Good evening, dear citizens.

Tomorrow will mark the beginning of the Songkran holidays.  The National Day for the Elderly and Family Day also occur during this period.  I wish for all Thais to travel to their homes safely, in order for them to visit their parents and grandparents to pay respects for the Thai New Year and receive their blessings.  During this period, Thais will also pray and make merit.

 

The government is concerned about the safety of commuters in all modes of travel.  Currently, awareness is being raised under the ‘no lack of compassion during this drought season – driving safely without alcohol to reduce blood use’ campaign.  The campaign is meant to prevent the massive need for blood as a result of accidents during every year’s Songkran travel period.

 

I would like it to be a festival of happiness all around.  I would like to thank administrative officials, sub-district chiefs, village headmen, local officials, disaster mitigation officials, volunteers, policemen and soldiers who are sacrificing their holiday time to care for the safety of the public, by means of guarding people’s homes, providing rest areas for drivers, fixing vehicles, providing medical service, setting up alcohol checkpoints, and putting up route information signs.  These efforts will help travelers have safe journeys home.

I would like truck drivers and coach drivers to get adequate rest and avoid alcohol.  Many lives rest in your hands.  Please see to how you can drive safety and happily, and minimize hazards to yourself and others.

To preserve Thailand’s culture, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports and the Ministry of Culture have been campaigning for people to conduct themselves properly and in accordance with genuine Songkran traditions during the water festivals.  Examples include wearing polite clothes and avoidance of lewd garments.  I hope that we would impress foreigners with the fact that impoliteness and vulgarity is not part of our culture.  People are also encouraged to wear silk other Thai garments, local clothing and flower-patterned shirts as in the traditions of Songkran.

Cooperation is sought over the avoidance of alcohol sales at Songkran event venues.  Water festival revelers are also asked to avoid contaminants such as powder and ice, as well as avoid using high-pressure water guns or water splashing tools that may cause harm.  People should not drive pickup trucks carrying water into event venues or community areas.  To promote our cultural heritage, water bowls should be used instead.  Our cultural traditions should also be augmented through activities and performances appropriate for Songkran, while revelers should consider refraining from lewd acts or dances that contradict Thai culture.  I ask that clear schedules be set for water festivals, in order for traffic problems and other crimes to be avoided.

The weather is hot right now, and there is risk of tropical storms.  Damage was incurred when the previous storms swept past, despite warnings.  Many areas of the country will be facing thunderstorms, gusts and perhaps hail.  I would like all citizens to take care of their health.  All ministries have been told to assess possible risks and pro-actively implement measures.  Examples are the inspections of advertisement billboards, electricity poles, and large trees along roads.  Personnel and equipment have also been prepared to respond rapidly to incidents.

Garbage is also an issue – water drains are now full of trash.  We cannot put the blame only on the officials – everybody needs to cooperate.  I have been informed that each day, around 30 tons of garbage or waste that would otherwise clog up certain canals is removed.  There is a large number of garbage each day, including plastic bags.  When the canals are clogged with trash, water cannot be discharged.  Most of the trash accumulation is in canals whose banks are also populated.  The dwellers would dump waste into the canal, even household trash.  The trash then flows through the canal until it meets the drain joining the canal with the main sewer pipe.  Consequently, there is flooding.  If the public does not help out, such as in this case, the government and the BMA cannot possibly fix it on our own.  Please stop throwing the blame around and start to help out.

Turning to affairs of international cooperation - on Wednesday, April 8, I had the opportunity to welcome Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and his delegation for an official visit to Thailand as guests of the government.  It was the first official visit to Thailand by a Russian prime minister in 25 years.  Thailand and Russia have had diplomatic relations that span almost 120 years.  Diplomatic ties have been established for 118 years, and will reach the 120th year in 2017.  This visit to Thailand was meant to strengthen this unique bond, which has endured over a long time, but still has room for enhanced collaboration in specific areas.  We are therefore increasing collaborations across all aspects, on the basis of mutual benefit.

Prime Minister Medvedev and I witnessed the signing of 5 government to government MOUs.  The MOUs involved collaboration in investment, energy, culture and tourism, and drugs suppression.  I would like to briefly elaborate on these collaborations, as follows.

In the economic aspect, we will try to push bilateral trade to reach 10 billion USD per annum within next year from the 5 billion USD per annum at present.  This will be achieved by the launching of product markets, reduction of trade obstacles and further facilitation of trade.  I asked the Russian Prime Minister to consider importing rubber and other agricultural goods, as well as food items such as rice, frozen pork, and fresh vegetables and fruits.  Russia was also invited to take part in the development of infrastructure for Thailand’s logistics system.

