Thailand’s Social Analysis - A Study of Anchor Economy: The Case of Thailand

1. Overview Thailand’s Social & Culture

a. Religion & Beliefs. With 93% of adherents, Buddhism is the official religion in Thailand with Islam as the largest minority religious group at 5% of adherents. Christians account for 1.2% of the Thai population and those in the ‘other’ or non-religious category account for 0.8%.

b. Major Celebrations/Secular Celebrations. Thais, from across both the public and private sector, typically enjoy upwards of 16 public holidays a year. Whilst some occur on the same day each year, others are based on the lunar calendar and dates are as such open to change.

(1) New Year (31st December to 1st January) – The day typically starts with offerings and worship at the local Buddhist temple. As with most other countries, the time is then celebrated with family, friends, food and drink.

(2) Magha Puga is an important Buddhist celebration which is celebrated throughout the Buddhist wold – including, but not limited to, Laos, Cambodia, Nepal and Myanmar. The occasion celebrates the special event in which Buddha transmitted the principles of Buddhism to over a thousand ‘Arahants’ or ‘Enlightened Ones’. Buddhists strive particularly on this day to avoid sin, carry out good actions and to purify one’s mind.

Thais refer to these three principles as the ‘heart of Buddhism’.

(3) Songkran (13th April – 15th April) – Known as ‘Songkran’, the Thai New Year is one of the most loved Thai holidays and it is celebrated with vigour. The event is usually celebrated with parades, family events, food, drink and religious ceremonies. The most loved activities include water due to its association with purification. Prepare to get wet if you visit during this period as both children and adults have turned the occasion into a three-day long water fight! Even those passing by on motorbike are not immune from a good soaking.

(4) Visakha Puja (4th June) – Undoubtedly the holiest of Buddhist religious ceremonies, Visakha celebrates the birth, enlightenment and nirvana (the state to which Buddhists aspire of perfect peace and release from suffering) of Buddha.

c. The Thai Family. Thai families are the cornerstone of life in Thailand and, although nuclear family setups are the norm, it is not uncommon for extended family members live with the family. Families are typically far more closely knit than those in western culture and hierarchy is more pronounced.

d. Social Stratification. Social stratification demographics in Thailand have changed considerably over the last fifty years. Social stratification traditionally consisted

of an elite section of Thai noble people, complimented by a small foreign merchant class, and a large class of poorer rural dwellers. Over the years however, these distinctions have changed and wealth has played a key role in establishing a middle class which has grown considerably. The elite class and poorer rural dwellers still exist, but the latter has grown to include poorer dwellers of growing urban areas.

e. Gender Roles. Traditional gender divisions exist in Thailand in respect to child care and domestic work, with women taking on the vast majority of these tasks. In an agricultural setting, there is a great deal of overlap in tasks carried out between the genders whilst men dominate roles within the religious sphere. Women make up almost half of the labor force and account for over half of the workforce. The Thai government are working to combat violence against women and women’s rights are built into the constitution.

f. Socialization. Children have a special place in Thai society and are typically doted on by family members and non-family adults. Mothers rarely, if ever, leave their babies and will typically take them wherever they go. Babies are weaned at two or three years of age. They learn from the people and implements around them and are often given access to the tools used by their parents. In this respect, the children of craftsmen, farmers etc. will grow up with a passive understanding of parental crafts. The government provide children with free education for a minimum period of 12 years and children are mandated to attend for at least 9 of these 12 years.

g. Food. Thai cuisine is a complex fusion of sweet, sour, salty, spicy and bitter flavors which are balanced in a way that creates ‘harmony’. Rice plays such an important role in Thai cuisine, rice is popular food in South East Asia Countries. It is typically eaten

at all meals and comes in the form of standard white rice, or, it is of the sticky, glutinous variety. Thai cuisine varies depending on region, with differences primarily reflecting the food preferences of the region’s neighbors.

