (as they will receive the benefits) – without drawing on limited public taxes.
It has been found that employees still have the ability to pay their contributions, based on their resources, without any detrimental effect on their standard of living. If we use 165 baht as the minimum wage per day (2002), an employee will receive 4,950 baht a month, or 59,400 baht a year. This amount is higher than 1989’s average poverty line for the country -  10,932 baht a year. Moreover, if we add the average cost of public health per se, that is, 3,691.2 baht, the lowest ceiling will be 14,623.2 baht. If we use this amount to be the minimum criteria for living, we find that an employee’s minimum annual income is still higher than the survival level.
Every effort should be made to address the problem of those outside of the social security net. This arises because of the non-registration of vendors and stalls to social security schemes, and the difficulty in measuring farmers’ income. An information center should be established to register all occupations whereby income can be properly assessed and everyone encouraged to enter into the social security system. When this happens, the equity of every group in society will be reinforced.
Social security for small businesses - losses and gains

Professor Dr Kriengsak Chareonwongsak
Executive Director, Institute of Future Studies for Development (IFD)
 kriengsak@kriengsak.com, http://www.ifd.or.th

Professor Dr Kriengsak Chareonwongsak Social security for small businesses2

Social security for small businesses - losses and gains

Professor Dr Kriengsak Chareonwongsak
Executive Director, Institute of Future Studies for Development (IFD)
 kriengsak@kriengsak.com, http://www.ifd.or.th

Almost 10.9% of the total number of employees at workplaces throughout the country will get higher social security benefits.

The fund will affect many groups of people in different ways:
Firstly, effect on employers or owners of workplaces. In the short term, the operational costs of Small to Medium Size Enterprises (SMEs) will increase as employers have to pay a contribution of at least 3.2% of the employee’s wage, but not more than 4%, depending on the risks at the workplace. A higher number of workplaces will now be involved in contributions, from 108,745 to 1,239,000,
Examples of workplaces that have the highest risks are mining, bomb production, fireworks, and construction. On the other hand, those businesses with the lowest risk burden are medical professionals, finance, and banking.
These increased costs however, may be offset in the long term by two factors – increased productivity and fewer resignations. Productivity is likely to increase through better welfare for the employees as they will be healthier. The increased productivity will decrease per unit costs and as a result, employers will be able to sell more goods to offset their social security contributions.
At the same time, employees will be comforted by the knowledge that their medical bills will no longer be a huge drain on them. In the past, they did not have any welfare such as the present 30 baht hospital card. Previously, whenever they were sick, they had to pay for all medical costs, and employees tended to look for work, which provided better welfare.
However, the new scheme will increase the administrative costs of small operators, as they will have to deal with the government sector and compile reports. Hence, employers should be allowed to share the resources of a private company to be responsible for such documentation and accounting.

Professor Dr Kriengsak Chareonwongsak Social security for small businesses

Social security for small businesses - losses and gains
Professor Dr Kriengsak Chareonwongsak
Executive Director, Institute of Future Studies for Development (IFD)
 kriengsak@kriengsak.com, http://www.ifd.or.th

This article analyzes the arguments for and against changes to the 2001 Social Security policy. Previously, Social Security applied only in work places with more than nine employees; however, it now applies wherever there is just one employee in the workplace.

Last many year (2001), the Thai cabinet agreed to expand the scope of social security to cover workplaces with one to nine employees; a decision promulgated on April 1, 2001. The legislation, however, does not cover employees of the Thai Red Cross Society, state enterprizes, the agriculture sector, and housewives.
This decision was more than likely propelled by two aims - to extend the social security net throughout the country according to the current constitution, and to earn increased income from the contributions of employers and employees.
Employers need to contribute to the scheme as they have a strong influence on the risks, both directly and indirectly, to which the employees are exposed. Direct risk, for instance, involves harm at the workplace itself. In such cases, only the employer pays a contribution to the social security fund once a year, on average, 0.2-1% of the employee’s wage.
Indirect risk is risk not related directly to the work place, and includes sickness, maternity leave, death, child allowances and aged pensions. In such cases, the employers are responsible for a proportion of the contributions to the social security fund to relieve the burden on employees - this is considered a form of welfare on the part of the employers. Employers and employees pay contributions at the rate of approximately 3% of wages. In addition, the government pays a part, normally an equal amount.
This fund covers workplaces, which have between one and nine employees, or 68.9% of the total number of workplaces in the country. The three biggest sectors are retailers and wholesalers, restaurants, and hotels, which account for 33.3% of the country’s total workplaces; followed by the manufacturing sector, at 17.0%, and finally public, social and individual services, with 11.1% of the country’s total workplaces

