BANGKOK, June26 — A recent poll shows that most economists view that national solutions by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) will have only short-term effects.
Bangkok University, Bangkok Poll, conducted an opinion survey on the first month of NCPO achievements from June 18 to 25 and collected views from 60 economists at 27 leading organizations during the period.
Of those responding, 62.6 per cent said that the NCPO solutions in the past month could handle national problems only for the short term; 18.5 per cent viewed the solutions as having long-term effects; and 10.6 per cent did not think the solutions would be successful.
Surveyed economists thought that gambling and illegal lottery suppression by the Peace and Order Council would be short-lived.
For reconciliation attempts, 53.3 per cent of the respondents viewed that they would be successful temporarily and 20.0 per cent thought they would fail. Meanwhile, 78.3 per cent of respondents expected the NCPO’s activities to entertain the general public would have only temporary impact.
Surveyed economists commented that the Peace and Order Council lacked long-term solutions in the past month, so problems might return in the future. They urged the NCPO to plan clear reform strategies that would solve all problems in a sustainable fashion.
Asked if the Thai economy would grow by 3 per cent this year, 51.7 per cent did not think so and only 25.0 per cent saw the possibility.