h. Communication style. Close friends may be tactile with one another and it’s not unusual to see friends of the same sex often hold hands with one another. Hand gestures may be used to enhance speech but it’s important that the actions are calm and never aggressive. Thais are gentle people and are likely to be offended and upset by aggressive speech or mannerisms. ‘Face’ is important to Thais and it is important that you do nothing to affect someone’s ‘face’ – if you need to say something of a critical nature then ensure that you do so in private Thais are ‘indirect’ communicators and, as such are unlikely to directly say anything that may hurt or offend you. Instead, they may use vague responses or try to change the subject. Although this may appear to be indecisiveness on their part, efforts should be made to try and interpret their true feelings. Personal Space - When speaking to strangers Thais maintain a distance barrier of approximately one meter. This distance is lessened when speaking to close acquaintances. Although it is polite to retain eye contact during a conversation, it is expected that those in subordinate positions will bow their head during interactions with those of a revered rank in a demonstration of respect.

2. Thailand’s Social Analysis Conclusion

It can be seen that the various holiday, foods, communication style, socialization, and cultures Of Thailand and Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia are similar. That is one reason why migrant workers from that country popular to work in Thailand, a lot.

66 D. Thailand’s Technology Analysis 1. Overview Thailand’s Technology

The Government of Thailand recognizes the significance of the digital economy and created a Ministry for Digital Economy and Society in 2016. It has developed a National Digital Economy Master plan with a 20-year time horizon, divided into four phases. These include laying the digital foundations, achieving digital inclusion, moving to full transformation, and finally achieving the status of global digital leadership. It has launched initiatives like Digital Thailand, Thailand 4.0 and a special program for developing the Eastern Economic Corridor (including a digital park and a University 4.0).

Thailand’s digital economy policy framework focuses on the following six strategies: 1.

Build country-wide high-capacity digital infrastructure to ensure accessibility, availability, and affordability. 2. Boost the economy with digital technology i.e. driving a new S-Curve, raising competitiveness, building new businesses as well as creating values. 3. Create a knowledge-driven digital society by encouraging participation and ensuring inclusive and equal usage of digital technologies. 4. Transform into digital government ‘One Government’ that is open and accommodates people and businesses. 5. Develop workforce for the digital era by enhancing worker skills, creating jobs as well as building domestic strength. 6. Build trust and confidence in the use of digital technology by updating laws and regulations, encouraging investment and ensuring security in digital data and transactions.

67 2. Driving growth through innovation

For Thailand to become an innovation-driven economy by 2036, the Thai government initiated the “Thailand 4.0” policy for sustainable growth. The economy is currently in a good position, with gradual economic improvements supported by a domestic infrastructure spending drive, and the political outlook in the near-term is stable

a. Food, Agriculture and Bio-Technology. Smart farming systems are a key development of agricultural startups. Technology-driven farming startups will create economics driver to support the country’s digital ecosystem.

b. Health and Medical Technology. Develop biomedical vaccines, Thai herb industry, as well as industry for aging population. Thailand to be the Medical Hub of ASEAN by 2025.

c. Robotics and Smart Devices and Mechatronics. Transform industries requiring high-skilled labor and service sectors through robotics technology

d. Digital Industries. Focus on internet of things, digital analytics and cybersecurity.

Apply digital technologies in smart cities in key provinces such as Chiang Mai, Phuket.

e. Infrastructure and supported industries. Develop new growth hubs such as EEC which covers Rayong, Chonburi and Chachoengsao provinces. Offer incentives to support EEC as an important center for trade, investment, regional transportation and a strategic gateway to Asia.

3. Importance of Focus

In the case of promoting the digital economy in Thailand, it will be important to identify a small set of goals that can help align and center all actions and initiatives in a

consistent and coherent way. For example, Singapore’s Committee on the Future Economy has identified building strong digital capabilities as a key strategy, focusing on just three priorities, namely i) adoption of digital technologies by SMEs; ii) developing deep capabilities in data analytics; and iii) cyber security, and harnessing data as an asset.

