Dr Saowaruj doesn’t want to cast a negative light on the AEC. After all, she supports much of what it is trying to accomplish.
“Asean has had great success in eliminating most tariffs for inter-regional trade,” she said. “And I think the AEC provides good motivation for the government to do something about the service sector.
“I’m an economist—of course I support a competitive, free and fair market. But we have a long way to go in many sectors. Just look at telecommunications; it is not competitive and is run by only three companies. It would be better to open the market up to foreigners and allow more money and technology to flow in. In fact, any industry that is high-capital and high-tech should be opened up