Background
To response to the globalisation and the regional economic and political development, the ASEAN Leaders had announced their intention to create the ASEAN Community at the Ninth Summit in Indonesia in October 2003 before ASEAN established the Vientiane Action Plan to realise the goal a year later. The ASEAN Community will be based on three pillars: ASEAN Political-Security Community, ASEAN Economic Community and an ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community.
The ASEAN Community will foster cooperation among ASEAN member countries particularly in terms of security by enhancing self-management capacity of regional security and economics by developing a single market and regional competitiveness. Moreover, environmental and regional social cohesion are also among the ASEAN’s priorities. It is expected ASEAN Community will significantly increase a flow of people (workforce, tourists and students), investment, trade (goods and services).
As a member of the ASEAN, an establishment of the ASEAN Community in 2015 will inevitably affect Thailand in every aspect. It is imperative that Thailand have to prepare ourselves not only for being a good member of ASEAN Community but for utilising the ASEAN Community