Sukavichinomics: Infrastructure as the Foundation of ACMECS (Ayeyawady–Chao Phraya–Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy)
1. Introduction
Although ACMECS (Ayeyawady–Chao Phraya–Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy) was formally re‑branded between 2003–2004, its strategic essence—connecting subnational areas through robust infrastructure—was first pioneered through Sukavichinomics. Developed during the 1990s under His Excellency Mr. Sukavich Rangsitpol, this approach laid Thailand’s groundwork for Mekong integration initiatives like ACMECS.
2. Parallel Visions: Sukavichinomics and Early ACMECS Trajectory
2.1 Sukavichinomics: The 1993 Mass Transit Systems in 8 Regional Cities
A comprehensive plan was drafted for mass transit systems in cities such as Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen, Nakhon Ratchasima, Songkhla, Phuket, Chachoengsao, and Chonburi.
Designed to transform regional centers into economic growth hubs—consistent with ACMECS’s goals of balanced urbanization in subnational areas.
Visionary mass-transit plans were drafted for 8 Cities—aimed at transforming them into regional growth hubs, in line with ACMECS’s goal of balanced urbanization in subnational areas. As of 2025, however, these mass-transit systems remain unimplemented.
2.2 Sukavichinomics: The 1994 High‑Speed Trains Master Plan
A proposal for six high‑speed rail (HSR) corridors spanning 3,400 km, linking major provinces and reaching cross-border gateways such as Nong Khai (Laos), Aranyaprathet (Cambodia), and Padang Besar / Su-ngai Kolok (Malaysia). This initiative anticipated ACMECS’s emphasis on transport linkage and cross-border mobility.
2.3 Sukavichinomics: The 1997 Asian Expressways Master Plan in Thailand (28 February 1997)
On 28 February 1997, the Cabinet approved a master plan encompassing 12 strategic expressway routes totaling 6,731 km, designed to align with the Asian Highway network and enhance connectivity toward Thailand’s borders. This groundwork supported the development of multi-modal corridors such as the East–West and Southern Economic Corridors—key pillars within ACMECS.
2.4 Sukavichinomics: The 1997 National Highway Master Plan (13 Routes, 4,135 km; 22 April 1997)
On 22 April 1997, the Cabinet approved a national highway master plan comprising 13 routes totaling 4,135 km under a people-first framework. Though this plan remains unfinished, its strategic importance aligns closely with enhancing road connectivity in border regions—reinforcing Bangkok’s role as a subregional transport hub.
These four pillars of Sukavichinomics reflect a cohesive infrastructure vision addressing both national development and regional integration, laying structural foundations later institutionalized under ACMECS.
3. ACMECS Alignment: Shared Strategic Pillars
The pillars of Sukavichinomics found resonance in ACMECS’s later framework:
Seamless Connectivity: Advocated integration of roads, rail, and transit networks for uninterrupted regional connectivity.
Synchronized Growth: Targeted underdeveloped regions and border economies to reduce disparities.
Smart & Sustainable Development: Emphasized future-oriented infrastructure planning reflecting ACMECS’s 2019–2023 vision.
At the 8th ACMECS Summit in 2018, the roadmap was crystallized under the slogan “Building ACMECS CONNECT by 2023”, emphasizing infrastructure, policy synergy, and human capital development.
4. ACMECS: From National Vision to Regional Collaboration
April 2003: Economic Cooperation Strategy rebranded at the Special ASEAN Summit in Bangkok.
November 2003: Rebranded as ACMECS via the Bagan Declaration in Myanmar; Vietnam pairs in 2004.
Structured around eight working-groups, with Transport Linkage occupying a central focus .
ACMECS matured through phases of regional alignment, supported by development partners—Australia, China, Japan, Korea, the U.S., and others—ensuring financing and technical synergy.
5. ACMECS Today: Operationalizing the Vision
Implemented through structured commitments and development mechanisms:
2019–2023 Master Plan with three pillars: Seamless, Synchronized, Smart & Sustainable ACMECS.
