July 4, 2024
BANGKOK – He was speaking at the closing ceremony of THACCA Splash — Soft Power Forum at Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre in Bangkok on June 30.
Apart from generating revenue for the country, he said soft power should help reduce social inequality and Thai people should benefit from it. Honing skills and creativity will benefit 20 million people, he said.
Surapong said soft power promotion would trigger management restructuring in the country, such as centralised budgeting to work on the strategy and establishment of creative culture promotion offices. The Soft Power Act is expected to be completed by mid-2025, he added.
On decentralisation, he said locals should take a role in driving the soft power strategy, such as setting up provincial creative and design centres, and soft power subcommittees.
“Public and private sectors should collaborate on driving the soft power strategy,” he said, adding that the public sector was responsible for legal amendment, building an ecosystem and setting up funds to facilitate the private sector.
Surapong said that Thai soft power would be promoted globally using cultural diplomacy. Thai ambassadors worldwide would collaborate with partners from other countries to drive soft power on the global stage together, he said.
He also vowed to host soft power promotion events every year.
“Everything that we make in the beginning might have flaws, but we are ready to improve,” he said, “We are working on the most difficult and ambitious work, and the starting point is today.”