The National Alcohol Policy Committee, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit, approved allowing alcohol sales and consumption on major Buddhist holidays at certain airports operated by Airports of Thailand on July 4, 2024.
However, controversy arose when the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) proposed allowing alcohol sales and consumption at train stations and on trains to promote domestic tourism. This proposal faced strong opposition from various civic networks, including victims of drunk driving and youth health promotion groups.
The civic groups argue that:
1. This proposal would not stimulate the economy or tourism overall, but instead decrease the quality of tourism due to drunk and disorderly behavior.
2. It could lead to noise disturbances, fights, crime, and sexual harassment on trains.
3. It's particularly concerning given that 10 years ago, an intoxicated railway employee raped and killed a 13-year-old girl on a train, which led to the current alcohol ban on trains.
The networks have submitted letters of protest to various officials, including the SRT governor and the Minister of Transport. They demand:
1. Rejection of the proposal to allow alcohol sales/consumption at train stations and on trains.
2. Improvements in railway service quality and safety instead of focusing on alcohol sales.
3. Public hearings before any decision is made on this matter.
4. Reinstatement of railway police to ensure passenger safety.
The civic groups emphasize that allowing alcohol on trains could lead to increased safety risks and negative impacts, especially given that railway police have been disbanded.
Monitoring July 25 for Board Approval of 'Wiris' as SRT Governor
Thai Post, July 24, 2024, 6:05 PM
The vision of 'Wiris', the new candidate for the position of Governor of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), was recently unveiled. The selection committee is set to present the results to the board on July 25, 2024. Wiris expressed confidence despite being an outsider and is eager to develop the organization, introducing ideas to clear the accumulated debt of hundreds of billions and advancing the high-speed rail project connecting three airports.
According to reports, on July 24, 2024, the selection committee for the SRT Governor, led by Apirath Chaiyavongnoi, Director-General of the Department of Rural Roads and a member of the SRT Board, interviewed two candidates who passed the qualifications: 1) Avirut Thongnet, Deputy Governor of SRT, and 2) Wiris Amrapal, Governor of the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand. The interviews and vision presentations took place at the SRT boardroom at 1:00 PM.
An SRT insider revealed that after the interviews and presentations, the committee chose Wiris Amrapal as the new SRT Governor, replacing Nirut Manepan, whose term ended on April 24, 2024. The committee plans to present this decision to the SRT board for approval on July 25, 2024, before proceeding with further steps.
Wiris Amrapal, currently Governor of the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand, stated that railways are a crucial mode of transport for the country and have seen continuous development. If appointed as the new SRT Governor, he intends to further develop the organization and the railway system for the country's benefit. Addressing concerns about his potential conflict of interest due to his current position and being an outsider, Wiris assured that there are no legal or regulatory conflicts and that he has studied the issue thoroughly. He is confident in his ability to lead, as he has received cooperation and support in his current role.
Regarding SRT's accumulated debt of hundreds of billions, Wiris said he is committed to solving this issue, believing that all organizations face challenges. The SRT has a recovery plan and debt resolution strategies. In his vision presentation, Wiris proposed ideas to address the debt, which, if implemented alongside the recovery plan, could lead to significant progress for the SRT as a vital state enterprise.
Wiris highlighted his priorities if appointed as SRT Governor, including promoting private sector investment (PPP) and advancing major projects like the high-speed rail connecting three airports in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), the dual-track railway projects, and the Thai-Chinese high-speed rail. These infrastructure projects are crucial for improving travel and transportation punctuality.
Avirut Thongnet, another candidate, expressed his readiness for the SRT Governor role, citing his 34 years of experience with the SRT in various departments, including his current position overseeing operations and business strategy. He emphasized the need for SRT to adapt its business model and involve more private investment (PPP) in projects like the Thai-Chinese high-speed rail, the three-airport high-speed rail link, and the Southern Economic Corridor (Chumphon-Ranong) or land bridge, aligning with government policy. Avirut noted that while SRT's revenue has traditionally come from passenger transport, there is a growing focus on increasing revenue from freight services, which has risen from approximately 1.5 billion baht annually a decade ago to 2.2 billion baht currently. Additionally, SRT aims to expand its tourist train services, which are popular with high-spending retirees, from one trip per week to four trips per week for the KIHA trains and from six to twelve steam locomotive trips per year.
