TOKYO, Feb 9 — Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha invited Japan's private sector to support joint projects in Thailand and promised to facilitate their investment.
During his visit to Japan which began Sunday and ends today, Gen Prayut today met a delegation led by Teisuke Kitayama, president of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, at Tokyo's Imperial Hotel. Mr Kitayama said that despite flooding and political problems in past years, Japanese investors, especially those running small- and medium-sized enterprises and energy operators, remained in Thailand.
The prime minister said that Japan should consider Thailand as the center of ASEAN and that Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation should consider into informal loan problems.
As chairman of the Japan-Thailand Business Forum (JTBF) and the Japan-Thailand Association (JTA), Mr Kitayama said JTA had been established more than 80 years ago, while JTBF had been the primary grouping of Japanese businessmen in Thailand since 2002. Both organizations were closely connected.
He said members of the organizations would visit Thailand in the near future to meet representatives of the Board of Investment, the Tourism Authority of Thailand and Japanese banks in Thailand.
Gen Prayut said that his government had projects to develop economic and transport infrastructure as well as connectivity with neighboring countries. Besides, Thailand plans to develop the Dawei special economic zone in Myanmar with Japan.
So, Gen Prayut asked Japanese operators to support those projects. He promised that his government would do its best to support their investment in Thailand. (MCOT online news)