Professor Dr. Kriengsak Chareonwongsak Egalitarianism,

Egalitarianism, however, places a heavier emphasis on enforced and measured equity for every person in every thing. Paramount in this ideology is impartiality on every front: equal opportunity, access, public welfare, prices and services for all. This philosophy often partially rejects the idea of market mechanisms because of market failure as the market is regarded as a possibly faulty apparatus for disbursing public benefit. Proponents of egalitarianism view a free marketplace as biased because it allows some players to gain a greater share of power or profit-generating information than others.
Which of these two ideals should Thailand pursue as it seeks to bring greater equity into its health care system? Is the 30 baht per visit scheme the best way to assure equity in our health care system?
In fact, equity should be created by mixing the two appropriately in the Thai context. One example of a libertarianism model may be found in the strongly market-oriented health care system in Singapore. In that country, individuals make their own choices of health care based on the many available services throughout the country, in both the private and public sectors, motivated in part by financial constraints as well. However, provision of subsidised health care is made for the financially poor but, such health care is confined to certain wards in government hospitals and outpatient clinics.

 Professor Dr. Kriengsak Chareonwongsak

Executive Director, Institute of Future Studies for Development

kriengsak@kriengsak.com, http://www.ifd.or.th

Kriengsak Chareonwongsak Self-reliance is a healthy thing

Professor Dr Kriengsak Chareonwongsak
Executive Director, Institute of Future Studies for Development (IFD)
kriengsak@kriengsak.com, http://www.ifd.or.th

This article was first published in the Bangkok Post on March 4, 2001 After the Thai Rak Thai Party had formed a coalition government and had announced the 30- baht per visit health care policy, actual implementation of the program has always encountered problems. These problems have included, the medical services provided do not cover all diseases, the level of service and medicine given to patients is unsatisfactory, and inadequate budgets are given to hospitals that take part in the program. In addition, there is the further problem incurred when  transferring patients from small hospitals to larger hospitals.  

Philosophies of social equity are usually into two streams: libertarianism and egalitarianism. Libertarians see no need to guarantee individual equity for everyone. Instead, they seek to establish minimum standards and then give individuals the freedom to make their own decisions for standards above the minimum. The libertarian view on the other hand, often places a heavier focus on freedom of choice rather than on ensuring equality in exact numerical proportions. In such a system, efficient market mechanisms are held to be necessary for the establishment of equity.

Professor Dr. Kriengsak Chareonwongsak The problems of

The problems of the farmer would remain unresolved

Extending a debt moratorium or unrealistically cheap credit would not really solve the problems of rural poverty, since credit is only a tool. The deeper problems would have to be solved. Farmers lack up-to-date know-how about agricultural technologies and most have never learned about, or even taken informal courses on, farm management. Most farmers do not own their own land and the facilities for developing the agricultural sector are not in place. Furthermore, there are no proper mechanisms to stabilize prices of agricultural products, and if farmers were given a reprieve on repaying their debts, they would encounter the same problems as before.
A debt moratorium should be used for some groups of farmers only. It would be appropriate for those farmers whose income is below the poverty line, those who have debts caused by poorly advised and badly proposed state projects, those with production and marketing problems or those with debts caused by a natural disaster or some other unavoidable calamity.
Debt moratorium may be a short-term, stop-gap measure, but the overall result of such a measure could only be negative, not only for the farmers but for the whole Thai nation. There are other ways to help this core group of Thai citizens achieve a viable livelihood and participate in nurturing sustainable development of the nation. Solutions to the problem of farm debt should not focus just on debt moratoriums or some other means of across the board debt cancellations. Instead, there should be a more concerted effort at improving the competitiveness of Thailand’s agricultural sector and generating sustainable income in the farming sector.

Farm debt moratorium more trouble than it’s worth
 Professor Dr. Kriengsak Chareonwongsak
Executive Director, Institute of Future Studies for Development
kriengsak@kriengsak.com, http://www.ifd.or.th

Professor Dr. Kriengsak Chareonwongsak A debt moratorium

Funding for the agricultural sector would dry up
Government intervention in Africa and South America resulted in many agricultural financial institutions being forced into bankruptcy. Similarly, forcing Thailand’s BAAC to announce a moratorium on some of its debts would be highly risky as the government has limited resources to cover the expenses of such a move. Financial institutions would come under greater pressure as many farmers took advantage of the situation. Under such conditions, creditors and depositors would lose confidence in BAAC, creditors would recall their money and depositors could withdraw their money in a panic. The BAAC would then be placed in a liquidity squeeze as 76% of all BAAC monies comes from personal deposits. Other financial institutions would no doubt hesitate to extend credit to farming clients under such conditions.
A debt moratorium would ultimately come back to bite farmers themselves. Since 92% of all credit extended to the agricultural sector comes from the BAAC and commercial banks, they would be unable to provide loans for farmers, causing a lack of funding for rural development and agricultural sector liquidity. Even if farmers have other sources of funding, they must still provide collateral for such loans. In the end, poor farmers would be cut off from all sources of funding.

