NBTC secretary-general Takorn Tantasith said recently that he would submit police request to the telecom panel for its consideration.

General Dejnarong Sutthicharnbancha, the Royal Thai Police spokesman, said recently after meeting with the NBTC over the spectrum request that the police would utilise the 4G technology and advanced devices to ensure public safety.

The police have already allocated a budget for the matter this year, he said.

He said that the NBTC had a role to support national security.

Other state agencies could use the planned 4G public safety network or the integrated communications channel for national security, he said.

He said the service would be initiated in Bangkok before expanding to other provinces.

The project did not require a heavy investment and would be carried out to provide the public with maximum benefit, he said.

A NBTC source said that the licensing body was highly likely to award the band to the project but on the condition it would be used on a PPDR basis only.

The project will also have to allow other national security agencies to use the band, the source said.

The NBTC would have to speak to other national security agencies to see what |they think about the project, the source added.

Earlier, police received a 450-470MHz band but it has been fully used.

The spokesman said that there are some 500 scholars and experts from 77 domestic colleges and universities, National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Science and Technolopgy, and National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium completing their endorsements online.

At the press conference, Huang Hsiu-mei, head of the Institute of Wildlife Conservation of the National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, said that the plastic auto parts plant planned for the Lung Chuan farming area by Formosa Saint Jose Corp. (FSJC) is just two kilometres away from her university. Hence more than 50 teachers and professors from the university alone have joined the endorsement campaign.

Huang called for the Pingtung county government to reject the application by FSJC to set up the plant on the farmland. “If the government fails to drop the project, our protests will continue” Huang said.

Wu Chang-ming, dean of the College of Agriculture of the university, said that there are many idle industrial zones, and therefore the FSJC should select a more proper site from among them for its proposed plant. Wu said the much higher land cost of industrial zones compared with farmland is something that the government should tackle.

Huang Ta-chun, an assistant professor at the Chia Nan University of Pharmacy and Science, said that the industrial waste from the proposed plant would pose an extremely hazardous environmental threat to farming villages in Neipu Township.

Chiy Yu-bin, president of the Taiwan Association for Human Rights, also lashed out at the Pingtung county government for failing to prevent industrial invasion into the farming areas in the county, adding that the government should try its best to preserve what is left of the country’s ever-decreasing agricultural land.

Li simply replied: “I love you.”

The deal was finally signed on March 28, 2010, making it the largest overseas purchase by a Chinese car manufacturer.

This anecdote was recounted by Zhang Yi, Geely’s deputy chief financial officer, at the China Forum on Global Corporations, held in Sanya on June 4-5.

The tale highlights not only Li’s wit and communication skills in intense negotiations, but, more significantly, also his respect for the union.

Such consideration of union members continues to be “a must” for Geely’s long-term success in overseas markets, said Zhang, who is also the auto company’s chief audit executive.

Attended by eminent business studies scholars, media professionals and representatives from some of China’s other “go global” brands, like Huawei, the gathering in South China’s Hainan province aimed at exploring ways to become international corporations.

A number of Chinese firms, state-owned and private, have rushed into the international market through investing in overseas companies, including many unprecedented large deals.

However, Wang Zhile, director-general of the Beijing New Century Academy on Transnational Corporations and the forum organiser, said few of these are truly global companies.

True global corporations, he said, represent a higher stage of development, reflecting a company’s global vision, respect for local rules, and fulfilling global responsibilities such as addressing social and environmental concerns.

Compliance, in other words, takes centre stage. It simply means, according to forum attendees, following international rules when they are sometimes in conflict with, or even contradict, China’s own domestic rules. Geely’s respect for local unions is such an example.

Chinese companies face daunting challenges in the overseas market. Many of them are too accustomed to the rules of their domestic market, where, as is often said, networking and courage play a far bigger role.

This may deliver short-term gains at home, but success internationally entails long-term commitment and sustainable growth.

