Bangkok set for special 3-day holiday in November
Residents of Bangkok and surrounding areas are set to get a special three-day holiday in November as part of arrangements for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit.
A proposal for a holiday from November 16 to 18 will be submitted to the Cabinet soon by the committee in charge of Apec summit preparations, deputy government spokeswoman Traisuree Taisaranakul said on Monday.
"However, government agencies that provide services to the public, such as hospitals, courts and banks, can consider these holidays as they see fit," she said.
The committee has also appointed the foreign and finance ministries to issue commemorative coins for the Apec summit to boost public awareness.
She added that Apec ministerial meetings in the run-up to the summit would cover tourism, public health, food security and forestry.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has expressed confidence that Thailand will host a successful Apec summit, despite tensions among the trade group’s members. May’s Apec meeting in Bangkok ended without a joint statement after representatives of the United States and six other countries staged a walkout to protest Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Prayut said Thailand, as this year’s Apec chair, would use November’s summit to raise issues such as post-Covid economic recovery, trade and investment facilitation, global warming, and the BCG (Bio-Circular-Green) economy.