Nevertheless, during the late 1980s, Thailand began to experience a period of growth and structural change, and became a regional investment ‘hot spot,’ particularly for labor-intensive manufacturing activities decanting from Japan and the Asian NIEs in search of lower-cost locations. In fact, over the last 30 years Thailand has experienced high and consistent rates of growth. Despite the various political and economic issues that remain, the Kingdom has shown great resilience in the face of both internal and external disruptions.