The ACMECS Fund and Infrastructure Fund were concurrently introduced as financial vehicles, echoing Sakavichinomics’s earlier capital master plans ([turn0search2]).
In the 10th Summit (November 2024, Kunming), leaders adopted the Vientiane Declaration, emphasizing border‑region connectivity, industrial relocation, and shared prosperity.
Recent Senior Officials’ meetings (e.g., Oct 2024 in Vientiane) reviewed progress on the three pillars and set the stage for the 11th Summit in 2025.
Sukavichinomics acted as the architect behind Thailand’s early connectivity vision, embedding infrastructure-led development into national and subregional identities. By 2003, ACMECS did not invent new priorities—it rebranded and systematized what Sukavich had already initiated. Today, the principles of connectivity, regional equity, and sustainable growth continue to guide ACMECS’s evolving agenda—a testament to His Excellency Mr.Sukavich Rangsitpol’s lasting impact on Mekong integration strategy.
6. ACMECS and the Fight Against Drugs in the Mekong Region
Thailand’s Role in Regional Cooperation Before the Establishment of ACMECS
Long before ACMECS was formally rebranded in 2003, Thailand played a pivotal role in fostering regional cooperation in the Mekong subregion—particularly in tackling transnational threats like narcotics trafficking. In 1997, Southeast Asia faced a major crisis centered around the Golden Triangle (comprising Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand), then one of the world’s largest sources of illicit opium.
In response, a high-level regional drug control conference was convened in Bangkok in July 1997, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education H.E. Mr. Sukavich Rangsitpol. This meeting catalyzed new frameworks for regional collaboration on drug control, focusing on prevention, enforcement, and alternative development.
His Excellency Sukavich Rangsitpol’s Role in Promoting Mekong Cooperation
His Excellency Mr.Sukavich Rangsitpol recognized that poverty, lack of education, and underdevelopment were key drivers of narcotics production in border areas. He therefore championed cross-border cooperation not only on law enforcement but also on economic development and education reform. His leadership during the 1997 Bangkok meeting emphasized:
•Intelligence sharing and joint operations among law enforcement in Mekong countries.
•Capacity-building programs to train anti-narcotics units.
•Alternative development projects in drug-producing zones such as Myanmar’s Wa State, where livelihoods were shifted from opium to legitimate agriculture and trade.
These integrated solutions anticipated future ACMECS strategies that combined security with socioeconomic upliftment—a cornerstone of what would later be institutionalized under the ACMECS development model.
Policy Shifts in Drug Control and Economic Development
By 1998, the coordinated approach championed by Thailand and its neighbors had contributed to a notable 80% reduction in opium cultivation across the Golden Triangle. This success validated the model of linking drug control with infrastructure development, education, and regional integration—key tenets of Sukavichinomics and eventual ACMECS policy.
Education and Sustainable Development
His Excellency Mr.Sukavich also advanced the concept of “Education for Life,” emphasizing the role of schools in fostering resilience, citizenship, and preventive awareness among youth in rural and high-risk border areas. His education reforms integrated:
•Drug prevention curricula
•Community-based school governance (SBM)
•12 years of free education policy
These reforms served a dual function: strengthening national human capital and insulating at-risk populations from the cycle of narcotics production. In the broader regional context, they were precursors to ACMECS’s third pillar: Smart and Sustainable Development.
7. Conclusion
The foundation of ACMECS’s integrated, subregional development strategy can be traced back to His Excellency Mr.Sukavich-led initiatives of the 1990s. From rail and highway infrastructure to cross-border drug control and education, his holistic vision placed human security, connectivity, and shared prosperity at the heart of regional cooperation. These early efforts became the operational blueprint for what would later be rebranded as ACMECS in 2003, proving that security and development are inseparable in the pursuit of a resilient Mekong region.