ปี 2539 ปริญญาตรี วศ. บ สาขาวิศวกรรมอุตสาหการ สถาบันเทคโนโลยี นานาชาติสิรินธร มหาวิทยาลัยธรรมศาสตร์
ปี 2540 ปริญญาโท วท.ม. สาขา Operations Research มหาวิทยาลัยโคลัมเบีย ประเทศสหรัฐอเมริกา
ปี 2545 ปริญญาเอก วศ.ด . สาขา Industrial and Systems Engineering มหาวิทยาลัยรัทเกอร์ส สหรัฐอเมริกา
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) board has approved the appointment of Mr. Virith Amrapal, the Governor of the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT), as the 30th Governor of the SRT. The decision was made after the SRT board reviewed the recommendations of the selection committee, which found Mr. Amrapal to be the most qualified candidate with the highest score.
The appointment process will now move forward to the Compensation Committee, chaired by Mr. Montree Dechasakulsom, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport, for further consideration. It is expected that the contract for the new SRT Governor will be signed by September 2024.
Mr. Virith Amrapal's current positions include:
* Governor of the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT)
* Board member of Eastern Water Resources Development and Management Public Company Limited
* Board member of Global Utility Service Company Limited
* Subcommittee member of the Finance, Budget, and Investment Subcommittee (IEAT)
* Subcommittee member of the Human Resources, Knowledge Management, and Innovation Subcommittee (IEAT)
* Advisor to the 19th generation of the Waterworks Association of Thailand
Mr. Amrapal's educational background includes:
* Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) in Industrial Engineering from Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology, Thammasat University (1996)
* Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Operations Research from Columbia University, USA (1997)
* Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Rutgers University, USA (2002)
Thailand's Low Investment Drags Down GDP Due to Government's Focus on Consumption Stimulus
'ttb analytics' reports that Thailand's total investment has declined sharply, contrasting with the rising role of private consumption in the economy. Private consumption has grown at an average of 3.1% compared to total investment's growth of only 0.7% (CAGR 2017-2023), partly due to policies stimulating consumption to support the economy in different periods. This has led to an increase in the share of private consumption from 52% of GDP in 2007 to 60% in 2023, making the current value of private consumption 2.4 times larger than total investment (public and private). This indicates that the Thai economy has been driven by private consumption for decades.
However, Thailand's total investment is too low (underinvestment), contributing to the country's slower economic growth. The total investment value in 2023 was 2.64 trillion baht, still lower than before the 1997 Tom Yum Kung crisis (2.75 trillion baht). The share of total investment in Thailand declined rapidly after the crisis, from 51% of GDP in 1997 to only 25% in 1999, and has remained at this level until now. This makes Thailand's investment relatively low compared to other developing countries like Vietnam and Indonesia, which are at 33% and 30% of GDP, respectively.
Furthermore, Thailand's investment value can be divided into two dimensions:
1. Public investment: The budget allocated for investment is only one-fourth of the total annual budget. Although the annual budget has increased by an average of 4.6% (CAGR fiscal year 2006-2024), the current expenditure (e.g., salaries, wages, operating expenses, debt payments, etc.) has grown by 5.1%, while investment expenditure has only grown by 3.0% per year. Most of the public investment is used for repairing public utilities and roads, with 77% of the total investment budget in the 2023 fiscal year allocated for repairing highways, rural roads, railways, and irrigation projects.
2. Private investment: Private investment has slowed down significantly, from an average growth of 6.2% during 2004-2012 to only 1% during 2013-2023. Some large companies have turned to investing more abroad, resulting in net outward foreign direct investment (TDI netflow) of 300-600 billion baht per year. Conversely, inward foreign direct investment (FDI) has also been declining and is lower than competitors like Indonesia and Vietnam. FDI in traditional industries like petroleum and manufacturing has also declined significantly recently.
To boost Thailand's economic growth to an average of 3-4% per year, it is necessary to increase the share of investment to 35-40% of GDP (24.4% of GDP in 2023) through four recommendations:
1. Increase large-scale public investment: Although public investment accounts for 25% of total investment, the lack of large-scale public investment for a long time has led to a decrease in the crowding-in effect on private investment.
2. Focus on promoting digital investment.
3. Increase policies to support domestic investment: This includes providing sufficient incentives to attract foreign investment. In the past, the government has focused on stimulating consumption, leaving little fiscal space to stimulate other sectors. Measures to promote domestic investment are still limited, and regulatory constraints remain a significant obstacle to doing business. Political uncertainty has also contributed to the lack of policy continuity.
4. Enhance Thai labor productivity.
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