Panel pushes for logistics plan in North

 The four issues are logistics development, trade and investment promotion, tourism and service sectors’ growth enhancement and efficient water resource management for farming.
The proposals will be considered by the joint committee on Saturday before the Cabinet meets the following day in Chiang Mai. The joint committee meeting will be chaired by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
Phongsak Assakul, chairman of the Board of Trade of Thailand and the joint committee, said yesterday after a committee meting that the private sector wants to see serious development in each region in order to boost the domestic economy.
The mobile Cabinet meeting will be a good chance for the government to meet with local businesses and listen to their demands.
For the North, the joint committee has urged the government to approve four logistics projects – a high-speed train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, dual tracks, a railway linking Chiang Rai to Denchai in Phrae and a motorway connecting Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.
To boost trade and investment particularly in border provinces, the private sector will request the opening of permanent border checkpoints in three provinces. The Kew Pha Wok checkpoint in Chiang Mai and the Baan Huay Ton Nun checkpoint in Mae Hong Son would promote cross-border trade with Burma, while the Baan Huak checkpoint in Pa Yao would boost trade with Laos.
The private sector has also urged the government to promote the MICE (meeting, incentive, convention and exhibition) industry by declaring next year as the year of MICE and by developing an international convention centre in Chiang Mai. The province can become a new hub for meetings in Thailand, besides Bangkok.
As part of the plan to improve the management of water resources, the meeting called for the government to draw up a clear blueprint for preventing future floods and droughts to ensure sustainable growth in the agricultural sector and related industries.
The meeting suggested that the government prepare a concrete agenda for encouraging Thai SMEs to invest overseas as a strategy to promote the expansion of Thai businesses.
Chen Namchaisiri, vice chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries, said some companies are planning to venture overseas, but the government should ensure agencies such as the Board of Investment, Commerce Ministry and Industry Ministry work together to smooth the way.
The points that the government should consider are educating investors in the laws and regulations of targeted countries, mainly those in Asean, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and facilitating Thai banks to set up offices abroad to assist investors.
SMEs that suffered from the recent flooding have had difficulty accessing soft loans under a Bt100-billion fund set up as part of post-flood relief measures.
The government should increase the scheme’s flexibility, as the strict qualifications imposed by bankers have obstructed many SMEs from obtaining funds, he added.