FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
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Prayut red-faced at ‘senior moment’ in parliament

Prayut red-faced at ‘senior moment’ in parliament

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha suffered an embarrassing loss of memory on Friday as he addressed parliament on the second day of a special two-day session to scrutinise his new government’s policies.

The re-elected premier was in the middle of a lengthy speech about Thailand’s foreign trade, especially the exports of rice, the Kingdom’s biggest crop. 
Suddenly, he realized he had forgotten the type of rice Thailand exported to Africa and hastily asked officials via microphone for help, before ending his speech abruptly, resulting in laughter erupting in the conference room.
Prayut had spent much of his speech at the TOT auditorium in Bangkok addressing the major issues that would exercise his Cabinet, including corruption in state agencies, the price of rubber, the current drought and farmers’ resulting debts. 
He also touched on Thailand’s overseas investments and cooperation with other countries, the energy sector, global trade and the economic problems that have led to businesses selling less products.
Agriculture and Co-operatives Minister Chalermchai Sri-on then told colleagues he had instructed his staff to report back on steps they were taking to manage water consumption amid the drought.
He said he had told them his No 1 priority was the optimal use of water both by consumers and farmers in the short term. He had also asked officials to inspect the damage to drought-hit rice fields and provide affected farmers with due compensation. 
Water tanks were already being sent to drought-hit areas, he said, while rain-making activities were being performed every day whenever the weather allowed. 
Chalermchai said long-term solutions included reviving projects to boost water levels in dams. 
He closed by assuring parliament that his ministerial staff had a strong team spirit, were highly motivated to overcome the problems caused by the drought and were willing to listen to constructive suggestions and ideas from wherever they came.
Prime Minister’s Office Minister Tewan Liptapanlop said the government had set aside a Bt350 million budget for the National Consumer Council to tackle consumers’ problems arising from buying products online.
These included paying for the goods but not receiving them, receiving goods that didn’t match what they had ordered and receiving items that were sub-standard. This budget was being provided on top of actions already at the disposal of the Office of the Consumer Protection Board.

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