Thai businesses have also expressed interest to expand investments in automobile parts production and in food businesses in Russia.  Both countries will do their best to provide convenience to the each others investors and business sectors.

In the aspects of science and technology, and the related fields of study and research, Russia has advanced much further than we have.  In order to apply research results to the production of items, we will promote collaboration between our National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) and the Skolkovo Innovation Center.  The Thai and Russian delegations also agreed on many other initiatives, such as the exchange of knowledge and specialists in nuclear technology, medicine and space.  Both countries also agreed to continue collaboration relating to petroleum business and in the development of personnel and human resources within this field.  Furthermore, both parties agreed to collaboration in satellite navigation technology.

Marking the first step in the recent round of collaboration, Moscow Region State University and Siam Technological College this past week signed a memorandum of understanding in developing courses on Russian language and Russian language guides.

Another 5 agreements were signed by the private sector representatives of both countries.  The agreements pertain to: (1) Survey of the market and distribution of Russian products in Thailand.  (2) Exchange of business-related information.  (3) Investments in third countries.  (4)  Satellite navigation technology development.  (5)  Collaboration in tourism industry management and hospitality education.

I have subsequently instructed for these projects to be implemented concretely and for a joint committee on Thai-Russian bilateral cooperation to be set up.  A meeting of the committee will take place in the middle of this year.  We will ready our information, so that progress can be made immediately at this meeting.  Data and resolutions will be readied before the meeting, so that actions can be carried out immediately then.

The same goes for agreements made with other countries.  We will expedite our collaborative efforts, and ensure that they meet our needs while providing mutual benefit.  We are ready to work closely with friendly nations, and we shall use the basic principle of trust to bring about equal gains and enhance confidence.  All countries, no matter large or small, have equal merits and distinctions.

The global economy remains the same.  Markets in large economies, especially in the European Union, continue to contract and experience high unemployment.  The US economy has been recovering slowly whereas China’s economic expansion has been slightly trimmed and Japan’s economy was also slowing down.  This is something affecting all countries and something that every country is trying to fix.

Thailand will need to face up to many challenges, as we depend on foreign trade.  To generate income for the country, we now need to use our own products and increase the value of various commodities.  Without doing this, we will have to import products and drive up the values of imported goods in the process.  At the same time, our export products will see some reduction in volume and fetch lower prices – especially for agricultural products.  Fixing our country’s economic problem is complicated matter.  We first need to empower ourselves.

We are starting to see improvements in the economic indicators of our country, according to several international assessments.  At the same time we need to try to understand how the international business community is viewing us. The Japan Credit Rating Agency Ltd. (JCR) has revised its crediting of Thai government bonds from ‘negative’ to ‘stable’.

For the matter of prices of consumer items, the Ministry of Commerce reported that March inflation 'declined' by 0.57%.  This was the lowest inflation rate in 5 years and 6 months, and was attributable to lower fuel prices and regulation efforts on prices.  Prices should not be raised if the cost has not been increasing.  Despite the cheaper prices of fuel, we should continue to save energy for the purpose of reducing global warming.

I was recently briefed on how the manufacturing production index has risen to its highest point in February, due to manufacturing within the food, oil refining, automobile and electronic parts industries.  The automotive industry was also displaying a good sign, judging from the 11.3% expansion of automobile production for the export market that was observed in February.  Car reservations totaled about 37,000 at the recently concluded motor show – this number was close to the previous year's figure.  Although it declined somewhat, as many of the automobiles sold were priced higher than 1 million baht.

This demonstrated how Thais still had purchasing power, and how these consumers have shifted from cheaper, smaller cars towards higher-priced cars.  Therefore, it makes sense to evaluate whether the demand is real or artificial.  This year, there were more visitors to the motor show and fewer sales were made – but the sale amount of 46 billion baht was not any lower than the previous year.

For the agriculture sector, the government wants to empower farmers so they can have job security.  We will emphasize this during the upcoming planting season.  We will help oversee the entire system, from the start of production to the marketing aspect.  In implementing measures to reduce production costs, business operators have been invited in and asked to reduce the prices of chemical fertilizers.  Although we would rather see organic fertilizer used and as little chemical fertilizer as possible, the latter was necessary in some parts.

