6 JULY 2000
UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
Thailand Update Conference
By CRAIG J. REYNOLDS
'The Promotion of Thai Studies in Australia' was the sixth Thailand Update since 1991 when the National Thai Studies Centre (NTSC) was founded. The Centre was initially supported by a grant from the Commonwealth government to promote and co-ordinate Thai Studies in Australia with special attention to instruction in Thai language. In conjunction with the Thai Studies programme at the Australian National University, home of the NTSC, the Centre has produced language materials, data papers, and an occasional newsletter. It also maintains a database of expertise keyed in as name, institution, research and teaching fields, and contact details.On this occasion, speakers from universities, the public sector, and the business world convened to suggest ways to increase public awareness of the importance of Thailand. Representatives from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Department of Defence, and the Department of Employment and Youth Affairs spoke about the needs of their respective departments. A session on 'What Business Wants from Thai Studies?' was particularly lively, with several business consultants sharing their experiences in advising foreign business people on how to operate in Thailand. It was quite clear that some business people had to be persuaded that they needed to be sensitive to cultural matters if they were to do business successfully.
Academics from around the country (Canberra, Sydney, Townsville in Queensland, as well as Melbourne) addressed problems in their respective disciplines. Many universities have strong links with Thai universities, in science and agriculture as well as in the humanities and social sciences. The basic problem with language instruction is that Thai is a 'small enrolment language' when compared to such languages as Japanese and Indonesian, and university administrators are not enthusiastic about funding programmes that attract small enrolments.
There was a general consensus that the NTSC should actively pursue its role as a national co-ordinator of Thai Studies and as a resource for those wanting to encourage the study of Thailand especially in the tertiary sector. The meeting felt there was a need for better Australian media coverage of Thailand and for the media to make more use of Australian expertise when seeking comment rather than relying on foreign experts who do not have an Australian perspective.
Last year's Update focused on the impact of the Asian financial crisis on the Thai economy. The suggestion for next year's Update was that it should focus on defence and strategic issues.
The National Thai Studies Centre in co-operation with the Faculty of Asian Studies and the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies of the Australian National University also organized a two-day 'mini-conference' in Thai Studies, Research on Thailand in the 1990s, which took place on 18-19 August 2000 in Canberra. Postgraduate and honours students as well as academic staff from around the country contributed papers on a wide range of topics. *
Dr Craig J. Reynolds
Australian National University
Inquiries: ntsc@anu.edu.au