Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin says he will host his first mobile cabinet meeting in Nong Bua Lamphu province in November and discuss boosting its economy.
Speaking at the Customs Office of the Laos border checkpoint in Nong Khai yesterday, he said he chose Nong Bua Lamphu for the meeting after making an inspection trip to the northeastern region.
He said he wants to hold the mobile cabinet meeting there to shed light on issues faced by locals, including low incomes, drugs and drought.
Before visiting Nong Khai, Mr Srettha visited Khon Kaen and Udon Thani on Friday. He said those two provinces have the potential to grow their economies even bigger as they have airports to boost tourism and are located near Laos, a country that has a high-speed train to China.
When asked about the second phase of the dual-track train project from Khon Kaen to Nong Khai, Mr Srettha said the issue will be discussed during the next cabinet meeting because a budget for the track's construction has been prepared.
"This is considered an urgent issue. [The track] might not require a huge amount of money, but it will contribute great profits," he said. "It must simultaneously be built along with a cargo station at the Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge connecting Nong Khai and Vientiane in Laos."
He said many government agencies have collaborated with each other to improve facilities so the local export industry can keep up with Laos and China.
Past international trade discussions have been fruitful, and the PM is expected to return to the northeastern region to follow up on the infrastructure project at the end of next month.
According to reports, the president of the Chamber of Commerce and representatives of the business sector in Nong Khai told Mr Srettha they would like construction of a bridge connecting Nong Khai and Vientiane to be complete by 2029.
They also asked Mr Srettha to build a business centre for traders.
They said the government should also support Khon Kaen University's plan to open a school for high-speed railway engineering to improve the labour sector in the northeastern region as well as push for more pro-Nong Khai economic policies.