Thailand has been aware of the Y2K problem since 1996. The private sector was first to realize the potential severity of the impact caused by the millennium bug, and early on companies in the financial sector, especially major banks, started to explore, assess and implement solutions. At the same time, computer suppliers organized workshops and seminars in order to try to make their customers realize the importance of the problem. Their awareness program was relatively successful as several companies contacted them and started implementing solutions even though at the time some hesitated.

The public sector came to realize the problem a bit later although some departments with critical systems, such as the Department of Revenue and the Department of the Internal, already had started implementing a remediation plan. An overall awareness action program was started by The National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC) through an awareness campaign in mid 1997. The campaign consisted of arranging workshops and seminars,and creating a Y2K club to foster the exchange of information about Y2K among its members. NECTEC published several documents regarding the implementation of solutions and best practices to alleviate the impact of Y2K. In addition, it conducted surveys in the public sector to assess the potential impact of Y2K.

Because of the economic recession, the Budget Bureau and the office of the Auditor General were involved to confirm these results and the necessary budgets were allocated. After a certain period of sensibilisation, the National IT Committee (NITC), through NECTEC, proposed the Cabinet several measures to assist the government agencies in their implementation of a Y2K plan. Acknowledging the importance of the year 2000 problem, the cabinet took an important step on April 28, 1998 by endorsing NECTEC's requests and passing the following three resolutions :

• Every ministry has to implement a ministerial Y2K solutions
  remedition committee (Y2K-MRC) to assess and to work out solutions for the year 2000 problem..
• Each government department is allowed to re-adjust the FY
  1998 budget in order to able to properly handle the Y2K problems and proposals for renovations prompted by these problems will be treated with priority. Each department facing Y2K problems must work out a proper budget request as soon as possible.
• NECTEC is appointed to be the Coordinating Center to
  provide information and advise government agencies on the year 2000 problem.

Since then, NECTEC was formally assigned to be the coordinating body for Y2K. On June 23, the Cabinet reiterated the significance of the Y2K issue by establishing a National Y2K Coordinating Committee (Y2K-NCC) to be chaired by the Deputy Prime minister. The main accountability of this Committee is to establish policies on Y2K solutions, to provide support for the public sector in solving Y2K problems, and to collect progress information for the cabinet. The Committee will also evaluate major Y2K project plans which may involve large investments. NECTEC now also functions as a secretarial office for the Y2K-NCC, and has set up a'Y2K-Center' to handle the job. Apart from its duties for the Y2K-NCC, the center also has been assigned secretarial office duties for the Super Critical Organization Subcommittee (Y2K-SOS) which comprises as well as the private sector in Thailand.