Our soil has been exposed to chemical fertilizer for so long that sometimes only organic fertilizer would not do.  So we will use a mixed amount for now.  It is preferable that someday, we will no longer need chemical fertilizers in Thailand.  Some locations have no need for them, as organic fertilizer can be manufactured and sold within the locality.  The Ministry of Agriculture has received additional tasks relating to the production of organic fertilizers, through the use of cooperatives or community enterprise models.  As for pesticides, many products – including chemical insecticides and biological pest control organisms – have been created.

Quality seeds are also being provided at low prices in an attempt to encourage farmers to plant crops that are in demand and are well-priced.  Some oversight has to be made to prevent any mass shift toward a particular crop, which would then result in oversupply.  The production of rice berry crop – something that farmers are increasing switching to –has to be watched and we have to keep watch on demand to avoid oversupply.  Relevant agencies will determine what crops are suitable for each area, and then determine the demands within the country and abroad.  We also need contingency plans for future events of water shortage.  It will not do to keep producing the same crop and then have subsidies given out for the produce to be stored at warehouses.  This is not sustainable.

For harvesters, including equipment and the likes, we need to make more use of technology, but farmers only have small plots and need to improve their methods.  The plots need to be combined – while ownership would remain the same – in order for farmers' to have increased leverage when negotiating on the costs of machinery.  Rents of paddies also need to be surveyed, in order for us to know how much of the paddies were owned by farmers.  We are already empowered by the laws on land lease for agriculture and the laws on debt collection.  We need your cooperation.  I do not believe it is fair for financiers/lenders to remain unidentified and for farmers to be used as proxies when contacting state agencies, while the land owners reap all benefits.

In order for farmers' problems to be sustainably addressed, you have to tell the truth.  Farmers need not fear that they will no longer be able to rent the land.  The law gives protection to both the lessor and the lessee.  Termination of lease must be notified in advance, otherwise farmers would have no negotiating power.  If problems related to lease terminations are experienced, please report to the nearest Damrongtham center or some 800 agriculture centers country-wide.  Each case will be addressed promptly.  You must help us out by not hiding information and keeping the gains for specific parties or individuals.  We need to be generous and share.  The issues of rice, sugar can and cassava strains are all being addressed through the setting up of 15 more seed centers in 15 provinces, which will contribute towards maintaining the quality of Thai rice and towards increase per-area yield.

The Ministry of Agriculture has been tasked with finding suitable strains of sugar cane and pineapple.  The crops may have to be fed to the production of biodiesel in addition to processing plants.  Most pineapples grown are meant to be fed to factories.  With supply already exceeding the demand of factories, the pineapples cannot be sold for fresh consumption because of the nature of the strain does not allow for tasty consumption.  We are therefore procuring new strains for the farmers.

As for cassava, quality strains that give out large roots and use less water are being procured.  We have to reduce the growing area and increase yield, while adhering to demand.  Otherwise, there will be too much supply.  Meanwhile, we will likely have to encourage more cultivation of oil palm.  Before this takes place, we have to check the readiness of the process.  The Ministry of Energy needs to see if the biodiesel production process has been readied, so that we might switch from rubber planting to palm oil planting.  The palm can be mixed into B5 and B7 diesel fuels.  In the future, we may raise the mixture to B10, meaning that 10% of the diesel fuel mixture is biodiesel.  This process is not yet ready as of present.  Thus, we need to prepare this process first.

If palm fetches a higher price, rubber planting would decrease.  We use a large amount of diesel fuel in the country.  Differences will be apparent if we can raise the biodiesel mix from 5% to 7% to 10%.  However, we are not yet ready – continuity is lacking.  Once produced, the cost needs to be analyzed and pitted against ordinary diesel fuel made from petroleum.  All of it has to be calculated out.  It will not do to produce something that costs more than the existing product.  The resulting fuel has to be cheaper than other types available.  The same goes for gasohol.  The price is still high.  We are analyzing the system to see what can be done.

So far, continuity within the gasohol production system has been lacking.  Support was inconsistently provided, resulting in the price remaining lofty – who would use the fuel then?  There were also not enough outlets.  As for raw materials, all sources need to be considered – sugar cane husks and what not.  Some sources are not being exploited, whereas some sources are expensive and some sources are cheap.  It is not easy to address problems in a system-wide manner.  We have been trying for 6-7 months and the weight of the backlog is still being felt.  Thus, issues needed to be tackled in a sustainable manner.

