Thai authorities discuss impacts of wage hike, stronger baht

BANGKOK, January 30 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra called a meeting with relevant parties on Wednesday morning to discuss assistance for local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) affected by the ongoing baht appreciation and the government's daily minimum wage hike to 300 baht nationwide, effective from January 1, 2013. Participants in the meeting include concerned Cabinet members, as well as Bank of Thailand (BOT) Governor Prasarn Trairatvorakul and Office of the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) Secretary-General Arkom Termpittapaisit. The meeting coincided with a call by the Thai private sector for the government to ease impacts of the fast appreciation of the Thai baht and the new wage hike for the sake of continual growth of Thai exports and businesses. (TNA)