Retreat cabinet meeting in Ayutthaya

AYUTTHAYA, Sept 19 (TNA) – Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha visited the historical park and met local traders before the Cabinet’s meeting in Ayutthaya today. Gen Prayut gave alms to 89 monks at the Mahathat temple and presided over the opening of a new Krungsri market behind the old city hall. The new market provides space for 118 vendors, relocated from shops at the Mongkhon Bophit temple area. It is part of the government campaign to relocate the market, which encroached on the temple area. The Prime Minister also took a tram ride around the ancient site. A retreat or mobile cabinet meeting today was held at the Ayutthaya Rajabhat University. The meeting considered the provincial tourism development plan to upgrade Ayutthaya as an international tourist site like Japan’s Kyoto. Related ministries were assigned to work on new landscape planning. Initially, the budget of eight billion baht was proposed for the tourism projects. The Cabinet also discussed proposed water management plans, including construction of 31-km flood prevention embankment with the budget of 400 million baht to prevent repeated floods in paddy fields. (TNA)