Thai government develops "digital technology for all"

BANGKOK, September 21 (TNA) - The Thai government is accelerating the development of the digital technology for all, including over 17 million people in the local farm sector who will be upgraded to become "smart farmers" in the near future. Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha (ประยุทธ์ จันทร์โอชา) spoke of the move based on the government's Thailand 4.0 Policy while delivering a speech to inaugurate the "Digital Thailand Big Bang 2017" event, themed "Digital Transformation Thailand", at the IMPACT Trade and Exhibition Center in Muang Thong Thani on the outskirts of Bangkok on Thursday. The Thai prime minister suggested at the event, being held during September 21-24, that people need to change themselves in line with the changing global situation in order to move forward a national vision and his government is, thus, speeding up the development of digital services to ensure that Thailand always keeps pace with the world's more and more advancement. The Thai premier explained that his government plans to utilize the advanced digital technology to drive the national economy forward through reducing the economic and social disparity, providing all local communities and villages with equal access to the Internet system by 2018 to increase people's opportunities for online networking and learning and supporting online marketing and sale of community-based products, with an initial target of having about 50,000 items of community goods sold online by 2018 to earn local people more yearly income. The Thai prime minister said his government is also developing over 17 million younger generations in the domestic farm sector to become "smart farmers" who can manage their online farm businesses well for higher returns. Besides, the Thai government is developing the e-health system, under which people can access to online healthcare services, and the Digital Park Project Thailand, located on an over-600-rai plot of land, or nearly one square kilometer, in Sriracha area of the eastern seaside Chon Buri Province, set to be opened soon as part of the government-supported Eastern Economic Corridor Project, to become a new domestic innovative investment hub to attract more international investment plans. The prime minister revealed that the Thai government is also developing "Smart Cities" nationwide, first in seven provinces by 2018 and in all other provinces by 2021. The prime minister noted that the Thai government is also taking action to connect Thailand with the world community more concretely, while securing the national cyber system through expediting the production of more than 1,000 cyber experts in the country. (TNA)