There is now a policy to set up more sugar factories.  Please hold on to your objections.  The size of the factories need not be very large, but a sizable distance needs to be kept between the factories.  Some say 80 kilometers, some say 40-50, and some say 50-60.  This will be implemented in order to spur the sugar industry and bring about change to the behavior of growing loss-making crops.  A portion of paddy farmers might consider switching to sugar cane if the price of rice falls.  The sugar canes can be fed to the new sugar factories.  Make quality sugar, and we will make improvements to the marketing aspect.

Currently, sugar processing plants are separated by a 50 kilometers distance, so please hold on to your objections.  I have emphasized that the new sugar factories must not fight over existing sugar cane planters who already feed their produce to existing factories.  You will have to set up your factory and build up your own base of member planters.  Failing to adhere to this principle would result in conflicts and price undercutting.

For cassava, we need to see whether drip irrigation can be employed.  Sometimes the soil is damaged and there is not enough water.  Drip irrigation needs capital.  Thus, we need to empower the cooperatives and find ways for them to access funds, so that they will be able to borrow to invest in drip irrigation.  The government needs to pilot the drip irrigation technique, in a similar manner to how Malaysia has done.

The promotion of oil palm planting in place of the oversupplied rubber crop is one of many measures to address the rubber problem.  Production has to be toned down to a level that can be utilized domestically.  We have not yet gone very far in the construction of rubber processing factories.  These factories are using less than 10% of the rubber being produced.  90% of produced rubber is sold as raw material.  I believe we can achieve a decent price if we can process 50% of rubber and sell the remaining as raw material.  Rubber planters also should switch to palm oil.  Biodiesel production has to be readied beforehand, as I mentioned earlier.  We will then have cheaper diesel fuel that would reduce dependency on energy imports.

For the selling aspect, support is being given to some 2,000 community markets nationwide, through the Ministry of Interior and relevant agencies.  Local administrative organizations are asked to give oversight and try to dissolve the cycle of reliance on middlemen.  The farmers should know how much profit they will make from growing each crop.  They will remain poor if all sales continue to be made to middlemen.  Farmers need to be knowledgeable and understand marketing and modern agricultural practices.  They also need to gather into collectives and be aware of how to sell products and what the real prices should be.

On the matter of land allocation, the government has been handing out documents that grant land rights to farmers who were without land and shelter.  Six ministries have been doing this systematically by registering farmers and surveying land use.  The latter is achieved through the use of satellite images and on-site surveys by several relevant agencies.  In doing so, we have acquired knowledge of which forest areas were encroached upon.  If a site has been encroached on for 10 or 20 years then the forest is already degraded.  It is illegal nonetheless.

How do we make sure the inhabitants can stay there and not encroach any further or sell off the land?  We are using Section 44 to achieve this.  These sites have also been encroached upon for so long that they are no longer forests.  We are not being biased toward any particular group.  Decisions are based on the conclusions yielded through analysis of zoning and other data.

Importantly, we will no longer allow the deed rights to the land to be resold.  These lands still belong to the state.  There will be phase one and phase two of the land allocation initiative.  Phase one involves speedy, and voluntary, removal of people encroaching on watershed forests.  Other sites have to be allocated for these individuals. Otherwise the forest will degrade further if they continue to live there.

They are living on watershed areas.  If they continue to reside there it would lead to a further expansion of communities thus resulting in depleted forests.  They have to be moved into others areas that have now been specified.  There are even sites of encroachment that have since turned barren.  These lands belong to the state.  We will use Section 44 to enable these people to live on the selected sites, and they will not be allowed to sell off the land or encroach on more areas.  Stringent enforcement of the law will be required for this initiative to reduce disparities.

The first phase focuses on 6 locations in 4 different provinces, accounting for a total of 53,697 rai. The second phase involves 8 locations in 8 provinces, or 51,929 rai. You can see that there are not a lot of spaces in these 12 provinces. We will put those who are desperate or don’t possess land in these locations so that they can generate income. There are a lot of vendors who are tricked into paying individuals who illegally claim they own that piece of land. Please don’t fall victim to this group of people. According to the survey and investigations, most of the vendors do not realize that they are making a living on land owned by the state. I can assure you that the government does wish to put you in a difficult situation, but only wants to make things right.

