Editorial | HE Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn : Ushering Thailand into the 5G Age

With Covid-19 continuing to play havoc, in this issue of Elite+, we focus on ways to overcome the coronavirus pandemic, examining the digital economy, intellectual property (IP) and post coronavirus activities.

Even before Thailand and much of ASEAN began to suffer from a third wave of the Covid-19 virus and Bangkok as well as many of the region’s cities once more were placed under lockdown, Elite Creative Co, Ltd approached Ayodia ROP to develop a Virtual Intellectual Rights Fair (virf. io), which is described in our column, Marketing Mind, to assist small publishers and companies involved in the creative industries in their oper- ations through this online platform.

Our magazine opens with the cover feature, an interview with Thailand’s Minister of Digital Economy and Society, HE Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, who talks about how digital technology is contributing to the country’s economic and social development as well as his aspirations for the ministry in the future. Later in the magazine, Mr Vuttikrai Leewiraphan, the Director General of the Department of Intellectual Property of the Ministry of Commerce, speaks with us about the protection of Intellectual Property rights, particularly as it concerns the digital economy based on four missions: creation, commercialisation, protection and enforcement. Before this though, we do look at New York and how through a strong vaccination campaign the city and state and much of the US are now reopening while adapting a ‘New Normal” lifestyle.

In our diplomatic column, HE Suchitra Durai, India’s ambassador to Thailand, discusses Thai-Indian relations and her expectations for post Covid-19. Much later in the magazine, Madame Francesca Andreini, spouse to Italy’s ambassador to Thailand, talks about her life before and during her husband’s posting to the Kingdom, including how she has coped with and contributed to Thai society before and during the pandemic. We also have two articles dealing with health in which Dr Srisukho, a co-founder of the MALI clinic, talks about how to achieve both inner and outer health and beauty while Dr Pisuth Lertvilai provides further advice on how to maintain one’s health to enjoy your golden years.

Other lighter, but still interesting reading includes Oliver Hargreave’s story, “Roads Better Travelled”, in which he takes us on his motorcycle on the less explored routes between Chiang Mai and Nakhon Si Thammarat, and an adventure to photograph the birds of paradise of West Papua by Pongpol Adireksarn.

We also offer a dining recommendation, Albricias, where once inhouse dining has resumed, we recommend you go to enjoy refined Mediterranean cuisine. Our magazine then ends with a delightful short story by Anchalee Vivathanachai that shares the memories of a woman as she travels back to her early childhood in her mind. We then end with our photo essay by Ezra Kyrill Erker with his impressions of the “Trees of Life”.

I do hope you are all staying safe and healthy and that this issue of Elite+ will both entertain and inform

Warm Regards,
Arthorn Techatada
Executive Editor