State of economy, long-term problems worry Prayut
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Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday that he was concerned about long-term problems and the projected economic slowdown next year.
Nevertheless, he expressed satisfaction with his government’s performance during the past five months since the coup.
He noted that the world economy had been in decline and this was likely to result in decreased purchasing power abroad. To tackle this problem, the premier said, the government has tried to inject money into the economy to stimulate it, and has drawn up plans to deal with unexpected circumstances.
For instance, the government has tried to make the export sector more competent, while consulting with governments from several other countries on ways to improve the economy, he said.
“It is a matter for all people, who have a responsibility to work together in order to improve the economic situation,” he stressed.
Regarding rice exports, Prayut said Thailand’s rice situation was good as the country is the biggest rice exporter in Asean. Next year, Thailand could even become the world’s biggest rice exporter despite a decline in its rice yield.
Prayut said his government asked farmers to limit their second rice crop, while quality rice from the first crop could still meet export demand.
He also responded to a decline in popularity of the National Council for Peace and Order in the latest polls, saying he was not worried about the results. He would rather concentrate on how to improve the economic situation and resolve long-term problems.
The prime minister admitted that he was worried about corruption, which has long been a problem. He said graft would pose a major obstacle for economic projects, so to move the country forward, efforts would be made to eliminate corruption.
