Thai PM arrives in Northeast for one-day visit

NAKHON RATCHASIMA, February 2 (TNA) - Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha has arrived in Nakhon Ratchasima Province in the Thai Northeast for a one-day visit to have first-hand experiences on rice growers' problems. Accompanied by Interior Minister General Anupong Paojinda and Commerce Minister General Chatchai Sarikalya, Prime Minister General Prayut arrived in Nakhon Ratchasima's Phimai District on Monday morning, amid tight security measures. The prime minister was warmly welcomed by Nakhon Ratchasima Governor Thongchai Lue-adul and local farmers and did not face any anti-government protest, like the one he faced while visiting the northeastern Khon Kaen Province late last year. The prime minister told journalists that he chose to visit Nakhon Ratchasima, also known as Korat, because the province is an important rice production base and growers have strongly formed cooperatives. The prime minister then chaired the first mobile meeting of the National Rice Policy Committee, met representatives of local farmers and villagers and visited an exhibition on local farm produce and local community-based products. The Thai prime minister is scheduled to fly back to Bangkok on Monday evening. (TNA)