Good evening dear Thai citizens

First of all, on behalf of the Royal Thai Government and the Thai people, I wish to express my heartfelt condolences to the government and people of Nepal following a devastating earthquake this past Saturday (24 April 2015). It was the strongest tremor to have struck Nepal in 80 years. Such tragedy resulted in many fatalities and injuries as well as catastrophic damages to houses and buildings in Nepal.

Their Majesties The King and Queen have designated the Rajaprajanugroh Foundation under  Royal Patronage to expedite assistance for the quake victims, and have also donated a total of 10 million baht to assist the operation. At the preliminary stage, the Thai government has donated 200,000 US dollars or approximately 6 million baht to the Nepalese government. We have also sent a letter of condolences and sympathies to the government of Nepal, and will continue to provide as much assistance as we can. The government is mobilizing efforts from the Thai people to help the victims of this tragic incident. By His benevolence, His Majesty the King has donated the aforementioned sum of money to the Nepalese government.

This past Tuesday, the weekly Cabinet meeting resolved to donate another 100 million baht to Nepal as proposed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The money will be used in the transportation of necessities and medical teams. The first batch of assistance has already been sent. More rescue teams and donations are on the way. We were supposed to send them today, but due to technical difficulties in aviation, they will leave Thailand tomorrow. Food supplies, drinking water, and sleeping kits will be sent as well.

Although it may not be that much, the Thai government and the Thai people are determined to do the best we can in providing assistance to Nepal, one of Thailand’s closest friends. Thailand and Nepal are like family. We have a lot of things in common. I also recently met the Nepalese Premier during a visit to Indonesia where we both agreed to discuss trade and investment opportunities. Unfortunately, this disaster happened. I also told the Nepalese ambassador that Thailand as a member of ASEAN and as a regional partner will not leave anyone behind. We have long been close friends.

Thailand has delivered and is sending more support and assistance in various forms according to the needs of the Nepalese people such blankets, food, tents, medicines, first aid kits, and drinking water. We are sending medical teams, rescue operations, forensics teams, officials, volunteers, and military as well as canine operations to search for survivors and assist the victims as many ways as they possibly can. The first batch of assistance was sent to Nepal on Tuesday, 28 April 2015, on a C-130 airlifter. The team comprised medical personnel who would set up a field hospital at the quake site and also act as medical coordination center. In addition, a team of forensic scientists will be sent there to prove the identity of the deceased victims.

Furthermore, the Royal Thai Government has set up a help center located in the Royal Thai Embassy in Kathmandu, Nepal. The center is responsible for assisting Thais residing in Nepal as well as coordinating other assistance efforts between Thailand and Nepal. The center has been able to facilitate the return of a group of Thais and is working to bring back more. Thanks to the Foreign Affairs’ Ministry and other Ministries for their speedy efforts, allowing smooth operations while I was away on my overseas trip to the ASEAN Summit. I talked to the ministers on the phone and they told me they were ready to help Nepal. All I had to do was approve in principle, so that they were able to expedite whatever needed to be done.

Those who wish to make donations, in the forms of both money and necessities, are encouraged to do so at

- Damrong Tham centers

- Royal Thai Army Radio and Television Channel 5

- "Send Thai Hearts to Nepal", account no. 067-0-10330-6, Krungthai Bank, Government House Branch.

- TMB Bank Sanam Pao Branch. Account name is “Thai Army Radio and Television Channel 5 Helps Nepal”. Please note that, all contributions are tax deductible. Make sure you donate through the right channels.

Seven Eleven braches are also collecting donations to be included to the government fund for Nepal. As of Tuesday April 28, 2015, a total of 56.39 million baht was donated to these accounts. There should be a lot more by now as I speak. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all governmental agencies, the private sector and the public for such welcome support. Thais are second to none in terms of generosity. Today, our friends are desperate for help. No questions asked, we will provide assistance as much as we can. Through good times and difficult times, we are true international friends.