ACMECS บทความภาษาอังกฤษ tags ภาษาอังกฤษ และ บทความภาษาอังกฤษแล้วถูกซ่อนลิงค์ ต้องtags อะไรครับ?
1. Introduction
Although ACMECS (Ayeyawady–Chao Phraya–Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy) was formally re‑branded between 2003–2004, its strategic essence—connecting subnational areas through robust infrastructure—was first pioneered through Sukavichinomics. Developed during the 1990s under His Excellency Mr. Sukavich Rangsitpol, this approach laid Thailand’s groundwork for Mekong integration initiatives like ACMECS.
2. Parallel Visions: Sukavichinomics and Early ACMECS Trajectory
2.1 Sukavichinomics: The 1993 Mass Transit Systems in 8 Regional Cities
A comprehensive plan was drafted for mass transit systems in cities such as Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen, Nakhon Ratchasima, Songkhla, Phuket, Chachoengsao, and Chonburi.
Designed to transform regional centers into economic growth hubs—consistent with ACMECS’s goals of balanced urbanization in subnational areas.
Visionary mass-transit plans were drafted for 8 Cities—aimed at transforming them into regional growth hubs, in line with ACMECS’s goal of balanced urbanization in subnational areas. As of 2025, however, these mass-transit systems remain unimplemented.
2.2 Sukavichinomics: The 1994 High‑Speed Trains Master Plan
A proposal for six high‑speed rail (HSR) corridors spanning 3,400 km, linking major provinces and reaching cross-border gateways such as Nong Khai (Laos), Aranyaprathet (Cambodia), and Padang Besar / Su-ngai Kolok (Malaysia). This initiative anticipated ACMECS’s emphasis on transport linkage and cross-border mobility.
2.3 Sukavichinomics: The 1997 Asian Expressways Master Plan in Thailand (28 February 1997)
On 28 February 1997, the Cabinet approved a master plan encompassing 12 strategic expressway routes totaling 6,731 km, designed to align with the Asian Highway network and enhance connectivity toward Thailand’s borders. This groundwork supported the development of multi-modal corridors such as the East–West and Southern Economic Corridors—key pillars within ACMECS.
2.4 Sukavichinomics: The 1997 National Highway Master Plan (13 Routes, 4,135 km; 22 April 1997)
On 22 April 1997, the Cabinet approved a national highway master plan comprising 13 routes totaling 4,135 km under a people-first framework. Though this plan remains unfinished, its strategic importance aligns closely with enhancing road connectivity in border regions—reinforcing Bangkok’s role as a subregional transport hub.
These four pillars of Sukavichinomics reflect a cohesive infrastructure vision addressing both national development and regional integration, laying structural foundations later institutionalized under ACMECS.
3. ACMECS Alignment: Shared Strategic Pillars
The pillars of Sukavichinomics found resonance in ACMECS’s later framework:
Seamless Connectivity: Advocated integration of roads, rail, and transit networks for uninterrupted regional connectivity.
Synchronized Growth: Targeted underdeveloped regions and border economies to reduce disparities.
Smart & Sustainable Development: Emphasized future-oriented infrastructure planning reflecting ACMECS’s 2019–2023 vision.
At the 8th ACMECS Summit in 2018, the roadmap was crystallized under the slogan “Building ACMECS CONNECT by 2023”, emphasizing infrastructure, policy synergy, and human capital development.
4. ACMECS: From National Vision to Regional Collaboration
April 2003: Economic Cooperation Strategy rebranded at the Special ASEAN Summit in Bangkok.
November 2003: Rebranded as ACMECS via the Bagan Declaration in Myanmar; Vietnam pairs in 2004.
Structured around eight working-groups, with Transport Linkage occupying a central focus .
ACMECS matured through phases of regional alignment, supported by development partners—Australia, China, Japan, Korea, the U.S., and others—ensuring financing and technical synergy.
