Thailand: Comment - Automobile sector reflects Thaksin era's neglect in development industrial development policy.

(From Thai Press Reports)

Section: Commentary - The Nation - Last week the government made a decision to abolish the previous government's policy goal of manufacturing two million cars per annum, The Nation reports.

It also called off the support for the auto industry as a strategic sector or "global niche" due to the absence of comparative advantage, high dependency on foreign investment and technology, and high protectionism. The auto industry is therefore the second industry after textiles and clothing for which the government has discontinued support as a strategic industry for Thailand. (It should be noted that the government recently terminated the Bangkok Fashion City project.) Such measures reflect the …