The government will focus more on improving tourism and services as this sector creates a substantial income for the country. This sector has a high tendency to surge and will be considered a main driving force for Thai economic growth. Unlike basic infrastructure, tourism and services do not require a huge load of investment. It would take a lot more time and money to secure funds for Infrastructure development. As for tourism, Thailand needs to improve safety and cleanliness, which comparatively require a lower budget. There are a number of places holding contests for the cleanest restrooms, which I think is a great idea. We want to make good impressions and make visitors happy. We do not want to welcome visitors with dirty facilities and unorganized tourist destinations. Furthermore, we certainly don’t want them to run into thieves, scammers, and other kinds of criminality. How are we going to continue earning revenue from this sector if we let this continue? So please stop hurting our country. The government and state authorities will thus enforce laws strictly to ensure order. Thailand is expected to see an increase in the number of tourists from China, Russia, South Korea, and Japan. In the first quarter of this year (Jan-Mar), Thailand welcomed more than 8 million visitors, a 23% increase compared to the same period last year.

Those who say that there was a decrease, please refrain from dispensing such false information to the media. You should be listening to the agencies overseeing this kind of matter that have fact-based information, not outsiders who look to distort the truth. In April especially during Songkran Festival, it is anticipated that 500,000 foreigners will be visiting the kingdom while Thais will be celebrating the festival, travelling, spending money, taking a break from work, and returning to their hometowns. Spend a lot if you have a lot. But also be wise when you are spending. You cannot be spending above your budget. However, we need everyone to spend so as to help trigger the Thai economy. Economic growth is like a chain that connects all parts together. The government is trying to connect all the dots, linking large sectors to smaller ones and encouraging new businesses. We cannot only focus on one particular group, but must look at the whole system. Local economies and community markets are dependent on one another, promoting trade and exchanges through His Majesty’s principle which teaches us to derive income from selling goods when there is an oversupply and when we have enough, but if certain products do not get a good price then it would be wise not to over produce them. This is how you can become more resilient to market fluctuations. This guideline was given many years ago, but few people seem to be following it. The reason some fail when pursuing this guideline is because you don’t understand it completely, plus some authorities have failed to explain the principle clearly. Some unscrupulous politicians even fail to to follow this principle, making up excuses that the Principle is the factor holding Thailand back because it only aims for sufficiency. On the contrary, as this is taken out of context. Even foreigners want to adopt the King’s principle as they have been studying the Sufficiency Economy Principle. I don’t understand why Thai politicians and parents don’t promote this principle more. Today, I will have this principle adopted in all areas.

There are a lot of things that need to be done in order for Thailand to enhance its competitiveness in the international community, including basic infrastructure development (rail, water, and air transport). But as we know, the sector has been facing many problems for a long time already. This is why Article 44 is necessary.

When pursuing this task, it is sometimes exhausting, with all the subsequent conflicts and hostility. Former ineffective politicians still make unconstructive comments. Thai people need to assess this kind of situation prudently. Don’t be misled by unscrupulous politicians. The media also needs to help the people. The government is trying to make Thailand a trade and investment hub, as well as the center for shipping and logistic activities in this region.

Our water management system needs to be overhauled in order to support production, agriculture, and the industrial sector, and for bringing stability and growth to Thailand. The problem we encountered in the past is that we didn’t really focus on the integration of the water system, nor did we push hard enough for continuous effort to improve the country’s irrigation. Everything must be interconnected. We will start with the first phase now and will later introduce long term plans. There will be many more steps before an integrated irrigation system can be adopted in all parts of the country.  Currently more than 6,000 villages don’t have their own irrigation. There will be small, medium, and large reservoirs to supply water to residents. We cannot keep wasting money on trying to do something in waterless locations. We need to dig where there is water and distribute it to the people. If what I said is undone, everything will go back to the way it was when water is scarce.

In reference to paving the way for digital economy, the government has patented several innovations created by Thai researchers. I have ordered for some adjustments to the regulations so as to allow state offices to test run these innovations. They must be tested for quality first. More laws will be adopted to support the innovations. Should we look to export these innovations, they must be tested by international organizations first before they can be accepted by foreign buyers. You cannot sell everything you create without having quality, plus the product will have to pass certain requirements and non-tariff barriers set by international agencies such as WTO, FTO, and other organizations. Thailand will have to engage in FTA talks with several countries this year, given that Thailand has recently been moved to the list of medium-income countries, which changed all regulations pertaining to taxes and barriers. This is why Thailand has to open talks with more countries so that it can export more goods.

As for the agricultural sector, I ask that all low-income earners be registered in the system according to their occupation, so as to allow for the government to understand your situation and assist you in the most appropriate way. We cannot spend the state’s budget on one group of farmers, but on all stakeholders. Some farmers already earn enough income or own land, while some have to rent land for crop plantation. The ones getting richer are owners not renters. This is unfair and this is why registration is important. I am not forcing you to do anything, but the law must be respected. Without it, Thailand will not thrive. As for the registration of migrant workers, we have seen much progress; however, the problem does not stop when these workers have been documented. We have to also look at nationality identification. There must be more agreements made, especially regarding the CLMV countries. It is required that Thailand’s neighboring countries send their inspection teams to identify their citizens. With limited amount of time we have, we have yet to identify all migrant workers of their citizenship.