The ASEAN Summit is a stage where member nations seek to strengthen ties as well as reach out to the international community especially in the fields of economic affairs, social affairs, and regional security. ASEAN is becoming more important in the international stage in terms of tourism, trade, and investment. Our voices will be louder when we come together. There will be more trade and investment. It is important that we push for growth in tourism, trade, and investment. Amidst economic instability in many developed countries like USA, Europe and Japan, it is a must that ASEAN nations join hands to strengthen the region’s trade and investment sector. This is particularly so for Thailand and our neighboring countries. If high level markets are saturated, we need to look for opportunities in other markets. We aim to enter all markets including Island countries and African countries and enhance cooperation with them in all areas as well. I told all ministries especially the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to put proactive policies in place, creating better connectivity with other nations. ASEAN should be viewed as single market with potential for growth which houses more than 625 million people.

Today, the total value of Thai exports to other ASEAN countries accounts for 26 percent compared to what we export to the rest of the world. If ASEAN nations are able to increase the value and the proportion of their trade, regional economies will surely stabilize. It should always be a two-way trade when both nations gain in order to prevent trade deficits. The rule is that all members must walk along side each other without anyone left behind. If members are strong, ASEAN is definitely strong.

This week, from April 26 to April 28, 2015, I took part in the 26th ASEAN Summit which was held in Malaysia, with an aim to promote regional connectivity and stronger ties in all aspects. The summit dubbed “Our People, Our Community, Our Vision” touched on many significant issues as follows:

(1) Structure, development, and formation of the ASEAN Community, which will be realized within 2015.

(2) ASEAN’s aim and vision after 2015. There should be a post-ASEAN Community plan to steer us in the next 20 years or so.

(3) Strengthening of ASEAN mechanism as well as all the stakeholders involved in ASEAN. All of the leaders I met said they were ready to cooperate with Thailand.

(4) Diplomatic relations between ASEAN nations and their peoples. ASEAN citizens should realize what they will gain from this formation and what it will be like in terms of economy. Small, medium, and large enterprises should understand this fact. Livelihoods of ASEAN citizens will be improved. Individuals must improve themselves while the government will support whatever needed to achieve that goal.

(5) Promotion of continuous cooperation in various aspects between ASEAN countries.

I had a chance to meet other ASEAN leaders, representatives from the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, and ASEAN youths. We exchanged thoughts and ideas on many issues. I voiced my opinion on the establishment of the ASEAN Community, with “people” as its center and under fair regulations, meaning people should be the ones to gain from ASEAN. Today, the government will need support from the private sector to ensure its successful establishment. Rules and regulations that are outdated must be revised. All ASEAN citizens, including the poor and the underprivileged, must have equal opportunity and benefit from this formation. I also proposed this to the meeting, saying we should never give our attention only on medium and large businesses as ASEAN nations heavily rely on low-income people.

I also talked to representatives from the private sector about approaches for ASEAN to improve its position in the international stage. The Royal Thai Government supports the private sector to gain maximum benefit from the ASEAN Community, welcoming and facilitating trade and investment of the region. For instance, Thailand is setting up special economic zones along the borderline, improving checkpoints, eliminating customs clearance procedures, and developing infrastructure. This is what we have continued to do, given that the ASEAN Community will finally be formed at the end of this year. We still have to speed up our efforts. We are 70-80 percent prepared for the AC now due to our efforts and we shall push forward at this pace. Thailand needs to enhance its competitiveness and uplift its potentials. As a matter of fact, I don’t want to use the word “compete”. We all should do it through strategic partnership in ASEAN. If only one gains, the other side will not want to cooperate and as a result, there will be fierce competition. This will drive prices even lower. I told my colleagues about this and they shared this point. We also discussed the possibility of countries whose products are similar in terms of adjusting their proportions in the market as well as making joint investments and sharing profits.

