Thailand approaches aging society

BANGKOK, August 17 (TNA) - Thai former deputy prime minister Kosit Panpiumrat has warned that Thailand is approaching the aging society, as the number of people at working ages has been declining while that of the elderly has been increasing. Speaking at a seminar in Bangkok on Thailand's population development plan under the 11th National Economic and Social Development Plan, from 2012-2016, Kosit assessed that the Thai population should stop growing and remain at 66 million, and that by 2027, Thai people at working ages should bear heavier burdens of supporting children and the elderly. Kosit also acknowledged that there are as many as 2.5 million foreign workers in Thailand and a number of them are expected to return to their home countries in Southeast Asia in the near future, as their motherlands are speeding up development projects. The former premier suggested that the Thai government's implementation of macroeconomic policies now take risk factors, including the cost of welfare for the elderly into consideration, and that populist policies are necessary for the country's short-term economic stimulation. (TNA)