Lower Thai North to be developed as bio-hub

BANGKOK, June 13 (TNA) - The Thai Cabinet has approved a plan on developing four provinces in the country's lower northern region to be a new bio-hub, supported by the improvement and the expansion of land and water routes connecting with other areas in the northern and northeastern Thai regions, as proposed by the local private sector. Announcing the plan, endorsed by the Thai Cabinet at its mobile meeting in lower northern Nakhon Sawan Province on June 12, at a press conference, Government Spokesman Lieutenant General Sansern Kaewkamnerd said that the four lower northern Thai provinces include Nakhon Sawan, Kampaengpetch, Phichit and Uthai Thani, the cluster of which tourist destinations will also be promoted, including two world heritages, the Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary in Uthai Thani and the Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park. The spokesman stated that the plan covers the establishment of a new research and development center for the basic biological industry and the processed farm produce industry in Nakhon Sawan, with the Ministry of Industry and the Board of Investment of Thailand (BOI) tasked with implementing the plan. According to the spokesman, the Royal Irrigation Department, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, was, on the other hand, assigned to conduct a feasibility study on laying a water pipe system to serve local farmlands in Nakhon Sawan and the Ministry of Transport was tasked with speeding up the constuction of a truck terminal, a container yard and a truck rest area in Nakhon Sawan, as well a other road and railway development projects to connect the Lower Thai North with other Thai areas and even with other member countries in the ASEAN Community (AC) through the East-West Economic Corridor and the North-South Economic Corridor Projects. (TNA)