In the meantime, workers whose nationalities have yet to be identified will be granted temporary work permits so that they can continue working in Thailand for the time being. However, these migrants are asked not to relocate at the moment. Authorities will be randomly checking if the workers are truly employed by the company that registered them. Most of these workers are brought by a third party or change jobs because other employers offer higher wages. This system cannot be allowed to go on. You cannot let authorities sort it out by themselves. You need to help them make it right. This is one of the methods to decentralize, giving autonomy to communities. You can protect your own rights and benefits. Decentralization is not only about budget disbursement, but involves all aspects that will help you grow. This government will give people the power to administrate their own communities. Do just focus on the budget. The more budget you have, the more challenges will come. You cannot be pointing fingers at officials when you can’t remove corruption from your community. Take a step back and look at yourself. It is hard to have everything go your way. We need to adopt a system that is suitable for us and accepted by the international community. If the information is not distorted, I believe our fellow foreigners will understand Thailand more.

Next is about educational reform. I always attach great significance to human resources development. Development of a country greatly depends on it’s the development of its citizens. Education uplifts the potentials of people. Even I have to improve myself. A lot of people have had to improve themselves and gain more useful knowledge. You have to go to school, get educated, and get a job. You cannot be thinking about how to make money while ignoring a code of ethics and morality. This kind of social value is wrong. The country will not move on and corruption will come back. We need to improve the skills of laborers in accord with the market demand for labor. We also need to prepare our production sector before the ASEAN Community is finally realized. We need to connect small, medium, and large sized businesses together, blending them into a single economy. We must build economic stability between partner countries and support each other in every way. Business operators must be responsible for communities they are in. Support our researchers and give them opportunities to create new innovations. The current government is doing all of these. Not only that, we also need to strengthen diplomatic ties and economic partnership with other nations in order to enhance mutual economic benefits. As I mentioned before, we may need to partner up with such countries as our friends in African and South Asia.

I want our partners to grow along with us. We should see the importance of mutual prosperity. When Thailand benefits, so should our partners. Thailand will also focus on medium and high income countries like China, India, South Korea, the Middle East, Latin America, Russia, and the Island countries. In addition, Thailand is also keen to increase trade value along the borders and in special economic zones, making Thailand center for aviation, tourism, and medication, all of which will help Thailand build a strong economic foundation that fosters sustainable development. This process will take time. Every government should ensure this, as it is part of good governance and looking out for the people’s best interests.

The new Constitution is now being drafted. It is not complete yet so all I want to ask of you is to please refrain from finding fault with the new charter at the moment. I admit that I am happy to see all parties wanting to be a part of this process. As for some pending issues, please work on them without conflicts. We have had to ask ourselves if we needed and are willing to undergo reforms. If we didn’t, we then would not need a new Constitution. If everyone values reform, then we need to look at how the contents in each provision should be written, so that members of the public as well as politicians can endorse it. We need to understand the problem before we can address it by using the “four noble truths”. You would not be able to resolve any problem if you didn’t understand this teaching which comes from Buddhism. This kind of reasoning is useful, but instead, people tend to take on approaches that lead to conflict. So, is national reform necessary? Are there any legal loopholes in Thailand? Once identified, these problems will need to be addressed. I can assure you that these problems are being fixed. The charter drafters are making adjustments which they think most suitable for Thailand, especially the part concerning politics and the coming about of politicians. This is what they are most concerned about. Can we accept that Thailand has a problem? If we can, then it is necessary to forge ahead with national reform. If you don’t accept this process, then you must give a reason why. As a Thai, I want to see transparency in Thai politics. I want to see a strong political structure. This is why a reform is needed. We cannot be stepping backwards when other countries are moving towards growth. We cannot keep focusing on the wrong problem and falling behind other nations. Please think about this carefully. If you don’t want this process of reform to take place or want to see everything go back to the way it was, then let it be. I am not going to stop you. Furthermore, we need to create understanding with other nations about the current situation in Thailand and accept who we are at the moment. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. We all need to accept the fact that Thailand needs to be reformed. We must uphold the rule of law. Only those who respect the law will be accepted. On the other hand, those who fail to respect the law would say there is no justice in the judicial system. I don’t know what to say to this kind of comment.

