Thailand, RI set to meet for economic talks

Thailand, RI set to meet for economic talks

BANGKOK (AFP): Senior Thai and Indonesian officials will
address bilateral economic issues Friday, a month before they
turn their attention to regional problems at an annual ASEAN
conference, officials said yesterday.

A primary concern at the two-day gathering, the second round
of Indonesian-Thai economic talks since 1992, is likely to be
Thailand's trade deficit which has kept pace with the countries'
growing trade volume.

Bilateral trade jumped from US$574 million in 1992 to more
than $720 million last year, according to Thailand's department
of foreign trade.

But Thailand's trade deficit with Indonesia leapt as well,
from six million dollars to $315 million during the same period,
a department official said.

Thailand's primary imports from Indonesia are expensive
refined resources -- natural gas and petroleum -- whereas
Indonesia imports mostly agricultural products, such as rice,
from Thailand.

Both sides would have a chance this week to offer ways of
expanding trade while righting the trend to lopsided growth, a
foreign ministry official here indicated.

According to Indonesia's Central Bureau of Statistics,
Indonesia's exports to Malaysia increased by 20.1 percent to
US$585.43 million last year from $487.53 million in 1992, while
its imports from that country fell 1.3 percent to $517.4 million
from $524.57 million.

Other topics at the talks this week may include investment,
air traffic control rights and international fishing rights,
another foreign ministry official said.

Wisber Luis, the director-general for economic relations for
Indonesia's Foreign Ministry is expected to represent his side,
an Indonesian embassy official here said.

The Thai Foreign Ministry has not yet settled on a
representative for its side, a ministry official said.

The meeting comes a month prior to the annual meeting of
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) economic ministers
in the northern Thai province of Chiang Mai on Sept. 19-24.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore
with Indonesia and Thailand.