In reference to the ASEAN Economic Community, I suggested that we create and improve “ASEAN Brand” for the products we already have such as crops and produced food. Doing so would put us on the global map and in a better position.  In the past many would say that ASEAN was far behind in terms of development and technology. This is why we need to improve our products, starting with food. As there remain some problems in the export sector for certain products, I have had to call for quicker efforts by various groups and agencies for product certification and inspection. Interested countries are unable to import Thai fruits due to lack of certification. Please have this matter done quickly. Fruits, crops, and other agricultural goods can be an answer to the problems in rice and rubber industries. Goods for export must be certified as soon as possible. We also need to promote careers in agriculture among youths and the next generation of farmers and agriculturalists  such as through “Smart Farmer” project as well as encourage young entrepreneurs who will be key drivers of the ASEAN economy. These youngsters will carry on the family business. The process must start now. Youths may be divided into clusters or categories such as business groups and agriculture groups, in order for them to know each other at a very young age. Parents are business owners and will be passing on the business to their children. These youths will grow up to be fine business owners. The important thing is they must know each other now, so that they can be partners when they grow up. Do it as a family. It is them who will bring this region growth.

I also had bilateral discussions with many leaders including Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Malaysian PM, and the Vietnamese PM. All of us agreed that we have to push for more concrete cooperation. I suggested other leaders that we as governments need to support the people while the private sector needs to build growth. As for Thailand, the government is mobilizing efforts in all areas, especially in areas where we need to be ready. Thailand must be ready. Other members must be ready as well. There will be more cooperation in terms of trade, tourism, and investment as well as measures to tackle agricultural problems. I also invited them to invest in Thailand’s basic infrastructure development while promoting regional connectivity through the establishment of special economic zones.

Before departure, I took part in the 9th leaders-level meeting over the Indonesia - Malaysia - Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT). The meeting agreed to expedite the development of transportation links along economic corridors, as well as an expansion of cooperation in land, sea and air transport, all of which will help facilitate businesses. The meeting also discussed the development of the three main economic crops including rubber, palm, and oil. I proposed that we cooperate in developing the rubber market and elevate the quality of palm and oil. The topic of “Rubber City” was also raised during my talk with other leaders. Cooperation in terms of certification of halal food is very important. Thailand has high potential in the halal food industry. We will partner up with countries which have great potential in the halal food sector as well, in an attempt to improve the quality of life of both Buddhist Thais and Muslim Thais. I believe that once the economy is stable, our society will be peaceful and stable.

The current government stresses great significance on building good relations with the international community, given that we did not come by elections. We have always stood our ground and tried to convey to international society that we are currently employing our utmost capabilities to effectively administer the country given the necessity in coming to do so, as well as re-establish peace and safety in our society. We must revise strategies used in the past to be suitable to modern society in order to ensure that the work of the government is productive as well as effective. We are committed to serve this country. Although not everything has been fixed, this government started a lot of things for Thailand. Some are being done swiftly while some are going step by step. When we came in, there were a lot of issues that need to be addressed. The world economy as well as the Thai economy was not doing so well. We have seen decreasing revenue, resulting from the dropping prices of agricultural goods and lower prices of fuel and hence lower fuel taxes. Lower prices of fuel was probably the main factor due to the fact that Thailand imports and exports a large amount of energy. Thailand exports what it has in excess. What we refine falls into several categories and what we don’t use we usually export. At the same time, what the country produces is not sufficient for domestic consumption, forcing us to import more energy. Due to the decreasing prices of fuel for both export and import, the government is unable to collect as much in taxes as it should. Please understand this fact. Despite having to resolve a number of economic problems, the government has been fully committed to other pressing issues, be they security, aviation, human trafficking, deforestation, and the drafting of new constitution – all of them have to be comprehensively addressed. I want us to first pay our attention to problems concerning the economy and national security. We have been quite successful so far. However, as you know, solving economic problems will take some time as the matter takes several factors into the equation, both domestic and international. Higher prices of fuel would only result in increasing prices of consumer goods. People are always satisfied when the fuel prices are low. But let’s not forget that it comes with other consequences. Nevertheless we are constantly trying to find solutions, and this government does not shy away from any problems. We listen to all and will try our best to resolve them. Our ways of resolving problems may not be different from others. But the difference is that it will be faster and with more tangible results. We will strengthen our infrastructure and improve technology as well as modernity. We have always been communicating with Thais and foreigners, clarifying all situations that could be misunderstood or misconstrued by enhancing mutual trust. We have also been building confidence with the Thai people. Please be confident that we will perform our duties with honesty, transparency, and impartiality.

