Thai Internship Symposium 2025: Advancing Regional Policy and Sustainability Collaboration
The Thai Internship Symposium 2025 was held on 9 October 2025 at the Centre for Policy Research (CPR), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). The symposium featured five students from Khon Kaen University, Thailand, who completed their internship program at CPR, USM.
The session was supervised by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sazlina Salleh and Dr. Illisriyani Ismail from CPR, USM, together with Ms. Rapeepan Phittaydilok from Khon Kaen University.
Five presentations were delivered, each addressing key regional policy and sustainability issues:
1-Climate change impacts on marine resources: Case study of Thailand and Malaysia.
2-Sustainable coastal tourism development: Dynamics and challenges in both countries.
3-ASEAN’s role in combating IUU (Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated) fishing in the South China Sea.
4-Protection of migrant fishers through the lens of the non-refoulement principle.
5-University waste management improvement based on the “Chula Zero Waste” model.
The symposium served as an important academic platform for knowledge exchange between Thai interns and Malaysian supervisors, promoting mutual learning and collaboration. It also generated meaningful policy recommendations aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly:
SDG 13: Climate Action
SDG 14: Life Below Water
SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
The event successfully strengthened academic cooperation between USM and Khon Kaen University while fostering regional understanding and sustainable policy development across ASEAN.