5. ACMECS Today: Operationalizing the Vision
Implemented through structured commitments and development mechanisms:
2019–2023 Master Plan with three pillars: Seamless, Synchronized, Smart & Sustainable ACMECS.
The ACMECS Fund and Infrastructure Fund were concurrently introduced as financial vehicles, echoing Sakavichinomics’s earlier capital master plans ([turn0search2]).
In the 10th Summit (November 2024, Kunming), leaders adopted the Vientiane Declaration, emphasizing border‑region connectivity, industrial relocation, and shared prosperity.
Recent Senior Officials’ meetings (e.g., Oct 2024 in Vientiane) reviewed progress on the three pillars and set the stage for the 11th Summit in 2025.
Sukavichinomics acted as the architect behind Thailand’s early connectivity vision, embedding infrastructure-led development into national and subregional identities. By 2003, ACMECS did not invent new priorities—it rebranded and systematized what Sukavich had already initiated. Today, the principles of connectivity, regional equity, and sustainable growth continue to guide ACMECS’s evolving agenda—a testament to His Excellency Mr.Sukavich Rangsitpol’s lasting impact on Mekong integration strategy.
6. ACMECS and the Fight Against Drugs in the Mekong Region
Thailand’s Role in Regional Cooperation Before the Establishment of ACMECS
Long before ACMECS was formally rebranded in 2003, Thailand played a pivotal role in fostering regional cooperation in the Mekong subregion—particularly in tackling transnational threats like narcotics trafficking. In 1997, Southeast Asia faced a major crisis centered around the Golden Triangle (comprising Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand), then one of the world’s largest sources of illicit opium.
In response, a high-level regional drug control conference was convened in Bangkok in July 1997, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education H.E. Mr. Sukavich Rangsitpol. This meeting catalyzed new frameworks for regional collaboration on drug control, focusing on prevention, enforcement, and alternative development.
His Excellency Sukavich Rangsitpol’s Role in Promoting Mekong Cooperation
His Excellency Mr.Sukavich Rangsitpol recognized that poverty, lack of education, and underdevelopment were key drivers of narcotics production in border areas. He therefore championed cross-border cooperation not only on law enforcement but also on economic development and education reform. His leadership during the 1997 Bangkok meeting emphasized:
•Intelligence sharing and joint operations among law enforcement in Mekong countries.
•Capacity-building programs to train anti-narcotics units.
•Alternative development projects in drug-producing zones such as Myanmar’s Wa State, where livelihoods were shifted from opium to legitimate agriculture and trade.
These integrated solutions anticipated future ACMECS strategies that combined security with socioeconomic upliftment—a cornerstone of what would later be institutionalized under the ACMECS development model.
Policy Shifts in Drug Control and Economic Development
By 1998, the coordinated approach championed by Thailand and its neighbors had contributed to a notable 80% reduction in opium cultivation across the Golden Triangle. This success validated the model of linking drug control with infrastructure development, education, and regional integration—key tenets of Sukavichinomics and eventual ACMECS policy.
Education and Sustainable Development
His Excellency Mr.Sukavich also advanced the concept of “Education for Life,” emphasizing the role of schools in fostering resilience, citizenship, and preventive awareness among youth in rural and high-risk border areas. His education reforms integrated:
•Drug prevention curricula
•Community-based school governance (SBM)
•12 years of free education policy
These reforms served a dual function: strengthening national human capital and insulating at-risk populations from the cycle of narcotics production. In the broader regional context, they were precursors to ACMECS’s third pillar: Smart and Sustainable Development.
7. Conclusion
The foundation of ACMECS’s integrated, subregional development strategy can be traced back to His Excellency Mr.Sukavich-led initiatives of the 1990s. From rail and highway infrastructure to cross-border drug control and education, his holistic vision placed human security, connectivity, and shared prosperity at the heart of regional cooperation. These early efforts became the operational blueprint for what would later be rebranded as ACMECS in 2003, proving that security and development are inseparable in the pursuit of a resilient Mekong region.