Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin recently justified his extensive international travels during his first 10 months in office as the leader of the Southeast Asian nation, as he highlighted in a detailed and widely broadcast televised interview.
Srettha, a real estate magnate and political novice who assumed the role of prime minister in August of the previous year, undertook 15 international trips and announced a temporary suspension of activities for two months in March following a public backlash.
“Some of these visits are not avoidable,” he said, referring to those for official meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as well as to China and Japan, while a third was to Sri Lanka to sign a free trade pact.
“It’s necessary to go,” he said in the remarks recorded in advance.
Other visits aimed to draw trade and investment, said Srettha, who has earned the nickname “Thailand’s salesman” for his persistent efforts to attract foreign investment to the country. He has frequently articulated his ambition to enhance Thailand’s appeal and draw in greater levels of international investment.
Srettha Thavisin, also known as Nid, is a Thai entrepreneur and political figure who has been in office as Thailand’s prime minister since August 22, 2023. Before his current role, he held positions as the CEO and president of Sansiri.