Patrick H. Heywood was the guest speaker at the Pattaya City Expats Club (PCEC) meeting on December 29. He provided an interesting view on how investment in the Eastern Economic Corridor does not in and of itself mean a great benefit for Pattaya. Rather, his opinion was that Pattaya would have to seek its own opportunities from this economic development program that impacts Chachoengsao, Chonburi, and Rayong Provinces.
Chachoengsao, Chonburi and Rayong Provinces have been designated for the development of the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), a project for the economic development of Thailand’s Eastern Seaboard. Economic corridors often feature integrated infrastructure as part of the development, such as highways, railroads and ports.
Patrick is a UK national who has been associated with the Pattaya area for a number of years. He has previously worked in the media industry and then for twenty years as a Business Consultant and now majoring in Health and Education, sitting on various boards. He has just returned home to Pattaya after seven months assisting in the delivery of Covid 19 injections across all age groups and booster jabs. He was also the lead on the launch of a £3 million project that was a finalist in three National Digital Awards.
He explained that these 3 provinces were designated to be part of the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), a project for the economic development of Thailand’s Eastern Seaboard. He then described many of the features including an integrated infrastructure such as highways, railroads and ports. It will involve both government and private investment of 2.2 trillion Thai baht until 2026. Although Pattaya City is included in the corridor, it is not the primary recipient of the development projects.
The projects are already underway with many more to follow. Patrick cited four projects already in process as being) the Pattaya International Airport at U–Tapao in Rayong Province scheduled for completion in early 2022; the Maptaphut Industrial Port – Phase 3 in Rayong Province to be completed in 2026; the Laem Chabang Industrial Port – Phase 3 in Chonburi Province to be completed in 2023; and the High Speed Rail Link connecting 3 airports (Don Mueang–Suvarnabhumi–U-Tapao).
The development projects target the following industries: (1) Cars, (2) Smart Electronics, (3) Industrial Effluent, (4) Medical & Wellness Tourism, (5) Agricultural & Biotechnology, (6) Food, (7) Robotics, (8) Logistics & Aviation, (9) Biofuels & Biochemicals, (10) Digital, (11) Medical Services, and Defense & Education.
These projects will contribute 650 billion baht to the local economy through the creation of 160,000 new jobs plus 100,000 in other sectors. Thus, he said, the EEC is not Pattaya centric. But there should be some benefit for Pattaya depending on what it can offer to this increased income earning population which will be near but not located in Pattaya. He did not elaborate on what this will be, but rather invited his audience to think about what it means and how it might impact their lives as residents of Pattaya.
Upon conclusion of Patrick’s presentation, MC Les Edmonds brought everyone up to date on the latest events. This was followed by Judith Edmonds conducting the Open Forum where attendees can make comments or ask questions about Expat living in Thailand, especially Pattaya. For more information visit the PCEC’s website at https://pcec.club. Patrick’s presentation can be viewed on the PCEC’s YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccrReduLU1Q
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