Thailand to join OECD as invited

BANGKOK, April 10 (TNA) - Thailand will join the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in the foreseeable future as invited, when more national strengths are realized. Minister Attached to the Prime Minister's Office Kobsak Pootrakool told the government's stance at a seminar on Thailand and national reforms, held in Bangkok on April 9, acknowledging that the Thai Kingdom is only the Asian country OECD has invited to be a new member in its latest report released recently. The minister noted that there have been only two Asian countries so far, including Japan and South Korea, invited to be members of OECD, which is a world leading intergovernmental economic organization, thanks to national progress in many areas, namely education and public health, as well as Thailand's present status as a world high middle-income country with the proportion of the impoverished population falling to 7 per cent from 60 per cent in 1990 and targeting to achieve the status of a high-income nation by 2036. The minister pointed out, however, that there are other areas Thailand needs to further develop to meet international standards prior to its entry to OECD, as suggested by the 35-nation leading economic bloc, whose members mostly include European countries and the United States. According to the minister, the areas where Thailand needs to further develop include issues related to the illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, illegal migrant workers and aviation criteria based on the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), as well as welfare programs to take care of low-income earners, the elderly and the other underprivileged groups. Besides, the development of workers' skills to meet the demand of growing Thai industries, the improvement of government regulations to facilitate and further strength domestic investment and the provision of more equal opportunities to Thai women in the legislature and other sectors, as well as the solution to corruption are remaining factors Thailand needs to be addressed prior to the entry to the focal OECD bloc. Meanwhile, Porametee Vimolsiri, Secretary General to the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Board (ONESDB) is scheduled to meet OECD representatives on April 10 to discuss the solution to the issues and factors Thailand needs to address prior to its admission to the OECD group. (TNA)