I thoroughly enjoyed reading Dr. Kriengsak’s book “Focus on Thailand” (published April 2013). Dr. Kriengsak is a prolific author, having written over 4,000 newspaper and magazine articles on a wide variety of issues. Many of his articles focus on public policy and development issues. Dr. Kriengsak has also authored over 200 books and has presented more than 500 academic papers at international conferences.
I had the privilege of first meeting Dr. Kriengsak in March 2015 when he was a Facilitator for the Thai Institute of Directors “Director Certification Program”. His course topic was “Board Decision Making.” I was quite impressed with his presentation, so I was very pleased to later have the opportunity to read his book “Focus on Thailand.”
This book is a compilation of twenty newspaper articles which Dr. Kriengsak published during the period 2010 through 2012. I was both surprised and pleased to see that nearly all of these articles, though several years old now, still contain insights and wisdom which are relevant to Thailand today. I would suggest that history is the best judge of opinions and observations, and I find that Dr. Kriengsak’s writings still mostly ring true, despite the very significant economic and political changes which Thailand has witnessed since the publication of his articles and this book.
The twenty articles presented in “Focus on Thailand” cover a broad spectrum of Thailand’s issues and opportunities. Dr. Kriengsak skillfully uses his background as a PhD Economist and his training as a Master of Public Administration, along with his years of experience as a Thai Member of Parliament (MP), as an advisor to a Thai Prime Minister, and his experiences serving on national and international committees dealing with issues such as Labor, Social Welfare, Human Rights, and Foreign Affairs, to offer well balanced comments and recommendations to address pressing economic, social, and political problems facing Thailand.
Topics addressed by Dr. Kriengsak include populist policies, privatization of state-owned enterprises, corporate income tax reductions, nationwide minimum wage rate policy, welfare systems for the elderly, water management, conflict resolution in Thailand, Thailand competitiveness and readiness to join the AEC, and National Branding.
If you are genuinely interested in the future development of Thailand, and seek a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing Thailand, I highly recommend reading Dr. Kriengsak’s book “Focus on Thailand.”
Frank T.