By Siraphob Thanthong-Knight

PHUKET (DPA) —  At a luxurious resort in southern Thailand, Boblyn Pertible from the Philippines is completing a professional internship for her bachelor's degree in hotel management.

"I will consider applying for jobs outside my country after graduation," she said in fluent English. "The coming of the ASEAN Economic Community will definitely open doors to more opportunities for me."

Thai schoolchildren during an English language lesson at Watthatthong Primary School in Bangkok, Thailand, 02 March 2015. [EPA/BARBARA WALTON]

In December, Thailand and the other nine member states of the Association of South-east Asia Nations (ASEAN) are due to start a single market.

Integration will enable the free flow of capital, goods, services and skilled labour. Workers in eight areas – engineers, nurses, doctors, dentists, architects, surveyors, accountants and tourism professionals – will be able to migrate across ASEAN borders.

The market is home to more than 600 million people, almost double the population of the United States. The combined economy will be the seventh largest in the world, comparable to that of Britain or Brazil.

Language skills will matter in the new single market, especially in English, the only lingua franca in ASEAN.

"English will be extremely important as a means for communications in business," said Treenuch Phaichayonvichit of the Thailand Development Research Institute.

"However, Thai students seems to perform poorly. The mean score on national tests in English has always been below 50, which is a failing grade by any standard."

"The performance in international English proficiency tests is also inferior to other countries in the region," Treenuch said.

The average Thai test-taker typically scores lower than those in Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and Myanmar on both the International English Language Testing System and the Test of English as a Foreign Language.

Thailand ranks 55th out of 60 countries on the English Proficiency Index, the world's major ranking of English-language skills. That is the lowest among South-East Asian countries.

Thais struggle with English even though it is a mandatory subject from primary school through high school and despite 20 per cent of Thailand's GDP coming from tourism.

"Classrooms in Thailand put too much emphasis on grammar," said Sarah Wilson, an English teacher who has taught in Thai schools for more than 10 years. "They focus on studying for tests rather than being able to converse and use English in real-life situations."

"Many students struggle forming sentences on their own," said Krittapot Jiravat, a private English tutor. "All they want to do is study for exams and tests, because they think they don't have any other purposes beyond that."

"Many professionals have to study after work when they realize that English is important in their career," he said.

"Once the single market is launched, the job market will become more competitive," Treenuch said. "People with higher skills in English will be at advantage."

Workers with stronger English skills typically earn 30 to 50 per cent more pay than those with weaker proficiency, according to the Harvard Business Review.

Advanced English skills allow job seekers to apply for better jobs and raise their living standards.

"We are already seeing an influx of skilled workers from countries like the Philippines, who are replacing Thais in jobs that require English-speaking employees," Treenuch said.

Staff positions at the Regent Phuket Cape Panwa, where 95 per cent of hotel guests are foreigners, are open to all nationalities, according to manager Witchuda Mas-o-sot.

"The ability to communicate in English is the most important skill to have," Witchuda said.

An unemployed recent hotel management graduate expressed concerns that his difficulty in finding a job will become even more apparent once the integrated ASEAN market is open.

Others, like Boblyn the Filipino intern, will benefit.

"I speak English more fluently than Thais do," she said. "That is my competitive advantage."

BANGKOK — Four anti-coup activists charged with violating the junta's ban on protests were released by a military court in Bangkok today.

The four defendants were charged with defying the ban after they organized a pro-democracy rally in downtown Bangkok last month. 

The four defendants include Arnon Nampha, 30, a human rights lawyer; Pansak Srithep, 48, an activist whose teenage son was killed in the 2010 crackdown on Redshirt protesters; Siriwit Serithiwat, 24, a fourth-year political science student at Thammasat University; and Wannakiat Chusuwan, 36, a taxi driver.

Siriwit Serithiwat, 24, a fourth-year political science student at Thammasat University hugs his mother after being granted release on bail, 15 March 2015.

The four men helped found the anti-coup group "Resistant Citizens," which has organized non-violent resistance against the military junta that seized power from an elected government last May.

Police escorted the activists to the military court at around 2 pm today. At around 6.30 pm, the four defendants emerged from the court, officially known as the Office of Staff Judge Advocate, and told reporters they had been released without any conditions.

In other cases, the court has required defendants to forswear partaking in political rallies or traveling outside the country in order to evade detention.

The activists' lawyer, Pavinee Chumsri, said prosecutors have not formally indicted the four men because they need more time to deliberate on the case files. 

The judge denied prosecutors' request to remand the defendants during the deliberation, said Pavinee, attorney from Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.

"The court reckons that the accused have clear addresses and have no intention to flee from the trial," said Pavinee.

The defendants have been ordered to return to the court on 27 March to hear whether prosecutors will formally indict them.

Speaking to the press upon his release, Arnon said he would like to thank the military court for giving him and other activists the chance to contest the charges outside prison. He declined to say whether his group will stage more rallies in the future. 

"We will focus on fighting our case in the military court in accordance with the legal process," said Arnon, who is a lawyer by profession.

While the court debated whether to detain the four men, a group of university students rallied outside to show their support for the defendants. The group passed around a loudspeaker, condemning the junta’s practice of trying civilians in martial courts, where military officers serve as judges and appeals are not permitted.

Students protest the junta's orders to try civilians in martial court, 15 March 2015.

One of the students also flashed the forbidden three-finger anti-coup salute at soldiers, who closed the gate that led to the court but did not interfere with the rally.

The students concluded their rally soon after the activists were released. 

The court hearing followed Pansak's weekend  "march for justice" from his home in Bangbuathong district to Pathumwan Police Station, where he and other defendants were scheduled to report to police today. The walk was billed as an effort to raise awareness about the junta's suppression of civil liberties. 

Pansak walking through Thammasat University campus on his way to the police station, 15 March 2015.

The march, which would have totaled 50-km, was interrupted an hour after it began when police officers detained Pansak for defying the junta's ban on political protests.

However, police released the activist later that day without charges, and allowed him to continue portions of his walk over the next two days, culminating in his arrival at Pathumwan Police Station this morning. 

Shortly after seizing power in a coup on 22 May 2014, the junta granted military courts jurisdiction over cases involving lese majeste (insulting the monarchy) and other offenses that "affect national security," including violating the junta's orders. At least 60 civilians are currently facing trials in martial court for violating the junta’s ban on public protests.

"If the accused is guilty based on complete evidence and witnesses' testimonies, the verdict will not be different regardless of what court delivers it," said the spokesperson, Col. Winthai Suwaree.