Thai government urged to gradually float energy prices

BANGKOK, May 3 (TNA) - Scholars have urged the Thai government to gradually float energy prices on the domestic market, including those of cooking gas, to be in line with the market mechanism in the long run. Speaking at a seminar on energy prices held in Bangkok on Thursday, Permanent Secretary for Energy Nokhun Sitthipong said that the Thai government should gradually raise the prices of energy, covering natural gas for vehicles (NGV) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), to reflect their market values, but deferring a price rise for household LPG or the cooking gas. Professor Praipol Koomsup of Thammasat University suggested, however, that the prices of household LPG or cooking gas be eventually increased and floated to reduce the Thai government's burden on its subsidy, and that discount coupons or energy credit cards be first offered to low-income households or those using less than 90 units of electricity or less than 10 kilograms of household LPG monghly. According to the senior official, the LPG subsidy will cost the Thai government some 100-150 baht per household monthly, or about 10 billion baht per annum totally in the first two years, before the domestic LPG prices be allowed to move in line with the world market mechanism. (TNA)