ABSTRACT
Thailand continuously supported trade liberalization under APEC’s Early Voluntary Sectoral Liberalization (EVSL) initiative; yet, if Thailand’s attitude towards the EVSL process is scrutinized in detail, it is difficult to find instances where Thailand responded positively towards EVSL. For instance, at the Trade Ministers Meeting in Montreal in May 1997, Narongchai Akrasanee, who was a member of the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) from 1993 to 1995 and was also the former Minister of Commerce under the Chavalit Administration (November 1996 to November 1997), said that Thailand, as well as some other ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries, did not believe the sectoral approach could be applied universally. He also said that the criteria for selecting the sectors for liberalization should be established first in order to avoid future problems.1 At the Montreal meeting, Thailand was joined by many other developing members in seeking a delay in voluntary sectoral liberalization.2 Moreover, at the Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) in early September 1998, Thailand was criticized, even by other fellow ASEAN countries, for its reluctance to confirm the proposals on end-dates and end-rates in EVSL sectors except for the gems and jewelry sector.3
