Mega projects to be considered in early fiscal 2015

BANGKOK, June 21 (TNA) - The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) plans to consider implementing new mega transport projects in early 2015 fiscal year, starting this October 1, 2014 in order to boost investment atmosphere in Thailand. Thai Army and NCPO Chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha announced the plan during his pre-recorded weekly address, broadcast nationwide on Friday night, saying that details of the new mega transport projects, carried over from the previous government of ex-prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, including the extension of skytrain routes and the construction of dual rail tracks, have been furnished by the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) and the Transport Ministry and they will be considered by the NCPO soon. Touching on the Thai economy, General Prayuth acknowledged that it has started rebounding, seen by rising investment in the country since May 22, 2014, when the NCPO seized the administrative power, citing a report recently issued by the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) that the Thai Industries Sentiment Index or TISI in May increased to 85.1, its first rise in seven months. The NCPO chief pointed out that domestic tourism has also begun recovering, as more foreign tourists have started revisiting the Thai Kingdom. According to the NCPO chief, the NCPO will keep monitoring the national economy closely and it might consider increasing state expenditure budget during the middle of the 2015 fiscal year, aimed at creating new jobs to further boost people’s income. (TNA)