Thailand may have difficulties developing a social welfare system

An academic sees difficulties for Thailand in building its social welfare system because national development in the past has gone in the wrong direction

Witthayakorn Chiangkun, dean of Rangsit University's Faculty of Social Innovations, said at a seminar that Thailand's social problems were a result of economic development which focused on achieving high GDP growth rate at the expense of the country's natural resources and which failed to narrow the income gap.
Mr Witthayakorn said Thailand needs to produce more basic necessities to accommodate its social welfare development, particularly medical doctors and medicine. He also said the state should fully support free education.

The seminar was held yesterday by the Social Development and Human Security Ministry to gather opinions for the drafting of social welfare development strategies to be carried out between 2007 and 2011.