Julapun backs Srettha’s salesmanship, promises investment will flood in

Speaking on Wednesday, the first of the two-day general debate against the government launched by the opposition, Julapun said Thailand would enjoy a deluge of foreign investment in the next one or two years.

During the debate, several opposition MPs accused Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin of wasting time travelling abroad to act as a salesman for Thailand. Some even ridiculed his efforts to woo foreign investors, saying only fools would invest in Thailand under the current situation.

In response, Julapun said the government has started receiving positive signals from foreign investors. He said Srettha has been travelling abroad to encourage investment in Thailand’s advanced technology industry, and especially the ambitious southern land bridge project.

Julapun said investors need time to consider investments of more than 100 billion baht.

“Nobody can make a decision in one day, so it needs a follow-up and continued talks. Each minister has been travelling overseas to follow up on what the premier has started, and they have received positive signs,” he said.

Julapun said foreign investors were showing great interest in Thailand because it has a skilled workforce and potential markets.

He added that once foreign investments start flowing in, a lot of new jobs will be created and the country will enjoy technology transfer, so it can catch up with the changing world.

He also denied that there were shadow prime ministers who bypassed Srettha to give orders as claimed by the opposition.

“I can hereby say that it’s your imagination. Thailand only has one prime minister, who is Srettha Thavisin. We work under this prime minister directly,” Julapun said.

As for queries over the delayed digital wallet scheme, he said all eligible Thais will get good news about the 10,000 baht handout on April 10, when the national digital wallet policy committee is scheduled to meet.