PM promotes 'Thailand 2020' expo

PM promotes 'Thailand 2020' expo

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Saturday urged people to visit "Thailand 2020: Thailand’s New Step to the World Expo" at The Chaeng Watthana Government Complex.

Ms Yingluck on Friday chaired the opening ceremony for the event which runs until Tuesday, March 12.

The exhibition highlights 2 trillion baht worth of planned investments in infrastructure development megaprojects, most of them involving transport, over the next seven years.

Visitors would be able to get a better idea of how a planned dual-track rail system would help make travel faster and more convenient, she said.

"I would like to invite the people to visit this exhibition, which shows Thailand’s future in 2020," the premier said on the "Yingluck Government Meets the People" weekly programme on NBT on Saturday.

Transport Minister Chatchart Sitthipan said on the same TV programme that the 2-trillion-baht investment in infrastructure would create new opportunities for the country and Thai people.

The country’s transport systems, including highways, high-speed rail lines and waterway networks, would be developed to make transport more convenient and faster while also reducing fuel costs, he said.

Mr Chatchart insisted that the 2 trillion baht in loans to be acquired gradually would increase the public debt to no more than 50% of gross domestic product, lower than the ceiling of 60% of GDP.

In addition, the investment would increase economic growth by another 1.3% annually and create about 500,000 jobs, while it would push up inflation by only about 0.2%, he added.

The social benefits of the investment projects included reducing global warming and road accidents and enhancing the quality of life of people, said the minister.

The government plans to construct four high-speed train routes, Bangkok-Chiang Mai, Bangkok-Nongkhai, Bangkok-Rayong and Bangkok-Padang Besar. They would reduce transport costs by more than 50 billion baht annually, he said.

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