Who're Ready for Asian Community?

Who're Ready for Asian Community? 

Asian Community fewer is everywhere, in Bangkok Post, in Thai Rat Newspaper, on television, on radio, in class rooms, in seminars,  on the streets, in the coffee conners, in fresh markets, cities, towns, villages, and bra bra bra... 

Mr. Surin Phitsuwan, ASEAN secretariat announced that Asian Community now is not only dream but it's will be come real very soon. Therefore, every countries in Asian shall prepare for it.  Consequently, the Thai government has realized about this significance of readiness for incoming type of regional changing.  Foreign Policy is fully speed to make all domestic competencies in term of market improvement, public service efficiency and effectiveness reengineering, rural community urbanization, but political architecture and stable government is not included.  No need to discuss on this, it shows on T.V. everyday.  

All sectors have realized  how they were asked to prepare for the Asian Community certainly and how they should react to their future, yes!   A school in a small district away from Bangkok, the school director told his teachers that everyone must able to speak English or at least one of Asian language. And everyone must speak English a day in a week because we are going for Asian Community.  In a village, District officials visited community's leader and local people told villagers that they should know English, speak English because we will join the Asian community.  While on most tables have been discussing on the impacts of Asian Community, they have been also comparing on this matter with neighbor countries, for instance, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia including Singapore and the rest of Asia. Their concerns are advantages and disadvantages amongst them, not in term of cooperation and agreement types but it is in term of competitiveness amongst them.  I am saying that the clash of civilization(Huntington, 1993) is not active only in domestic environment but it can spread to the whole region. Of course, you versus me, they versus us, rich versus poor, have versus have not, will become the regional issues that is possible to create more serious conflicts due to differences on similarities. 

Thailand has full support to join the Asian Community. The nation-state is ready for it. However, there is still some minor obstacles on the preparation in business firms. The question is how Thai business firms improve their products and services to access into the Asian market? How Thai business firms increase their capacity and competencies to gain more advantages for maximum benefits from new emerge Asian market? (I leave the governments with the decision makers and their representatives, for me no need to discuss)  The following experience may be the answer. 

My breakfast is always hot coffee.  Espresso is my favorite one.  That day, fresh coffee was empty. One of my college offered me to drink an instant coffee that he bought from Laos a week ago.  That's O.K. better than hang over.  

Surprise me!.  What I see on the coffee pack which original from Laos the country on the less developed country's list are; four languages on pack, Muslim food symbol.  Look! the coffee product from local producer in Laos used 4 languages (English, Laos, Thai, Vietnam) for foreigners plus Muslim symbol for all Muslim in the world.  This product attempted sell around the world not only in Asian countries. When compare with the same product in Thailand I have found that Hao Chong Coffee is only two language (English, Thai) and Muslim food symbol.  


So, why this is a case?  Thailand is ranked as NICs that is going to be advanced in the near future. But recent uneven politics on current new constitutional architecture has not been designed yet due to lack of consensus amongst political movement groups. Amongst the major political interest groups are conservative and new progressive groups that actively influence how the new constitution should be rewritten.  Apart from the uneven politics, the slow responding to this case of Thai enterpreuner is considered as obstacles to gain advantages regarding to less or no far vision.  In fact, not many Thai business firms use English in market, so don't mention about other languages. The following photos show the comparison between Thai and Laos on coffee products. 

Picture 1:  Dao Coffee 3 in 1 Lao's product, there are four languages on pack (Laos, English, Thai, Vietnam)

Photo 3:  Kao Chong Coffee 3 in 1, Thai's product. You can see that it has better packaging but it is only one language while Lao's coffee product has four.  

Photo 4:  The same brand coffee product with only two langauges (Thai and English).  

It is clear that Thailand are not ready to Asian Community Market when compare to Laos.  The pictures illustrated that coffee product from Lao displayed four languages while Thai's coffee product used only two languages one is the national language and English.   It means at least more than four countries can access to Laos goods whereas only english used countries can access to Thai product.  Also, it assumes that Laos is ready to join the Asian Community than Thailand.