On April 7th, I asked those concerned to invite experts on constitutional law from countries which have been in similar position as Thailand before to share their thoughts and experiences, giving us the insights on how long this process will take and what needs to be done to get where they are now. This is what we are going to ask them. I only want Thai people to understand what happened in those countries and what we should do if we want to be where they are. Today, Thai people don’t care about this, but only care about making money and how to fix problems at the surface level. We tend to think less about where the country needs to head and what process it needs to go through. Everyone seems to be impatient too, often leading to the use of violence as a means to get what you want. This is not right. I want to invite experts and academics, such as those from France and Germany, who are familiar with political situations in the past that are similar to the situation Thailand is facing now. You can’t make up excuses, saying those situations took place a long time ago and are therefore irrelevant. We need to look at the cause of the problem, not excuses. Look at these countries and try to adopt what is suitable for our nation. Once we understand what happened, we need to ask ourselves how we are going to move on from this point. We will ask these experts why articles 16 and 17 were necessary for them. We cannot effectively scrutinize our own Constitution without looking at others’. Whether or not the permanent charter will be effective depends on all Thais. Do you want this reform process to be successful? Do you want to see Thailand become a better nation? Or do you still want to be in the middle of political conflict? Do you want clean and transparent politics? Do you want to see Thailand stable? Do you want to see farmers have more income? Everything needs to be improved, or else, Thailand will not move forward. The government will utilize all efforts to ensure growth. Please do not accuse me of bringing outsiders to interfere. I only do this for the sake of our country. Unlike some people who use outsiders to interfere and then condemn Thailand, I only invite them to make us better. I want to learn from them. They will not have a say on what should be written in our Constitution. However, we will ask these experts why was it necessary for them to do what they did when they were in difficult situation. Then we can ask ourselves if we can or should adopt their approaches.

There are a lot of things that have to be said today although I don’t want to speak much, because we are celebrating the annual Songkran Festival. This is a crucial moment for Thailand to move forward. I have been saying this since I took office which was almost a year ago. I have been informing you of progress the government has made during its administration. As I mentioned before, there is the initial stage, the mid-term stage, and the long-term process. Currently, we are in the initial and mid-term stages, expected to run for two years when the government is still in office. Afterwards, implementation of policies will be in accordance with the roadmap. We need to forge ahead with national reform, lay down an effective reform plan, and create a mechanism that will allow a true reform. The Constitution will be drafted to suit country reform. Organic laws will be introduced in parallel with the new charter. If everyone accepts the new Constitution, the country will definitely move in a promising direction. Without public acceptance, Thailand will regress.

We want to see a fair and just election with clean politicians who uphold good governance, ethics, and morality. Thai people need to understand the intentions of the NLA, NRC, and the CDC, all of which have shown enthusiasm and great commitment towards making reform happen. But of course, there are struggles and opposition along the way. This is why I need to create understanding and awareness among the people and shall do so as soon as possible. The government wants to ensure safety and order during the transition. I consider this moment a period of transition after which Thailand will see a complete and sustainable democracy, like the world wants to see. Many nations have fought through what we are fighting now. I can say that almost every nation has been or is going through this sort of situation.

A complete democracy will not come easily. Everyone has to be patient and be supportive as well as comply with the system that is conducive to national reform. If we can’t achieve this goal, we will be taking a step backwards. Therefore, the government call on the efforts from civil servants, local officers, members of the public, and all individuals involved if we were to be successful. We want to remove all sorts of social inequalities. We want to see everyone have access to justice system, have money to spend, and grow sturdily and sustainably. Please don’t go back to listen to those who have come out to discredit the progress that has been done. When laws and regulations are enforced, you say the government abuses your rights to speak. And what happened in the past? Were there demonstrations? Were war-grade weapons involved? All of these happened in the past and will happen again if this government has not moved in the direction it has.  It doesn’t matter which government or which group was in power back then, the same methods were used, and the same results appeared and there would always be uprising. People need to understand this fact. I have had to shut down more than 6,000 media stations, all of which were operating illegally. These stations never obeyed the law, given that most of them were owned by political figures. I am not accusing all politicians. There are those who are good politicians. But I assure you I will not take sides. Honest politicians are urged to keep doing good deeds for our country.

