ID :
324169
Thu, 04/10/2014 - 17:44
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Thailand's Caretaker PM calls meeting on road safety arrangements during Songkran

PATHUM THANI, THAILAND, April 10 (TNA) - Caretaker Prime Minister and Defence Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has called a meeting with agencies concerned to discuss road safety measures for travelers during the upcoming Songkran Festival long holiday period. Yingluck chaired the meeting on Thursday, held at the Ministry of Interior's Department of Provincial Administration in Lam Luk Ka District of Bangkok's adjacent Pathum Thani Province. At the meeting, Yingluck assigned the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Transport to jointly take the lead in road safety campaigns during the upcoming Songkran or Traditional Thai New Year Festival. The caretaker prime minister also suggested that guidelines for order be announced for people who are celebrating the Songkran or Water Splashing Festival on streets nationwide, including a strict ban on drunk driving. Besides, the caretaker prime minister urged police to help keep patroling housing estates to prevent theft when people are on vacations during the Songkran Festival. After the meeting, the caretaker prime minister then inspected the electronic process for the issuance of ID cards. Meanwhile, Chatchai Phromlert, Director-General of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, also under the Ministry of Interior, reported that road accidents have claimed the life of 12,000 Thai people annually, with increased death toll, normally, during festive long holidays. According to the senior official, public and private agencies have, thus, joined forces to launch a campaign for road safety during the Songkran Festival from April 11-17, 2014. The senior official also acknowledged that road safety campaigns have already been part of the national agenda. (TNA)

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