A 100 days in, Thai PM Srettha has his work cut out on economy, political polarisation

However, improvements for the Thai people could take time, with economists expecting long-term economic recovery to be challenging.

Thailand’s GDP grew at a much slower-than-expected pace in the third quarter, hampered by declining exports and government spending.

Mr Srettha said he was surprised and worried by the disappointing 1.5 per cent on-year growth in the July to September period, the lowest in the past three quarters.

He said his administration “will keep working hard” and introduce more measures, including initiatives to boost tourism.

FOREIGN DIPLOMACY

Some observers said the prime minister should be given more time beyond his first 100 days to execute his initiatives.

In the few months since taking office, Mr Srettha has already made nine overseas trips to put Thailand on the map. They include the United Nations’ General Assembly in New York, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in San Francisco, the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, and bilateral trips to neighbouring Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia and Singapore.