Thailand’s geography is suitable for agriculture because of its fertile nature. Due to the fact that the economy of Thailand still depends on export of agricultural goods and other kinds of industrial goods, when Thailand moves towards ASEAN Community in 2015, government must prepare for administrative and development policies as well as measures in order to promote people’s good quality of life, employment, wages, and sanitation because of the free flow of labour. From all reasons above, the interpellant would like to raise questions as follows:

1. How does the government set the guidelines for man, money, and natural resources management as well as other internal factors for competitiveness preparation in ASEAN Community? Please clarify in details. 

2. How does the government have policy for occupations and professions prohibited for foreign workers and free flow of labour including wages to be suitable, balance, and sustainable and how does the government have monitoring measures on sanitation of free flow of labour, up-to-dated fact-checking system and core database for population for related agencies which are the Ministry of Public Health, the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Interior, and the Royal Thai Police to have information to protect and control the communicable diseases efficiently and promptly? Please clarify in details. 

Answer to the first question Government had meeting for setting the strategies on moving towards ASEAN Community in 2015 and the Cabinet approved on 2^nd November 2012. These strategies are divided into 8 aspects as follows:

1^st Strategy To strengthen competitiveness capacity of products, services, and investment such as overseas investment promotion, trade and investment facilitation, competitiveness development, production capacity increase, and standard and marketing improvement

2^nd Strategy To improve quality of life, social protection, social welfare system and living environment

3^rd Strategy To develop infrastructure and logistics such as transportation routes, logistics, energy, and information technology

4^th Strategy To develop human resources in educational sector, labour and entrepreneurs and public sector

5^th Strategy To improve laws, rules and regulations to be in accordance with AC agreement, to facilitate trade and investment, to protect nation’s interest and increase competitiveness of Thailand

6^th Strategy To promote understanding and awareness of ASEAN Community

7^th Strategy To strengthen stability such as international collaboration, land and marine boundary area management and promote good governance

8^th Strategy To increase capacity of city in order to connect ASEAN member countries. Cities are divided into capital city, metropolis, industrial city, tourism destination city, boundary trade city for developing provinces efficiently and in the right direction   

All of the 8 strategies cover every aspect relating to moving towards ASEAN Community. Each strategy consists of tactics and measures, integrated work performance and budget plans among public agencies which will start in the fiscal year 2014. Besides these 8 strategies, government also has national strategy for creating stable and sustainable economic base in order to achieve 4 goals of nation within the next 10-15 years. These goals are as follows:

1. Narrowing the social and economic gaps;
2. Increasing competitiveness of the country in order to overcome middle income trap;
3. Growing with environment-friendly;
4. Efficient state administration.

The above 4 goals consist of 28 measures covering 58 operation guidelines. The related public agencies must integrate them and they will be their budget framework for the year 2014. In sum, preparing strategies moving towards ASEAN Community and national strategies mentioned above will be the policy framework for comprehensive resource management including budget, personnel and other factors moving

towards ASEAN Community and will be the dialogue framework with private sector for correct understanding and develop our country with the utmost integration and concrete results.   

Answer to the second question Mobility of Professions according to ASEAN Framework Agreement will be opened for 8 professions as follows: medical doctor, dentist, engineer, architect, surveyor, accountant, and tourism profession. At present, Thailand joins only 7 professions except tourism profession. Tourism profession will be opened for professions in travel agency and hotel businesses but not for tour guide because it is reserved for Thai people only. At present, the Mobility of Professions in tourism area is in the process of asking for approval from the Parliament according to the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand B.E. 2550, Section 190.   

Mobility of Professions in 8 professions is accepted by ASEAN International Profession Standard but it does not mean that labour has freedom to work without any regulations. When labour come to work in Thailand, they have to follow the laws and regulations in the country such as profession certificate, work permit, experiences prescribed by law.

In terms of sanitation measure for free flow of labour, ASEAN has agreement in ASEAN Public Health Ministeral Meeting such as cross-border communicable disease protection, regional universal healthcare coverage in order to mitigate effect from people in neighboring countries who cross border to Thailand.

 Moreover, in terms of improving people’s quality of life and social protection, The strategy of moving towards ASEAN Community includes cooperation among ASEAN member countries to increase capacity of monitoring, controlling, and preventing communicable diseases, emerging and re-emerging diseases through developing e-Healthcare service, one-stop service for screening and controlling diseases and setting up international coordination center for monitoring and preventing diseases. These measures will integrate the works of related public agencies.