Thailand’s National Digital Economy Master Plan has a number of worthwhile initiatives focused on all the right things, namely development of hard infrastructure, acceleration of the digital economy, promoting digital society, digital government, workforce development and soft infrastructure (legal, regulatory and security).

4. Keystone initiative on digital infrastructure

There are a number of projects slated to begin in 2017 as part of the development of Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor. It might be worthwhile to begin planning for 5G and network slicing to cater specifically to projects in the EEC including the Eastern Aertropolis in U-Tapao, High speed train from Bangkok to U-Tapao, Sea Ports of Laem Chabung, Map-Taput, and Sattahip, industries including electric vehicles, robotics, medical, aircraft parts, Future Cities and the Digital Park. The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission is in the process of allocating bandwidth for IoT and for the Thai-Chinese high-speed railway. There seems to be some delay in the allocation of bandwidth for 5G, though this will hopefully be addressed in the near future.

5. Telecommunications

Mobile subscriptions have recovered from 2016 onwards. The growth of both internet and broadband services in 2018 remains increasing. In the longer term, telecom market growth will be supported by the launch of new services associated to the digital

trend and strong demand for mobile Internet services, particularly in urban areas. Digital Economy Agenda by Thai Government will drive Internet and broadband service demands across various sectors in the coming years. Aggressive marketing campaigns for broadband services are underway and competition to extend the customer base has intensified. Intense competition among three major mobile operators continues with innovative services and marketing campaigns to boost advantages. More than 60% of service revenue was generated by mobile internet services, while the rest was from mobile services, what’s more mobile internet market was expected to become key growth area.

II. Thailand’s GDP with 5 Neighboring Countries

For Companion prepare, Table 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6 and 4.7 present Thailand GDP, GDP per capita, GDP growth rate, International Exports and Imports with Neighboring Countries, and Number of Migrant Workers from 5 Neighboring Countries. You can see various numbers of Thailand is growing up and various numbers of Neighboring Countries is growing up together.

From this information that support by “the theory of gravity model” mention about

“The advantage of the location of Thailand is the center of gravity and attract a huge of migrant workers from neighboring countries, international trade, and border trade.

Table 4.2: Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Thailand with 5 Neighboring Countries

(In US Billion)

Table 4.3: GDP per capita Thailand with 5 Neighboring Countries

(In US Dollar)

Table 4.4: GDP growth rate Thailand with 5 Neighboring Countries

(In Percentage)

Table 4.7: Number of Migrant Workers from 5 Neighboring Countries in Thailand 2008-2018

Malaysia Cambodia Lao PDR Myanmar Vietnam Total

2008 3,749 12,094 13,670 487,286 727 517,526 Source: Office of Foreign Worker Administration, Ministry of Labor, Thailand

III. Thailand Exports & Imports with 5 Neighboring Countries

Thailand’s cross-border trading with immediate neighboring countries during this year’s first quarter in 2019 has amounted to 11.4 $billion, accounting for a 1.86% increase and including 6.4 $billion in export goods, accounting for a 0.49% increase, and 5 $billion

in import goods, accounting for a 3.66% increase. Thailand has earned 1.4 $billion in trade surplus.

The Department of Foreign Trade has unveiled the gross value of Thailand’s cross-border trading with immediate neighboring countries during this year’s first quarter in 2019 has amounted to 11.4 $billion, Malaysia has become Thailand’s largest cross-border trading partner with 11.4 $billion in combined trade value, accounting for 0.39% increase, and including 2.3 $billion in export goods, accounting for a 6.16% drop, and 2.4 $billion in import goods, accounting for a 7.39% increase. Myanmar has become the second largest cross-border trading partner with 1.7 $billion, followed by Laos with 1.6 $billion and Cambodia with 1.4 $billion in trade value.