We all need to move Thailand forward. But some politicians will do anything to make Thailand go back to the way it was. They want to create misunderstanding and call for unlimited freedoms without responsibility. These people never talk about the responsibilities they have to the people. They never respect the law while claiming that they are not being treated fairly. Just remember how there were political demonstrations and uses of weapons before this government. I am asking all members of the press to keep all the evidence – pictures, audios, videos – of what happened in the past when there were demonstrations. Shots were being fired while demonstrators had to seek shelter from security officers. Officers do not want to hurt the people as they have consciousness and sympathy for the people. So now the government has to rectify everything that goes wrong by any means necessary. Everything can be sorted out through the judicial system. Do not distort information, leading to misunderstanding domestically and internationally. This is embarrassing.

I guarantee that this government does not support populist policies. Some people say the government gives money to rubber farmers. This is not true. The fact is that the state helps farmers at the production level. It is not ideal to just buy the product off the farmers. The buyers are cooperatives, not the government. Through cooperative system, it requires lower amount of money. Some people may question the government’s move to increase salaries of civil servants. This is because the civil servants haven’t had a raise for many years. They only get 300-500 more on top of what they earn each month. This cannot be compared to what we have spent to help farmers. This is a good example of inequality. I want to foster understanding in our society. Existing problems stem from political distortion, I am sorry to say. I never once had a problem with any previous government. I always performed my duties according to orders and requests.

The most important thing for this government right now is that we will provide equality, and foster unity and reconciliation. Although a considerable sum of money has been spent during the reconciliation period, we still have enough to invest in basic infrastructure. In the past, Thailand wasted a lot of money on unnecessary projects. If we hadn’t, we would have had more to spend for the good of the people. We never would have had this much debt. We have not succeeded in anything despite hundreds of millions of baht being spent. When this government came in, it was obligated to carry on what was left while still paying off debts it didn’t cause. On top of that, the government has had to invest in more development projects. The current debts that we have are holding us back. That should be all for this issue.

Farmers say previous populist policies helped them improve their standard of living. Is your life better now? Are farmers still indebted? Is the public debt still high? Today, farmers have more debts than in the past. I don’t see any improvement. Improvement means you have less debt or debts that were incurred from house loans, car loans, or businesses. Improvement cannot be a cycle where you use your monthly earning to pay back debts that don’t do any good. The state budget was not spent appropriately as it should have been. It was rather spent at the burden of the public. And today, we are forced to borrow more, because what we should have had was already spent. However, the current government is only looking to borrow on a yearly basis and only for what is necessary. We will only borrow for what we think is crucial for Thailand to develop. The previous government did not leave me any money. This is why I have to borrow. Why does the government need to give civil servants a pay raise? It’s because they are the majority paying taxes. Taxes are automatically deducted from their paychecks. None of them can avoid paying taxes. People whose salaries are low are not required to pay taxes. Rich people must not avoid paying taxes. In addition, tax imposition must be more effective while tax laws must be revised. We cannot keep using the same system, given that the value of money and gold in the past is not the same as the value today. Without amendments, the state will lose money. The government could not disburse the amount requested by local offices if the system was not changed.

As for the media taking sides, I urge that you stop making up lies and distorting information. Two stations were given warnings last week. I already warned you. I do not wish to interfere or want anything to do with you. Please stop this behavior. You have been doing the same thing again and again. Please be more careful when presenting news. Don’t say I violated your rights or breach freedom of the press when you don’t comply and provide false information to the public. Again, please stop. Don’t tell lies. Don’t use “freedom of the press” as an excuse. We all know what is right and what is wrong. Don’t distort factual information in order to mislead. Have some dignity as a human being. I hope what I said is not too harsh. I do apologize if I offended anybody.

But don’t just hide and run, I want you to come out and enter the justice system. I will make sure that justice is adhered to. Don’t defame this country or bring in outsiders to solve our problems. People defaming Thailand will be served justice. Thank you very much. Please enjoy your Songkran, a 5-day vacation (Saturday to Wednesday). Some people said this government is very kind for making Thursday and Friday holidays, rounding up the vacation to 9 days. This is not true. What will people do when they need to contact state offices? Government officials, including me, will be on standby. I am not going anywhere and will be ready to serve you. When you rest, I work. And when you work, I also work. This is because I only have a limited amount of time to serve you. Thank you for all your cooperation. Enjoy your vacation. Stay safe on the roads. And don’t forget to be with your family. Greet your parents and other elders with respect. This is what we stand for. This is our value. And also, please help preserve our beautiful tradition of Songkran. Be a good host to fellow visitors. Authorities need to provide safety to tourists and enforce laws most appropriate to certain circumstances.

Thank you and goodbye

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