Cabinet to consider Nasa's request to use U-Tapao Tuesday
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The Cabinet will on Tuesday consider the request by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) to use U-Tapao airbase for studying clouds, Foreign Minister Surapong Towichakchaikul said on Monday.
He said the Nasa project would begin in August and continue through September.
Surapong said the Council of State and the Foreign Treaties Department had studied the project and found that it did not need to be approved by Parliament in line with Article 190 of the Constitution.
The project aims to study the formation of clouds that have impact on climate in Southeast Asia.
Surapong was speaking to reporters after Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra chaired a meeting of the science minister, the foreign minister, the defence minister and armed forces’ commanders over the Nasa’s request to use the airbase.
Surapong said the meeting supported the request and decided to send it to the Cabinet to approve.
He said three planes would get involved in the cloud study so the meeting decided to set up a working committee to study the cooperation with Nasa in detail as well as studying and approving the use of airspace by Nasa planes, which would fly to Cambodia and Singapore as well.
After the Cabinet approves the project, the foreign minister said he would explain the project to China.
Science Minister Plodprasop Surassawadi said he would chair the working committee to coordinate with Nasa.
He said the project would benefit Thailand greatly because the country would gain more knowledge about clouds and rains in the high atmosphere.