Thailand’s cross-border trading through Laos has seen southern China as the largest trading partner with 1 $billion, accounting for 50.51% increase, including 0.32 $billion in export goods, accounting for a 42.58% increase and 0.58 $billion in import goods, accounting for a 55.35% increase, followed by Vietnam with 0.59 $billion and Singapore with 0.57 $billion.

From this information that support by the theory of gravity model mention about

“The advantage of the location of Thailand is the center of gravity and attract a huge of migrant workers from neighboring countries, international trade, border trade, and investment from other country into Thailand”. That’s because from Thailand PEST analysis is show information about Political factor’s that more stable, have clearly plan strategy, and have policy for sustainable growth in the future. Economic factor’s forces

that could impact on Thailand success, can see the numbers from World bank that shown about Thailand GDP, GDP per capita, and GDP Growth is steady increase and sure. Social factor that’s shown about the various holiday, foods, life style, socialization, and cultures Of Thailand and Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia are very similar. That is one reason why a huge of migrant workers from that country popular come to work in Thailand, a lot.

Technology factors have master plan for Thailand 4.0 for support about Food, Agriculture and Bio-Tech, Health and Medical Technology, Robotics and Smart Devices and Mechatronics, Digital Industries, 5G technology, and have technology for support migrant workers in Thailand such as telecommunications, finance and banking, and remittances money back to home country.

A. Thailand – Malaysia

Trade Overview. Malaysia was Thailand's No. 4 trading partner in the world and No. 1 for Thailand in ASEAN groups in the last 5 years. Trade between Thailand and Malaysia with a year an average of value about 23,972 Million US Dollars.

Table 4.8: Totals Thailand Exports & Imports with Malaysia

(In US Million) 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Exports ^9,782 ^7,663 ^10,566 ^12,398 ^12,425 ^13,015 ^12,763 ^10,189 ^9,627 ^9,815 ^12,030 Imports 9,677 8,575 10,708 12,326 13,106 13,282 12,746 11,917 10,791 11,578 11,630

Source: Thailand Information and Communication Technology Center, Customs Department

Important exports products. Computers, Car accessories, components and equipment, Rubber, and Petrol and Gas.

Important imports products. Crude oil, Computers, Equipment and components Electric machinery, Chemicals.

B. Thailand – Cambodia

Trade Overview. Cambodia was Thailand's No. 21 trading partner in the world and No. 8 for Thailand in ASEAN groups in the last 5 years. Trade between Thailand and Cambodia with a year an average of value about 4,992 Million US Dollars.

Table 4.9: Totals Thailand Exports & Imports with Cambodia

(In US Million) 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Exports 2,014 1,580 2,342 2,905 3,986 4,256 4,526 4,959 4,672 5,270 3,220 Imports ⁹⁰¹ ⁷⁷⁷ ²¹⁴ ¹⁷⁵ ⁵²⁸ ³⁵⁵ ⁵⁹⁰ ⁶³⁹ ⁹³⁸ ⁸⁹⁵ ³¹³

Source: Thailand Information and Communication Technology Center, Customs Department

Important exports products. Non-alcoholic beverages, Cars, Equipment and components, Vehicles and components, Motorcycles and components, Machinery and components, Cement.

Important imports products. Vegetables and vegetable preparations, Receiver-transmitter and installation equipment, Wire and cable insulated, Aluminum.

75 C. Thailand – Lao PDR

Trade Overview. Lao PDR was Thailand's No. 1 trading partner in the world and No. 7 for Thailand in ASEAN groups in the last 5 years. Trade between Thailand and Laos PDR with a year an average of value about 5,662 Million US Dollars.

Table 4.10: Totals Thailand Exports & Imports with Lao PDR

(In US Million) 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Exports ^1,754 ^1,642 ^2,135 ^2,789 ^3,483 ^3,758 ^4,033 ^4,237 ^3,995 ^3,950 3,100 Imports 614 462 749 1,129 1,309 1,360 1,411 1,471 1,877 2,220 2,610

Source: Thailand Information and Communication Technology Center, Customs Department

Important exports products. Diesel, Cars, Equipment and components, other industrial products, other refined products, Iron and steel products, other livestock goods, and Cosmetics.

