Getting friendly with Asean

THE Asean agenda has been on top of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s must do list since the very first day. A few weeks after his power seizure, the Preparation Centre for Asean Community (PCAC) was set up to show he meant business on Asean matters. Now, nearly a year has been wasted propagating what the country needs to do but without tangible action. The National Reform Council, tasked to reform the legislation and bureaucracies to turn the country into an Asean-friendly member, is still a mere talk shop.

In recent months, due to increased external pressure, the government has put all effort into rectifying headline-making rotten parts of Thai society – modern slave traders, mafia fishing bosses and overbearing traders. Apart from the immediate challenges stemming from political reform, constitutional drafting and various issues on national reconciliation, Prayut has still pin-picked human trafficking as a national priority.