At the 67^th GRIPS Forum held on 2 July, 2012, GRIPS invited H.E. Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva, Opposition Leader and former Prime Minister of Thailand, to deliver a lecture entitled, “Realizing the Asia-Pacifi­c Century: the Challenge of Reform.”

Around 280 people from within and outside of GRIPS attended the lecture and listened attentively to Mr. Abhisit’s concise and clear speech delivered eloquently. Mr. Abhisit talked about ASEAN’s role in the Asia Pacific region and challenges faced by Japan and Thailand. He proposed a growth model for the Asian region called “BIGGER ASIA” (Balance, Inclusiveness, Green, Good Governance, Emergency Preparedness, Regionalism). 

In the Q & A session following his lecture, many questions were raised from the floor such as on the role of Japan in Asia, regionalism and security, and the danger of populism, among others.