Farm debt moratorium more trouble than it’s worth
 Professor Dr. Kriengsak Chareonwongsak
Executive Director, Institute of Future Studies for Development
kriengsak@kriengsak.com, http://www.ifd.or.th

professor kriengsak chareonwongsak greater expenses

When the state has greater expenses than income due to increased payments on its national debt, it is left with little option but to raise taxes. However, since most farmers are poor and are therefore exempt from income taxes, the tax burden would fall on parties aside from the poor farmers of the agriculture sector.
The long-term effects of a debt moratorium would also be negative. Public dissatisfaction would rise as people realized that even non-farming Thais, with tight economic constraints, would be have to support the farmers generously as well. In the long term, rootless business people may move their investments and wealth to other countries with lower taxes than Thailand. At the same time, foreign investors may not be willing to establish much of their business ventures in a nation where higher taxes are possible. Investors may fear the government would impose a debt moratorium in other sectors as well and no matter how widespread the effects would be, the overall effect would be costly for Thailand.

Farm debt moratorium more trouble than it’s worth
 Professor Dr. Kriengsak Chareonwongsak
Executive Director, Institute of Future Studies for Development
kriengsak@kriengsak.com, http://www.ifd.or.th

Professor Dr. Kriengsak Chareonwongsak The non-agriculture

    The non-agriculture sectors would assume a heavier burden
This proposal would severely strain the national budget. At present (2000), farm NPLs stand at 36.9 billion baht. Because this money is charged an average interest of 10%, the state would need to allocate a minimum of 3.69 billion baht per year to cover the interest on these loans. In a worst case scenario, if farmers defaulted on all their current debts, which total some 2.28 hundred billion baht, it would require a government infusion of 22.8 billion baht for one year to cover interest payments alone.

    That may not be too large in terms of the total national budget of 9 hundred billion baht in normal circumstances, but this year (2000) the government will face higher expenses and more severe demands for budget monies from every sector. In addition, dealing with the large remaining public debts incurred during the economic crisis will place considerable pressure on the budget from 2001 onwards as the government has to set aside 8-10% of total government expenditure for repayment of public debts. This is a very high figure for these coming years.
This necessity has itself already severely curtailed government spending in other areas of the public sector. Normally, the government assigns 74% of the budget to the public sector, most of which goes towards civil servant salaries. Moreover, over the following fiscal year (FY 2002), the government will need to allocate a higher percentage of its budget to reform in many areas, such as expansion of basic education, restructuring the production sector and upgrading of work skills for low skilled laborers. Consequently, the ability of the government to cover farm debts is quite limited.

Farm debt moratorium more trouble than it’s worth
 Professor Dr. Kriengsak Chareonwongsak
Executive Director, Institute of Future Studies for Development
kriengsak@kriengsak.com, http://www.ifd.or.th

Professor Dr. Kriengsak Chareonwongsak Farm debt moratorium

The situation becomes a moral hazard 
    Suspending loan payments would violate the ethos of loans and only hinder the farmers’ ability to repay the BAAC. One study has already shown that 52.38% and 31.04% of BAAC clients, in the provinces of Buriram and Roi-et respectively, have used more than 30% of the amount of money they borrowed for non-productive purposes such as family expenses, old debt payments or home repairs. If the government were to implement a debt moratorium, it would only exacerbate the problem of careless spending. Farmers would begin to expect the government to help them every time they ran into financial problems, which surely is an unhealthy attitude.
Use of grants or low interest loans as means of improving the financial status of farmers would have other long-term repercussions also. Their sense of responsibility towards such loans could be diminished and farmers may tend to invest in high-risk projects in the agricultural sector, causing even higher levels of NPLs in a future agricultural sector. 

Farm debt moratorium more trouble than it’s worth
 Professor Dr. Kriengsak Chareonwongsak
Executive Director, Institute of Future Studies for Development
kriengsak@kriengsak.com, http://www.ifd.or.th