Four agencies have until March to buck up

 Thai Airways International (THAI), the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA), the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) and CAT Telecom have been named by the State Enterprise Policy Office (SEPO) as the four bodies still lagging behind. 

The Small and Medium Enterprise Development Bank of Thailand, Islamic Bank and TOT have, so far, managed to follow rehabilitation plans submitted earlier this year. 

“All seven state-owned enterprises are equally important and they have all been given a deadline. Some of them have to come up with a quick-win plan by December, which is a ‘yellow card’. Their business-rehabilitation plans have to be tangible by March or else they will receive a ‘red card’ by March as ordered by the prime minister himself,” Ekniti Nitithanprapas, SEPO’s director-general, said. 

He spoke after a meeting of the SOE Committee chaired by Prayut to follow up on the rehabilitation plans yesterday. 

“If I am to provide an example then Thai Airways is way behind in their business rehabilitation plan and SEPO has urged all THAI personnel and related agencies to work together to help improve the situation,” he said.

THAI, the BMTA, SRT and CAT have been asked to come up with “quick-win” plans before December.

THAI has already submitted a plan to boost its income by Bt1.43 billion and lower expenditure by Bt1.56 billion. 

This was approved in principle by SEPO yesterday, while the Transport and Finance ministries have been tasked with coming up with a long-term plan for the national carrier. 

The BMTA has been told to come up with a plan to lower its expenses and increase income by the end of this month. SEPO has instructed the Transport Ministry to hurry up with the proposal to cancel 1983 Cabinet resolution, to provide clarity in management of the BMTA bus schedule, speed up the procuring 489 NGV buses and to reconsider its order for some 3,000 NGV buses so it matches the current economic conditions and comes at a time of low-global oil prices. 

The SRT, meanwhile, has been instructed to come up with a plan to utilise “non-core” land (areas owned by the SRT that does not have any railway passing through it) and to provide SEPO with details of this land before the end of November. 

Unused land will be turned into public spaces to provide benefits to society with places for markets, while the SRT has also been told to let private companies to co-invest in the Red Line Mass Transit System and the Airport Rail Link, Ekniti said.

“Using SRT’s non-core land is the best way to revitalise the state-owned firm,” he said.