Free bus, train services to be extended
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Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said the free bus and train services and free electricity will be extended while the number of Blue Flag shops selling inexpensive products will be increased to help alleviate the problem of price rises faced by the peop
The rise in the price of commodities was the main topic in yesterday’s weekly talk show “The Yingluck Government Meets the People”. Yingluck said the problem of price rises was the result of last year’s catastrophic floods, which adversely affected production. She said some factories are yet to see their production return to normal, leading to short supply of goods. Factories that were hit by the floods are expected to return to full production capacity in June.
The price rise has also been caused by speculation as consumers and suppliers start hoarding goods, fearing a rise in the prices of consumer products because of the flooding.
The Commerce Ministry will tackle the price rises by announcing the suggested price of goods using prices quoted by Blue Flag shops.
“The government does not want to sell goods, but we just want to give the public an option and establish a fair price,” she said.
To deal with the issue of oversupply of eggs in the short term, the government will focus on the food-processing sector. Import of more palm oil is also in the pipeline to solve the shortage in the short term.
Yingluck said she has asked all government agencies to reduce power consumption by 10 per cent and vowed to promote alternative energy. She said the increase in the price of energy would be only short term.
Suranand Vejjajiva, personal spokesman to the PM, said the government was confident that inflation, which had been caused by the floods, was in control and the problem was only short term. He said Commerce Ministry reports showed that prices of consumer products were not as high as the Opposition was making them out to be.
He urged the Opposition to present accurate information otherwise it could cause panic among the public and lead to hoarding of goods followed by a vicious circle of goods shortages and price increases.
Opposition Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said the increase in prices of consumer goods was caused by the government’s mismanagement of power policies, especially the Oil Fund, which had helped absorb the oil price that adds to the cost of production.
Suranand said rising oil price was a worldwide problem and the government is managing the issue and alleviating the load on the public by suspending taxation and further providing public welfare.
