US visit will boost Thailand's image: PM

"Thailand has been absent from the global stage for a long time. Now we have made a comeback," he said.

Abhisit said he had reassured foreign political and business leaders he met during his visit that the country had returned to normalcy.

The prime minister said he believed business leaders now had a better understanding of and increased confidence in Thailand.

He expects more foreign investors to return to the country within the next month or two, particularly in the food, automotive and service sectors. He added that he had stressed the country's strength as a major producer of food products.

Abhisit was speaking in an interview with the Nation Channel last night after delivering his speech to the United Nations General Assembly. He is scheduled to return to Thailand at 9pm tonight.

Earlier in the day, the prime minister talked about his participation in the Group of 20 Summit in Pittsburgh.

He said the G-20 leaders had agreed to continue economic stimulus packages and tighten regulations governing financial institutions as part of the move to salvage the world's sagging economy.

Speaking through a Web conference to Government House reporters, he said the G-20 leaders would not scrap their stimulus packages, as they believed the measures would help curb the severity of the global recession. However, they will also work to find solutions to any problems caused by their huge stimulus packages.

The PM went on to say that the summit had also agreed to reform international financial institutions and establish a mechanism to prevent a further economic crisis by strictly monitoring the global monetary system and pushing for a successful conclusion to the Doha Round of trade talks.

Abhisit said the G-20 leaders' decision on stimulus measures corresponded with Thailand and Asean's opinion that stimulus by the state was needed to bolster economies, as it was a way to create jobs and income, which in turn would spur consumption and private investment.

The summit decided to make the G-20 a committee that would oversee the world economy, vowing to overhaul regulations governing financial institutions and tighten rules on payments of bonuses to bank executives.

G-20 leaders also agreed to increase the percentage of votes held by developing countries from 5 per cent to 50 per cent, a move that had been pushed by Brazil, India and China but opposed by Europe.