Thailand IT Policy Analysis: IT 2000 to IT 2010

Introduction

Advances in science and technology, particularly in the field of information and communication technology (ICT), have played an increasingly important role across the world. Science and technology are now applied in every sector, including education, health, industry, politics, society, and the military (Petrides, 2000). Significant developments in ICT observed over recent decades have demonstrated its growing effect on economic and social activities worldwide. ICT has played a notable role in the economic growth of both developed and developing countries in recent years. Many development strategies have focused on pursuing economic policies that seek to create a more attractive environment for the ICT industry. Such strategies are especially important for developing countries that wish to adapt ICT not only as a driver of new economic growth but also as a means of enhancing citizens' political participation and strengthening social processes through ICT's convergence effects (Ramilo, 2002).

There is little doubt that ICT has had a significant impact on most countries in the world, especially in the ways people communicate, work, and learn (Vu, 2004a). This paper explores and analyzes the IT policy of Thailand, discussing why the policy was formulated, what its goals were, and how it was implemented. In particular, the paper examines its implications for the public sector and offers suggestions for improving Thailand's IT landscape.

IT Policy Development in Thailand

Thailand has made progress in IT, though historically the government did not fully recognize the significance of IT and thus did not actively support its development — particularly the funding of information infrastructure. The private sector suffered as a result of this neglect: businesses urgently needed IT infrastructure to contact clients and suppliers both inside and outside the country. This situation ultimately called for a formal IT policy.

The Internet has revolutionized everything, from communication and entertainment to commerce. By one estimate, the Internet contains approximately 487 billion gigabytes (487 exabytes) of data, and by the end of 2010, there were more than two billion Internet users (Lynn, 2010). Nearly one-quarter of those users were members of social networking sites such as Facebook (F. Statistics, 2010). The Internet's extraordinary growth has been driven by its vast applications, relative anonymity, and global reach.

The Thai government was compelled to formulate and implement an IT policy for two main reasons (Guntasopatr, 1999): pressure from the domestic business sector, and pressure from international organizations and corporations. Guntasopatr (1999) concludes that the private sector played the central role in shaping Thailand's IT policy because it required a competitive tool for conducting business at both national and international levels. The private sector therefore insisted on the development of IT policies to reduce investment risk for businesses in the country. To advance this goal, the private sector organized a seminar and drafted an IT policy to present to the government.

First National IT Policy: IT 2000

The importance of information technology and telecommunications for economic and social development was recognized at the government level in Thailand as early as 1992, when the National Information Technology Committee (NITC) was established. The committee's primary task was to translate policies into practice. It was reorganized in 2003 and became the National Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunications (NCTIT), with representation from the newly formed Ministry of ICT. Additional government institutions — notably the National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre (NECTEC) and Software Park — were created to support the committee's work. These bodies took responsibility for drafting electronic transaction laws and computer crime legislation, addressing digital divide issues, promoting ICT use in the public sector, and supporting human resource development.

The first national IT policy, covering 1996–2000, focused on three core agendas: investing in information infrastructure; investing in people to develop an adequately trained human resource base in technology; and investing in good governance to ensure that IT implementation ultimately reduced economic and social gaps.

The IT 2000 policy treated IT as a tool for achieving broader national goals in both the economic and social sectors. Properly deployed, IT was seen as capable of extending employment opportunities for rural and urban Thais, improving democracy and culture, decreasing traffic congestion in major cities, providing equal access to education and healthcare, and protecting natural resources. In summary, information technology was viewed as a means of improving both quality of life and social equality. While the technology can have positive and negative impacts, a well-crafted policy was expected to help the country reach its national objectives (National Information Technology Committee Secretariat, 1996).

Agendas in IT 2000

The IT 2000 policy established three main agendas (National Information Technology Committee Secretariat, 1996).

The first agenda was to invest in a fair information infrastructure to empower human capabilities and improve quality of life. Investment in information infrastructure was intended to benefit ordinary citizens throughout Thailand and to boost the economy. The national information infrastructure envisioned at that time encompassed telephones, fax machines, switches, copper wire and coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, microwave transmission, computers, printers, compact discs, scanners, bar-code readers, cameras, televisions, monitors, and an expanding range of new equipment. Although telephone service and high-speed telecommunications networks existed in Thailand, their quality fell short of international standards, and telephone access was still unavailable in many villages. Service costs also remained a barrier, particularly for rural Thais.

The second agenda was to invest in people — specifically by spreading IT education and building a skilled IT workforce. Given shortages of skilled workers across many sectors, particularly in IT, the policy focused on IT education and e-learning. It also emphasized ensuring that information accessible through the internet was useful and relevant to Thai citizens, ideally created by Thai experts rather than relying heavily on imported content.

The third agenda was to invest in good governance. Under this agenda, the government committed to encouraging, promoting, supporting, and coordinating the establishment of institutional infrastructure, industry, and human resources. The government itself was expected to adopt IT and serve as a role model, meaning that every government institution would need both the technology and the skilled personnel to use it.

Critical Responses to IT 2000

The IT 2000 policy attracted criticism from several experts. Seymour, a professor of business and public administration at the University of Arizona, noted that Thailand's plan was "unusual and refreshing in that it does more than provide minimal lip service to the most important social and economic realities of the country. It tries to address them head-on" (Thaichayapong, 1997, p. 280). However, he also noted that the "prosperity" portion of the policy received less detailed attention.

Although the rationale and aims of IT 2000 were impressive, the policy was considered weak in practice because it required substantial government support in organizational and funding terms. Goodman expressed uncertainty about whether the government would follow through, and pointed to the challenge of deploying computers and equipment at the scale required (Thaichayapong, 1997).

Russell Pipe, then Deputy Director of the Global Information Infrastructure Commission, offered additional criticism. He observed that the risks involved in expanding IT infrastructure were significant and that expectations were very high. He noted that while IT 2000 aimed to provide IT facilities across the entire country, realistically it would take at least ten years to extend those services to rural areas — a problem partly attributable to the limited capacity of government institutions CAT and TOT to provide the required information infrastructure. Pipe also argued that Thailand's aspiration to become an information society in the coming decades was not entirely realistic, given the strong cultural influence of Buddhism, which he characterized as discouraging the kind of self-advancement the policy envisioned. He further pointed to the weakness of the Thai political system as an obstacle to decisive leadership in IT policy implementation (Thaichayapong, 1997).