Important imports products. Other fuels, Copper and products, Transmitter-receiver and installation equipment, Vegetables, Cement, Wire and cable.

76 D. Thailand – Myanmar

Trade Overview. Myanmar was Thailand's No. 18 trading partner in the world and No. 6 for Thailand in ASEAN groups in the last 5 years. Trade between Thailand and Myanmar with a year an average of value about 7,410 Million US Dollars.

Table 4.11: Totals Thailand Exports & Imports with Myanmar

(In US Million) 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Exports 1,317 1,544 2,072 2,845 3,127 3,788 4,239 4,174 4,176 4,196 3,060 Imports ^3,376 ^2,781 ^2,813 ^3,268 ^3,674 ^4,033 ^3,917 ^3,566 ^2,354 ^3,279 ^3,010

Source: Thailand Information and Communication Technology Center, Customs Department

Important exports products. Non-alcoholic beverages, Sugar, Alcoholic beverages, Fabrics and yarns, Fax machine, Teletype, Telephone equipment and components.

Important imports products. Natural gas, Aquatic Animals, Cows, Buffaloes, Pigs, Goats, Sheep, Other animal products, Oil plants. And about the imports number in 2014-2017 decrease because big flood disaster in Myanmar and decrease of value of Myanmar money.

77 E. Thailand – Vietnam

Trade Overview. Vietnam was Thailand's No. 7 trading partner in the world and No.

4 for Thailand in ASEAN groups in the last 5 years. Trade between Thailand and Vietnam with a year an average of value about 11,170 Million US Dollars.

Table 4.12: Totals Thailand Exports & Imports with Vietnam

(In US Million) 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Exports ^4,961 ^4,678 ^5,845 ^7,059 ^6,483 ^7,182 ^7,882 ^8,907 ^9,428 ^10,623 ^12,970 Imports 1,441 1,385 1,396 2,027 2,986 3,269 3,938 4,050 4,425 4,786 5,710

Source: Thailand Information and Communication Technology Center, Customs Department

Important exports products. Fresh fruit, Frozen and dried fruit, Cars equipment and components, Plastic beads, Air conditioner equipment and components, Petrol and Gas, Chemicals.

Important imports products. Electrical appliances in the house, Crude oil, Equipment and components Electric machinery, Iron and steel products, Aquatic Animals.

IV. Investment and Developing Thailand’s Vision of a Sustainable, Technology-Driven Future

A. Overview

Thailand takes the 2019 ASEAN chair under the theme "Advancing Partnership for Sustainability". The theme is in line with its Thailand 4.0 model - the economic, digital and innovation transformation plan of the country. There has never been a more significant time in history for countries, companies, communities and individuals to steer towards a sustainable future. Since 2015, when the United Nations set their 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved by 2030, governments and businesses around the world have increased efforts to address the environmental, social and economic challenges of today, to create a better tomorrow. In 2019, Thailand has moved up 19 places in its SDG ranking to 40th place globally, and first in ASEAN.

With its cultural heritage, flavorful food and seemingly endless white beaches of its many islands, the Kingdom of Thailand has long been known as one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations. But Thailand isn’t just a tourist hub. For decades, it’s been pushing for a technology-driven and sustainable future as a ‘bio-hub’. For the last few years, the Thai government has been implementing Thailand 4.0, a value-based economic model driven by innovation, creativity and technology focused on social and environmental sustainability. One of the key industries Thailand 4.0 is focusing on is bioeconomy, which is made up of environmentally-friendly industries such as bioenergy, biochemicals and biopharmaceuticals.

Now, the government will deliver its vision of a green economy by investing in the development of new high-tech facilities and centers to bridge the country’s natural

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