BANGKOK, Thailand – Thailand has used the World Economic Forum 2026 in Davos, Switzerland, to advance international cooperation on cybercrime while pushing forward trade and investment ties with Europe, as senior officials set out parallel diplomatic and economic priorities during the annual global gathering.
Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow took part in a high-level panel on cybercrime alongside the secretary general of INTERPOL, warning that online crime has expanded into large-scale transnational networks linked to human trafficking and forced labor. He said the growing threat requires stronger cross-border coordination among governments, the private sector, and civil society, supported by tighter legal frameworks and improved intelligence sharing.
Thailand has been heavily affected as a frontline country, with cyber-related losses estimated at more than 3 billion US dollars over the past three years. Authorities have also assisted in the rescue and repatriation of more than 11,000 victims from over 40 countries. Sihasak said Thailand is building on its role following the signing of the UN Convention against Cybercrime and through continued cooperation with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime to disrupt illicit financial flows and dismantle criminal networks.
On the sidelines of the forum, Sihasak held bilateral meetings with Swiss, South Korean, and Bangladeshi counterparts, as well as with international media executives, to discuss trade, investment, supply chain resilience, regional security issues, and Thailand’s role in global economic governance.
Commerce Minister Suphajee Suthumpun separately met Swiss economic officials to review progress on the Thailand–European Free Trade Association Free Trade Agreement, signed in 2025. Thailand is now preparing for domestic ratification in 2026, with the agreement expected to take effect on Jan. 1, 2027. This will help establish the country’s first free trade pact with a European regional bloc, expanding export and investment opportunities with EFTA member states. (NNT)