“Being opportunistic may bring rapid development, but the end could be rather miserable once you fall,” Li told the audience in his opening remarks at the event.

And what is the key to success? “Always see compliance as a bottom line. Every small step forward would be a success, even though our development would be harder,” he said.

Under this guidance, Volvo has emerged from its difficulties since Li’s takeover and has registered a remarkable performance.

In 2015, for the first time in its 89-year history, it sold more than half a million cars (totally 503,127).

Sales in Europe increased 10.6 per cent. Volvo’s rebirth in the United States was strengthened with a sales increase of 24.3 per cent over 2015. Sales in China remained steady, but showed an upward trend toward the end of the year.

Volvo sold 334,808 cars in 2009, the year before Geely’s takeover.

It may still be too early to see if the growth is sustainable or how big a role compliance has played in the carmaker’s early success under Li, but increasingly more Chinese entrepreneurs have indeed realised the need for long-term and sustainable development.

Ren Zhengfei, founder and president of technology firm Huawei, once famously said: “There is no room for opportunism in the international market.”

Global corporations could also be China’s new contribution to the world economy.

The country has contributed significantly to the world economy over the past four decades through rapid growth. China itself has successfully developed into the second largest economy.

But size alone does not make greatness. At a time when the world economy is still trying to emerge from turmoil, China-based global corporations that focus on compliance and abide by international market rules could be the country’s fresh contribution, boosting world growth in a more sustainable way.

Facebook is currently the most popular social medium in Thailand with more than 30 million users compared with the country’s population of more than 60 million, followed by Line and YouTube.

According to Nielsen (Thailand), advertising expenditure last year rose to Bt122 billion, up 3.3 per cent from 2014. However, the spending on digital media, including social media, was still meagre.

Spencer said spending on Thailand’s online media was officially only 2-3 per cent of the total, but actual spending via the widely popular social media was much bigger than reported.

Stephen Li, OMD chief executive officer for the Asia-Pacific region, who covers 13 markets including China, Japan and Asean countries, agreed that social and other online media were on the rise. This has opened up new opportunities across the region on how to create ads and other content that can effectively help clients become part of people’s lives.

Mobile phones and other gadgets such as wearable watches are now people’s best friends, so advertisers have to find new ways to engage audiences while avoiding interrupting their activities.

According to Li, the trend is not to push for hard-sell tactics that may not work, but to engage audiences in a more subtle manner on multiple platforms.

However, he said television was still the medium that reaches the masses in Asia, as it currently accounts for 45 per cent of ad spending across the region, compared with 25-30 per cent for digital media.

In Thailand, TV rakes in more than half of the country’s total ad spending.

Channel 7 and Channel 3 remain in steady control of the lion’s share of TV ad spending, while new digital channels such as Workpoint, Mono and Channel 8 have witnessed a growing market share.

According to Spencer, Thailand currently has too many television channels after the granting of 24 new digital-TV licences.

However, there is a growing interest in e-commerce and TV shopping using digital-TV resources, especially among foreign operators from Japan.

He said the proposals had been given to Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak and would await Cabinet approval.

The first master plan, on developing the country’s tourist-destination facilities, includes a pilot project to invest Bt9 billion to develop Ayutthaya, whose Historical Park has been declared a World Heritage Site.

The money would be used to renovate the landscaping around the site’s buildings and develop transport systems such as waterways and trams, create zoning for home-stays, and create night-time lighting events. The province’s culture would be promoted, and the provincial museum brought up world-class standards. Safety concerns would be addressed, and and the transport network between Bangkok and Ayutthaya developed.

Tos’s working group believes these investments would double the number of tourists visiting the province to 18 million by 2025 from 7.7 million last year. This will increase the incomes of Ayutthaya residents from an average of Bt170,000 per year to Bt450,000 by 2025.

Moreover, the government would be able to apply the Ayutthaya model to other tourist destinations such as Sukhothai, Kamphaeng Phet, Pattaya and Chiang Mai, he said.

