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Deputy Prime Minister And Finance Minister Urges Relevant Parties To Keep Their Spirits Up For Developing The Stock Exchange Of Thailand In The Future

Date 03/05/2005

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Dr. Somkid Jatusripitak made a special keynote address commemorating the 30th Anniversary of The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET). At the event held in the SET building, Dr. Somkid praised all the relevant parties for the great spirit they’ve shown in driving the Thai capital market through some critical moments over the past 30 years.

He added that the SET’s success could be attributed to everyone whose accomplishments were based on the public’s interests, as well as their unity.

“Keeping our spirits up is important, since the capital market will become even more significant in the future. During the past economic crisis, the stock market played an important role in reviving the country’s economy while financial institutions were facing harsh times. Therefore, I have to thank all the relevant individuals in the capital market who helped strengthen Thailand’s financial system to its current level.

“Nevertheless, we can not yet be overly satisfied with what we have achieved. Even though the Thai stock market has strong fundamentals, it needs more improvements to attract more investors. Providing numerous types of investment alternatives, including equity, debt, and derivatives instruments is the right approach. Also, networking with overseas markets is beneficial as well,” said Dr. Somkid.

The Deputy PM and Finance Minister suggested a few strategies to improve the Thai stock market. He said, “If we want Thailand to be the regional financial hub, we need to pull in more joint ventures between Thailand and other countries. We should work to have these joint ventures list on the SET, particularly those in rising industries. We need new listed companies which offer an adequate level of liquidity and more share distribution among retail investors. Finding and listing these kinds of companies will help the SET in offering quality products for investors.

“Hence, I would like to ask the SET Board and every other relevant party to take a deeper look and discuss this issue based on the country’s interests. If the country can survive, so can all its people. I do hope to have an opportunity to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the SET.”