THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
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Steep hike in budget for eastern corridor, SEZs


The investment budget for fiscal year 2018 to develop the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) has been set at Bt11.73 billion, up 67 per cent from Bt6.99 billion in fiscal 2016, according to a source at the Office of the National Economics and Social Development Board.
    The investment budget to develฌop 10 special economic zones has also been hiked to Bt17.29 billion for fiscal 2018, up 423 per cent from Bt3.3 billion in fiscal 2016. This is in keeping with the policy to boost investments in 10 special economic zones (SEZs) and the EEC.
The directorgeneral of the Finance Ministry’s Budget Bureau, Somsak Chotratanasiri, said the bureau had got the investment plan to develop both the 10 SEZs and the EEC in fiscal 2018. It had to consider the investment plan before allocatฌing the budget for 2018, which will be proposed to the Cabinet on April 11.
    The investment budget for fiscal 2018 will account for about 23 per cent to 23.5 per cent of total fiscal 2018 budget, up from 22.9 per cent in 2017, he said.     The bureau has received proposals from the public sector worth more than Bt4.2 trillion. This will need to be considered closely and only those that match the country’s budget policy would be proposed to the Cabinet for approval, he said. 

Bid to boost exports to neighbouring countries

The Commerce Ministry plans to proฌmote the private sector in provinces located close to neighbouring counฌtries to boost exports and increase border trade.
Adul Chotnisakorn, deputy directorgeneral of the Department of Foreign Trade of the Commerce Ministry, said recently it aimed to achieve Bt1.8 trilฌlion trade by the end of this year.
    Thirtyone provinces of Thailand are located close to neighbouring countries –seven provinces close to Cambodia, 12 provinces close to Laos, 10 provinces to Myanmar and four provinces are close to Malaysia. Some provinces are close to more than one country.     The private sector has the challenge to expand exports to neighbouring countries.     At the end of 2016, Thailand’s border trade recordฌed Bt1.47 trillion and is targeted to achieve Bt1.8 trillion this year, he said.

Lao national TV to upgrade broadcasting system

Lao National Television techniฌcians are teaming up with a group of Chinese experts to conduct a feasibilฌity study on the upgrade of the broadcaster’s Channel Three.
The Lao government asked the Chinese government for help in upgrading the channel from its presฌent Standard Definition (SD) transฌmission system to High Definition (HD), to enable integration with the region and the sharing of television programmes with China.
An agreement on the feasibility study was signed on Thursday at Lao National Television between the staฌtion’s directorgeneral Bounchao Phichit and a representative of the Chinese Embassy to Laos, Wang Qihui. Lao National Television and the Chinese group began a study on the feasibility of the project last month and plan to go ahead with the upgrade. The switch from SD to HD  will be funded by the Chinese governฌment. Lao National Television had received assistance from the Chinese government on two previous occaฌsions. – Vientiane Times
 

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