All public and private sectors of Thailand have been urged to adjust themselves to seek new opportunities from the establishment of the ASEAN Community by 2015.

Thailand believes that the integration will bring not only great opportunities and but also pose challenges. The Thai Government urged all sectors to well prepare long-term targets in order to benefit from the new opportunities.

At a recent workshop themed “Thailand's progress toward the ASEAN Community”, Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said Thailand will no longer be a market of 65 million but 600 million people when the ASEAN Community is formed.

Thailand needs to revise certain rules and regulations so that it will not be impacted by non-tariff barriers, she stressed, adding that her Government has worked out four major strategies, focusing on enhancing competitiveness and developing Thailand into a higher-income nation.

For the private sector, the PM said the country will seek business partnerships to create regional production networks, while upgrading the standards and quality of products to meet the demands of consumers in ASEAN and other regions.

Members of the public sector should improve their language skills and prepare for free inflows of products, services, and labour, she said, adding that Thai people need to preserve and promote their identities in the ASEAN cultural diversity as well as learn new things from ASEAN integration.-VNA