I would like to say that I am very glad to see Thai people place more importance on preserving the Thai culture and traditions. I do not wish to call it a “trend”, because every Thai should love and pride themselves on having such unique cultural values which have become a part of everyone’s daily life, especially for our children and youths, and should be passed on to future generations.

There may be some adaptations of course, but we must not forget our foundations. Responsible agencies should take this into consideration and preserve the uniqueness of our culture, which is particularly enjoyed by tourists.  We also want all our children to be proud of being Thais. You don’t need to copy others, as some things, such as on social media can have the ability to misguide you or lead you to either the right or wrong direction. We must have the awareness of certain foundations so as not to be easily misguided, but consider things that can benefit rather than things that can damage yourself, your family, and your country. If this is possible, there will be more appreciation for Thailand and we will have more visitors to our country. There will be more businesses. Hotels, food stores, and other services will prosper. We need to be good hosts. Thainess exists in all forms, be they consumption, tourism, and even in the form of assistance and support. Not only will this help Thais live together in a peaceful society, it also showcases the positive side of Thailand in the global stage.

I cannot give all the credit to the government, but everyone – civil servants, local administrative officers, and the public - should be accounted for. Everyone has been doing a great job during the past six months and almost a year with the NCPO. We need to stop the bleeding and recover by making our country stronger day by day. However, the country cannot get up and run right away as it had been in a bad condition for a long time. I would like to encourage more positive thoughts and opinions as well as for us to be more aware of the positive changes that have taken place. Whatever works and is appropriate should be supported while whatever has not worked so well should be pointed out so it can be improved. Make suggestions and we will reason together. I alone cannot answer everyone’s questions. Please send you questions to the Office of the Permanent Secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office. There will be people in charge who can give you answers. You can always make complaints at all Damrong Tham centers as well as governmental offices nationwide. If they can’t answer you, they will forward it to me.

I would like to mention a project called “Na Siam” which has been launched by Chulalongkorn University in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, opening up opportunities for children and youths to present creative thoughts and show off their abilities such as musical talents. The project receives great cooperation from national artists who will share their experiences with interested students. Activities are held at Siam Square One every first and third Sundays of each month and will run until June. Please look for more information online and take your children to join the activities.

Before I pass this stage onto Gen Thanasak Patimaprakorn, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, I would like to congratulate “Nong May”, Ratchanok Intanon, who has just won the 2015 Asia Badminton Championships. I have already talked to her sponsors and the minister for sports about her success. But I also mentioned about how we as a society carry very high expectations on our athletes once they have achieved a degree of success, which can lead to a lot of pressure on them in the end. Instead we should support them to try their best, bearing in mind that with a victory you win an award, but with a loss you win valuable experience to do better. Either way, you will gain. Many athletes have had to cope with high expectations from fans. When these athletes win, their names are chanted. When they don’t win, their names are usually forgotten. This is not right. How shall we address this? Shall we consider more coaches, especially in sports psychology? Perhaps also in some sports, the athletes should be divided into two groups. The first group is recruited by responsible associations while the other group is recruited from regional competitions. This is to prevent nepotism. This is what I have instructed the Ministry of Tourism and Sports to look into. Next, you will hear from Gen Thanasak Patimaprakorn, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs. I’m sure he has a lot of things to say to you today. All deputy prime ministers responsible for different affairs are working very hard for you, mobilizing efforts in every ministry. Of course it is not 100% complete yet and there are lingering problems. And of course there will be those that do not approve. But please look at my intentions and that of the government’s. What we do is for the benefit of everyone and for people from all backgrounds. We are all stakeholders in moving Thailand to a brighter future. When I go abroad, I feel appreciated when Thais living and working overseas give me moral support. That kind of gesture really touches my heart. Sometimes I feel pressured to live up to their expectations and aspirations for Thailand, but that’s ok, I am doing this for everyone. Please have love for one another.

Thank you and goodbye

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