“In the past, the country did not invest in developing facilities in its tourist destinations, instead relying on word of mouth to spread the word and bring in more tourists,” he said.

“We have to change the tourism business by investing to develop tourist destinations and encouraging more people to visit them and spend more. This would also create jobs and double the incomes of people.”

Tos said the working group was waiting for the Cabinet to approve the plan and decide which ministry or department would be responsible for the investment.

The second master plan is research and development of local products. This was kicked off by Central Group early this year by selecting products that reflected the identity of the provinces they came from. The pilot project selected eight products from eight provinces to research and develop for distribution at Central shopping centres.

The eight products are sweet tamarind from Phetchabun, longan from Lamphun, cultivated banana from Ang Thong, San Yod rice from Phatthalung, mangosteen from Rayong, Nang Lae pineapple from Chiang Rai, macadamia from Loei, and versatile carpets from Phrae.

The San Yod rice project has generated income growth of 108 per cent, the macadamia programme 557 per cent, and the Phrae carpet project 316 per cent, affecting 768 families in total, he said.

“We are open for other corporates to join our programme by investing between Bt1.5 million and Bt3 million per product, or about Bt200 million for the whole programme covering 76 provinces. This will boost local people’s income, which in turn will boost spending for the long term,” he said.

The last plan is to boost border trade. The working group has proposed a pilot project in Mae Sot, Tak province, for a retail and wholesale centre to expand trade between Thailand and Myanmar. This project would be a collaboration between the Finance Ministry and private sector.

This project would get under way step-by-step. On June 25, the government will propose some of the plan to Myanmar’s government.

“We believe that when we carry out all of these plans through collaboration between the public and private sectors, it will double our country’s economic growth within 10 years. We will withdraw from the middle-income trap,” Tos said.

The forum will bring together the leading policy-makers, entrepreneurs, business leaders, academics and young leaders from the five nations to participate in the roundtable discussions.

About 600 participants from CLMVT countries as well as from countries in Europe, and Japan will join. Delegates will also be taken on a field trip to some of Thailand’s tourist destinations.

Apiradi said that closer ties among CLMVT countries should help promote trade, investment, and tourism growth together, as it will be a great chance for the government and the private sector to address problems and seek solutions, as well as promote collaboration in various sectors.

She added that CLMV is a high-potential market for Thai export growth because of the high population and the increasing purchasing power. Those countries could also be a bridge for Thailand’s shipment to third countries.

According to the ministry, exports to CLMV accounted for 10.4 per cent of the Kingdom’s total trading value. Investments in those countries also accounted for 10 per cent of total direct investment, while about 10 per cent of foreign tourists visiting Thailand each year come from CLMV countries.

Amidst the global economic slowdown, the CLMVT economy still enjoys strong growth, averaging 5.8 per cent annual expansion from 2011 to 2014, while income per capita is now US$2,927 per year. It also has a high combined population of 235 million, with most of the population in the working age. Tourism Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said that CLMVT countries could strengthen tourism cooperation and facilitate tourists to visit several destinations. The government also aims to promote travel to not only major cities but also to smaller cities as a strategy to spread income among local people.

This year, the ministry is expected to drive the number of tourists from CLMV countries to 10 per cent expansion.

Industry Minister Atchaka Sibunruang said that as foreign companies are considering investments in CLMV countries, Thailand, by virtue of its location could serve as a hub for the global value chain.

The CLMVT Forum will be held from June 16-18 at Dusit Thani Hotel in Bangkok. Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha will preside over the opening ceremony and speak on “CLMVT: Prosper Together”.

With cooperation from 11 alliance agencies from both the government and the private sector, the forum will be conducted under the concept of “Towards a Shared Prosperity”. Leading executives from major corporate giants like Nissan Motor Asia Pacific, Huawei Technologies, DHL, Accor Group, as well as rising-star small and medium-sized enterprises from the five countries will join the event.