‘Digital hub’ policies bear fruit

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has pledged to turn Thailand into a regional hub for the digital economy, implementing this vision through a suite of policies.
She made the remarks at a meeting with Irving Tan, Executive Vice President for Global Operations at Western Digital (WD), one of the world’s largest hard disk drive producers, during her visit to Los Angeles.
During the meeting Ms Paetongtarn said the digital economy is a key engine of growth and affirmed the government’s plan to establish Thailand as a regional hub for the digital economy.
She said the government aims to achieve this vision through policies including “Go Cloud First”, paperless government, the adoption of cloud technology and the digitalisation of government administration activities.
Ms Paetongtarn said the government will also promote the use of alternative and clean energy which is a critical component in building a sustainable digital economy.
She also stressed the government’s commitment to streamlining processes to ease foreign investment, with a focus on sustainable growth. She thanked WD for its interest in investing in Thailand.
Mr Tan agreed the digital economy is a key engine of growth and lauded the government’s policy that places an emphasis on promoting the digital economy.
He said WD considers Thailand as a major production base and expressed confidence the firm will invest more in the future. WD is considering opening an R&D centre in Bangkok, according to Mr Tan.
He said developing human resources skills will be crucial to the future of the economy, adding the firm is willing to cooperate with the government and universities in upskilling the workforce to meet market demand.
Ms Paetongtarn said WD operates two factories in Thailand — one in Ayutthaya and the other in Prachin Buri — and is committed to clean energy, with a goal of achieving 100% clean energy by 2030.
She said the firm has asked the government and the Board of Investment (BoI) to support its initiative, which she believed will create job opportunities for Thais. She added the government will promote language and skills development to align with industry needs.
Besides meeting tech industry figures, Ms Paetongtarn hosted a networking reception attended by executives of the Motion Picture Association (MPA) whose members include Disney, Netflix, Paramount, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros.
The prime minister said the filmmaking industry plays a crucial role in the government’s soft power promotion policy and Thailand can take lessons from the US, which “possesses the world’s strongest soft power”.
Ms Paetongtarn said more than 450 films from 40 countries were shot in Thailand last year, generating revenue of US$190 million, with 34 produced by the US filmmakers. She said the government will continue promoting the film industry and content creators and is ready to review measures including cash rebates to lure more foreign film productions.
MPA Chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin praised the government’s incentives for foreign film productions, which make Thailand one of the leading choices in the region. He said these incentives will help lure more future investment and expressed his excitement at the prospect of collaborating more with Thai businesses.
Mr Rivkin said the MPA’s operations injected an average of $1.3 million per day into the local economy while enhancing skills and creating jobs for the local communities.
The prime minister and her delegation will be leaving Los Angeles for Peru to participate in the 31st Apec Economic Leaders’ Meeting and related meetings scheduled for Nov 14-17.
She is scheduled to return to Thailand on Nov 18.