Thai PM:Government will look into issues raised by opposition

BANGKOK, November 27 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra says that the government will look into issues raised by the opposition camp during the ongoing censure debate. Yingluck told journalists on Tuesday, when she attended the third and last day of the censure debate, that her administration is ready to probe and to take appropriate actions if grounded information was found in the opposition's debate. But Yingluck gave a comment that the opposition side, led by the Democrat Party, appeared to keep using old information in attacking her government’s rice pledging scheme during the current no-confidence debate. The prime minister noted that she has assigned responsible ministers, including Commerce Minister Boonsong Teriyapirom, to handle the programme; while she has supervised it to ensure its transparency, affirming that farmers have gained from the programme directly and calling on the opposition to provide opportunities for the concerned ministers to explain in the Parliament so that people will better understand about the programme. In the rice pledging scheme, the government buys white rice paddy from local farmers at 15,000 baht per tonne or lower, depending on moisture contents. Meanwhile, main opposition Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva claimed that the Puea Thai Party-led coalition government has not yet clearly explained on corruption charges concerning the government's budget totaling 120 billion baht on its water management scheme and on spending of over 200 billion baht from buying rice from farmers under the rice pledging programme. Abhisit, who is a former Thai prime minister, vowed that his party would seek an impeachment against more ministers and seek legal action if it got more information on rice corruption charges. Vote of no confidence will be then cast on November 28, after the ongoing debate, which began on November 24. (TNA)