The Committee on National Security, Border Affairs, National Strategy, and National Reform of the Parliament recently organized a seminar to discuss the policy to drive unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology in Thailand. The UAV seminar and exhibition were held on 7 February 2023 at the Government House.
The seminar was aimed at gathering information and perspectives of the public, private and people sectors concerning UAV technology and how to deploy the UAV policy to drive the growth of this important industry. The exchange covered UAV technological advancement, standards and regulations to develop Thailand’s competitive advantage in certain areas and industries, including military & national security, precision agriculture, mapping & survey, surveillance & monitoring, emergency management, and entertainment.
In his opening statement, Committee Chairman Mr. Manoon Sivapiromrat remarked that UAV represents one of the new S-curve industries for Thailand. The technology has implications on many sectors including the manufacturers and wide-ranging applications. His committee is keen to see proposals on regulation scheme, frequency management and multi-level trainings in various facets of UAV applications. He went on to say that measures need to be put in place to unleash Thailand’s potential in UAV. These include tax reform to foster local UAV manufacturers. This seminar will shed light on the barriers faced by players in the industry and society and lead to recommendations to create an ecosystem in which local manufacturers can thrive and prosper in the global market.
In this event, NXPO played an active role in formulating policy recommendations on UAV and coordinating exhibition displays by UAV manufacturers, importers, users and research institutes. The displays included some local innovations such as agricultural drones, solar inspecting drones and drones for natural resource surveying. Suranaree University of Technology showcased its drone-acquired aerial data service platform and drone service platform, both of which were developed with grants from the Program Management Unit for Competitiveness (PMUC). The seminar which was attended by 200 participants is a collaborative effort of NXPO and the State Security Committee.
The seminar covered presentations and discussion in three particular areas: 1) UAV applications such as national security, agriculture, surveying, disaster management, and logistics; 2) drone industry landscape such as manufacturing, maintenance service, staff training and EECi’s role in drone industry development; and 3) drone regulations. During the focus group session, participants exchanged views on UAV policy deployment. Information and results from this seminar will be used towards the development of policy recommendations on UAV to present to the State Security Committee.
