At the 34th GRIPS Forum held on 21 June 2010, GRIPS invited Dr. Chris Baker, freelance author, and Dr. Pasuk Phongpaichit, professor at Chulalongkorn university, to hold a panel discussion entitled “Thailand in trouble: Causes and Consequences” with Dr. Takashi Shiraishi, visiting professor of GRIPS acting as the moderator.
On the situation in Thailand, it was pointed out that one of the causes of the Thai political turmoil in the past five years is considered to be the rapid growth of the economy since 1980’s. The panelists explained that public frustration is not only due to the widening gap but there is also a complex social and economic background.
Despite the limited time, the two panelists answered questions respectfully during Q&A session. It was a very fruitful panel discussion.