Former foreign affairs minister Kasit Piromya has compared the ASEAN Economic Community to a big cake with all member states getting big pieces, regardless of how it may be cut, and enjoying benefits from sharing.
The former foreign minister delivered a speech on the topic “Thai graduates and labor movement in ASEAN” during the opening ceremony for Prince of Songkhla University’s (PSU) ASEAN Week at Hat Yai campus.
He said the labor movement provides for exchange and cooperation between the ASEAN member states, which should not be considered by any side as winning or losing and compared ASEAN to the cake which gets bigger from integration, resulting in all partners to have a bigger share once the cake is cut.
He said the general public, universities and others should adapt themselves according to the changed context of the ASEAN and global community with an emphasis on the universities to prepare students to compete in a bigger labor market among a total of 650 million population.
He said the Thai people have remarkable capabilities regarding such things as science, medicine, tourism and management, adding that the country’s role as a regional medical hub will allow professionals to work and invest in other ASEAN countries.
He added that Thailand must also improve in areas which might be lagging behind its neighboring countries.
