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NCPO's Prajin to step down as THAI chairman
ACM Prajin Juntong, the National Council for Peace and Order’s deputy chief, yesterday said he would tender his resignation as chairman of Thai Airways International on Thursday in order to pave the way for organisational reform at the national carrier.
The move meets the NCPO’s intention to promote reforms in all aspects of the economy, and beyond, he said, adding that state enterprises also needed to be reformed as they were important to both national security and the economy.
NCPO head Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha will have to decide whether to approve his resignation from the THAI board, said Prajin.
Meanwhile, Airports of Thailand’s board yesterday approved the appointment of Air Chief Marshal Araya Ngampramuan as its new chairman, with immediate effect.
As to the chairmanship of both PTT and Krung Thai Bank, Prasong Poontaneat, director-general of the State Enterprise Policy Office, said that, in accordance with normal procedure, candidates for state-enterprise board chairmen had been selected by nomination committees, reviewed by the boards of directors, and would be voted on by shareholders for approval this week.
Ranong-Yangon container route starts in August
The Ranong-Yangon container shipping route is set to kick off its inaugural service in August.
The route – established under cooperation between Myanmar’s Yangon Port and Thailand’s Ranong Port – forms part of the Kingdom’s Asean linkage to other parts of the world such as South Asia, Africa and Europe.
Port Authority of Thailand deputy director-general Surapong Rongsirikul yesterday said the cooperative venture between Ranong and Yangon ports had been supported by the state and private sectors in Ranong and Myanmar.
“The new shipping route between Ranong and Yangon is set to be inaugurated in August,” he said.
Ranong Port has prepared 11,000 square metres as a container yard, and 7,200 square metres for general warehousing, vehicle discharging and equipment.
The Rural Roads Department, meanwhile, is proceeding with 120 kilometres of road expansion into four lanes from Chumphon to Ranong. The project is expected to be completed in 2016.
Surapong added that cooperation between the state and private sectors could lead to Ranong becoming a major port for Andaman coastal shipping services.
Demand-response measure ‘hard to implement’
Implementation of a demand-response measure aimed at lowering electricity usage is proving difficult, according to an anonymous source from the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA).
Demand response is being used during the temporary stoppage of natural-gas distribution from GDA (A18), and payment will be made at Bt4 per unit for large private users that have an automatic meter reading.
The Energy Regulatory Commission, the Electricity Generation Authority of Thailand and the PEA have been in discussion to find a solution to the problem.
PEA governor Numchai Lowattanatakul yesterday said the joint meetings between the agencies aimed to transform the policy into implementation without further difficulty.
If implementation can be undertaken rapidly, demand for power could decline, he said.
As of Monday, 251 private users had participated in the demand-response project, he added.
