Thai public sector to save energy by 10%

BANGKOK, March 20 (TNA) - Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has sought cooperation from agencies in the Thai public sector to conserve energy by some 10 per cent. Energy Minister Arak Chonlatanon told a Senate session on Monday that the prime minister's guidance on the 10-per cent energy saving by government and state-run agencies should be a start of national energy conservation, as private firms and agencies are expected to follow suit. Arak acknowledged that the rising energy prices are caused by political tension in the Middle East, but the Thai government is trying to maintain an appropriate balance between the global energy price hikes and fair costs shouldered by people, taking real energy costs into consideration, aimed to ease the burden of both the state oil fund and people's living costs. The energy minister pointed out that the Thai government has frozen the price of cooking gas on the domestic market until the end of this year and has cut diesel levy for four times; while the Ministry of Finance has kept a close watch on world oil prices and has been studying impacts of the rising energy prices on local people, covering bringing the country's inflation under control. (TNA)