Key Results from Thai Science Ministry under the previous government

I have seen a copy of an interview transcript of the former Science Minister in the previous "Old Ginger" Thai Government, i.e. Prof. Dr. Yongyuth. I believe that the interview is not widely circulated and might not be found in any newspaper but I think a part of it is quite informative for the public and would like to reproduce it here in my blog in order to publicize and document it.

In that interview, the former Science Minister talked of his accomplishment in the past government. And remember that he is the only Thai science minister who is a real active scientist, not a law-degree politician like others. And since the Thai news media have widely stereotyped the former PM Surayud 's government as slow-acting, no concrete outputs, I 'd like to show that at least he got something well-done in the Thai Ministry of Science & Technology under that government.

Prof. Yongyuth said :-

"the main focus of the Ministry work was to initiate and seek government approvals of various policies. I believed we have successfully implemented this approach. I would say the following laws, Royal Decrees and policies which were passed to be the highlights of the ministry of Science and Technology :-

- National S&T Innovation Law (a national policy system with Thai Prime Minister serving as its Chairperson)
- Law to Support S&T Professions (eg. chemists, environmentalists, nuclear physicists). We had waited ten years for this law to be passed.
- Nuclear Energy Policy
- Approved GMO policy on field testing of GMO crops in government research lab facilities.
- Biosafety Law for further GMO trials and environmental releases.
- THEOS (earth observation satellite) which is expected to be launched sometime in March 2008, pending on the outcome of discussions between Russia and Uzbekistan (in which debris from the launch will land)
- Royal Decree for the creation of the National Synchrotron Research Center in Korat (Nakhon Ratchasima)
- Royal Decree for the creation of the National Astronomical Research Institute in Chiang Mai
- Royal Decree for the creation of the Hydrology and Agricultural Information Institute in Bangkok
- Royal Decree for the creation of the National Innovation Agency (NIA) "