@Jeff *********
you've definitely been living in the past. Thailand does not keep technology, and modern science from the masses. That is a pure misunderstanding on your part. Thailand is number one in the world in lots of agricultural sectors. They are the number one exporters in the world of fresh, and frozen chicken. The number one exporters of pineapple. They were number one in rice exports, until Thaksin and his sister's government screwed that up. They've got patents on the top quality rice strain in the world, with their hom mali, fragrant jasmine rice. There are others too, like the number one exporters of latex rubber, longan fruit, durian, and a few others. They are actually the leaders in modern science in lots of areas, and not keeping technology from the masses. Although lots of foreign people are fed an image of a farmer plowing his fields with a water buffalo, that hasn't existed for over 2 decades in Thailand. It might be a good idea for you to modernize your thinking about how advanced Thailand really is. It is not some oppressed backwards third world country, that seems to be your impression. Thailand is very advanced, and the world leader in many areas, including agriculture, and pride themselves in this fact. Thailand has government programs that promote innovation, design, and modernization, at every education level. Most foreigners don't even know these programs exist, and at a wide scale. In Bangkok alone there are 52 universities, and that's not counting the trade schools. Thailand's economy is very modern actually, contrary to what you believe.