Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has stressed that the Defence Ministry must reserve a budget of 70-80 billion THB (2.3-2.6 billion USD) for buying munitions and vehicles for defensive purposes.
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha (Photo: bangkokpost.com)
Bangkok (VNA) – Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has stressedthat the Defence Ministry must reserve a budget of 70-80 billion THB (2.3-2.6billion USD) for buying munitions and vehicles for defensive purposes.
He was speaking before attending the House of Representatives’ budget debatefor fiscal year 2020 on October 19.
He said the money is part of the ministry’s allotted budget and has nothing todo with the central expenditure budget.
As the military personnel are patrolling 5,000 kilometres of border both byland and sea, they need modern ships for efficient operations, he said,explaining the ministry’s existing fleet is more than 60 years old, and most ofthe ships require urgent repair or replacement.
Thefiscal 2020 budget passed the first of three readings on October 19 after threedays of intense debate. Of the 486 MPs present, 251 voted in favour, 234abstained, and one did not cast a vote.
The opposition apparently agreed on abstention as the vote was just the firstreading approving the bill in principle.
An extraordinary committee, with 15 members fromthe cabinet, 24 from the opposition and 24 from the coalition, will now be setup to scrutinise the budget details and make changes that all can accept.
The 2020 fiscal year began on Oct. 1 but the second and third readings ofthe budget bill will not be held until Jan. 8 and 9. The second reading willdiscuss the bill by section and the third will determine whether the bill willbe passed in its entirety.
According to the bill, the central budget stands at 518.8 billion THB,representing 16.2 percent of the total budget, compared to 471.5 billion THB inthe previous fiscal year.
The five ministries with the largest allocatedbudgets are education (368.7 billion THB, down 0.1 percent year-on-year),interior (353 billion THB, up 7.7 percent), finance (249.7 billion THB, up 2.8percent), defence (233.3 billion THB, up 2.7 percent) and transport (178.8billion THB, down 0.4 percent)./.
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Pichai said the trade talks with the US are important and need to move forward professionally, without regard for any political changes in Thailand, believing that Thailand has clear principles, guidelines and procedures in place.
The tax adjustment supports the Malaysian Government’s strategy to reduce reliance on foreign food supply chains and to assist domestic farmers, a finance official has said.
The proposed venue is located in the Chatuchak area of Bangkok, featuring eight public sites, including Krungthep Aphiwat Central Terminal and several nearby parks.
Connectivity is expected to improve further with the completion of the fifth Laos–Thailand Friendship Bridge by the end of 2025, facilitating logistics and agricultural exports to Vietnam, Thailand, and China.
Two naval gunboats intercepted a fishing vessel carrying 1.5 tonnes of methamphetamine hydrochloride off the coast of the main island of Luzon just before dawn, in a joint operation with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
In the today context of socio-economic development and growth, the professionalism of Vietnam’s revolutionary journalists continues to rise, guided by exemplary mastery of new information technologies and the modernisation of their founding principles to preserve the enduring values of revolutionary journalism.
Thai Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Vuttikrai Leewiraphan Thailand's formal proposal will be substantial enough for the US to consider further detailed negotiations. He hoped for a tariff rate not exceeding 10% and suggested that the US might extend the negotiation period if an agreement is not reached by the July 8 deadline.
Organised by the Ministry of Culture and the Association of Thai Silk & Culture Promotions, the event honors Her Majesty the Queen on her 47th birthday anniversary and promotes Thai craftsmanship on an international stage.
Prensa Latina's recent article on Vietnam’s assurance of smooth and effective transition to a leaner structure highlighted Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s latest directions on implementing 28 resolutions regarding the decentralisation and delegation of authority.
The lab focuses on four key thematic areas: energy transition and green innovation, sustainable agriculture, circular economy and sustainable cities, and nature-based solutions and biodiversity.
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This follows Telegram’s serious failure to address the content that has been repeatedly reported to them, despite various efforts of negotiation and cooperation made by MCMC, it said.
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha
