National Seminar on Population Problems of Thailand: Conclusions of the Seminar

Abstract

A seminar on the national consideration of population policy in Thai land was held in Bangkok on March 27-29 1963. The seminar agreed that the population growth of Thailand was at present at a high and unprecendented level and that only a decline in the level of fertility could bring about a reduction in the rate of population growth and make the age structure more favorable for economic development. It was stressed that population projections would merely serve as an illustration of possible future trends based upon certain assumptions and were not to be considered as forecasts or predictions. No particular future estimate of the population of Thailand was endorsed or rejected. The seminar recommended that more attention should be paid and more funds be made available in order to provide more comprehensive and better demographic statistics required for economic and social development planning. It was recommended that: 1) training for family planning personnel be promoted; 2) demographic research required for social and economic development planning be conducted and full use be made of existing data; 3) information on attitudes towards family size a nd family planning in urban and rural areas be obtained; 4) a pilot project in one Amphur be carried out to measure the effects of various approaches to family planning; and 5) a National Seminar on Population should be organized at regular intervals preferably about once in every 2 years.