Online battle rages: Thanathorn, Sombat broadcast gaming session in apparent cheeky swipe at Prawit

With Thanathorn having launched the much-hyped new progressive party Future Forward and Sombat leading recent protests against the junta, the pair put down their megaphones for a moment to assault each other’s fortresses – although the competitive event might have involved a more covert attack as well.

“Hitting the fortresses”, or tee pom in Thai, was the main theme of the gaming event, which attracted more than 2,000 viewers during a one-hour Facebook Live broadcast. While tee means hit, Pom is the nickname of Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, a senior government figure in the ruling junta who has been hit by a scandal after being seen in possession of dozens of luxury watches.
Whether the pair were mocking the junta leader or not, they used the gaming event not only to wage online war but also discussed the future of the digital industry in the “Thailand 4.0” era.
“The force of the modern game industry is very economically powerful in Thailand. Yet it remains largely underrated,” said Thanathorn, the 39-year-old automobile tycoon whose party launch last week has created a great deal of public enthusiasm. “If there is no adjustment of the fundamental economic structure, what will happen is Thai people will become unemployed and turn into technology slaves,” he said. “But we also have an option of becoming masters of technology.”

The solution was to build an economy that capitalised on the younger generation’s potential “to take control of the machines, which more and more will replace manpower. They can be programmers or robot coders, for instance.”
The gaming industry could be a good gateway for young people to access technology. With a cautious approach to develop the industry, marketing demand and supply would follow and eventually create a sound ecosystem, he said.
“Game, AI and virtual reality creators will be drawn into this system,” he said. “It may not happen fast but this should gradually turn younger generations to become absorbed with technologies and develop themselves accordingly.”
With more local demand and supply being generated, Thailand would be more self-reliant in terms of technology and generated more added-value domestic industries, he said.
“We have gamers with high potential who have won several international battles,” he added. 
“If we had more local demand, we would be able to make more products. With market platforms and the proper investment of time and knowledge, the young generation will always be able to come up with new creativity.”