Thai Minister of Digital Economy and Society Pichet Durongkaveroj hosts the ASEAN Smart Cities Network roundtable conference on June 8. (Photo: bangkokpost.com)
Bangkok (VNA) – TheMinistry of Digital Economy and Society in collaboration with the Ministries ofTransport and Energy of Thailand organised a round-table conference on the ASEANSmart Cities Network (ASCN) on Jun 8.
Earlier, the ThaiGovernment approved the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society’s action planto lure non-ASEAN countries for partnership and investment in smart cityinfrastructure to develop 26 smart cities in ten member states of theAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The plan is to focus oncountries that have strong capabilities and expertise in new technologies likethe Republic of Korea, China and Japan.
Local tech startups areexpected to benefit from the connected business ecosystem of the network thatis being led by Thailand this year as the ASEAN Chair.
The ASCN was initiated atthe 2018 ASEAN Summit in Singapore, with a mutual goal of creating sustainablesmart cities, promoting quality of life in ASEAN via technology and innovation,and coping with urban expansion problems like traffic congestion, poor-qualitywater and air, poverty, increasing inequality, the quality gap between urbanand rural areas, and security.
The ASCN’s 26 cities areBandar Seri Begawan (Brunei), Banyuwangi(Indonesia), Battambang (Cambodia), Cebu (the Philippines), Da Nang (Vietnam), Davao(the Philippines), Jakarta (Indonesia), Hanoi (Vietnam), Ho Chi Minh City(Vietnam), Johor Bahru (Malaysia), Kota Kinabalu (Malaysia), Kuala Lumpur(Malaysia), Kuching (Malaysia), Luang Prabang (Laos), Makassar (Indonesia),Mandalay (Myanmar), Manila (the Philippines), Nay Pyi Taw (Myanmar), Phnom Penh(Cambodia), Siem Reap (Cambodia), Singapore, Vientiane (Laos), Yangon (Myanmar),and three cities of Thailand - Bangkok, Chon Buri and Phuket.
Thai Minister of DigitalEconomy and Society PichetDurongkaveroj said that the 26 cities are considered pilot projects,whereby each country can propose up to three cities for collaboration in thecriteria of smart city development, promoting living quality through technologyand innovation.
As forThailand, development of smart cities is important as it helps improve theeconomy and better the society.-VNA
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