Thailand's new public service facilitation act promulgated

BANGKOK, February 4 (TNA) - Thailand's new public service facilitation act has been promulgated with the theme of "faster, cheaper, easier", expected to help reform bureaucracy and cut corruption. Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam told journalists on Wednesday that the new law was published in the Royal Gazette on January 22 and will take effect within 180 days thereafter. Wissanu said the new law requires government offices to issue handbooks to people, explaining procedures, documents, times and fees needed for official approvals of their businesses and actions. After receiving an application, Wissanu revealed, a concerned official is required by the new law to inform an approval seeker of a relevant ruling within seven days and the official can demand additional documents only once, with any official failing to do so to be sued by affected people. The deputy prime minister mentioned that unnecessary documents are excluded to streamline procedures and applicants can also file their requests online for quick services. Besides, all ministries must set up One Stop Service centers in all provinces to better serve approval seekers, especially those in other provinces. The deputy prime minister acknowledged that the new law is part of Thailand's bureaucratic reform many past governments had tried in vain to pass, expressing his hope that the new legislation should help not only cut corruption, but also boost government officials' efficiency once it takes effect over the next six months. The deputy prime minister stressed that officials who fail to comply with the new law will be considered violating disciplines and their supervisors can form committees to investigate them or transfer them at once. (TNA)