Thai industrial sector expected to fully resume production in 2nd q

BANGKOK, April 7 (TNA) - Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra assessed Saturday that Thailand's post-flood industrial sector should fully resume production in the second quarter of this year. Yingluck told journalists that local industrial operators are expected to resume full production capacity during the April-June 2012 period, in the wake of Thailand's flooding crisis late last year, acknowledging that some of them remain worried over any repeated flooding during this year's rainy season; so, her government is dredging canals and repairing water gates to gain more public confidence. Yingluck said that soldiers have so far helped dredged about 60 per cent of canals in Bangkok and remaining tasks are to be done on minor canals in the capital, with those in major flood-prone areas likely to be complete by next month. According to the Thai premier, the government has ordered dams officials to release water for agriculture purposes on a gradual basis and to maintain water stored at all dams at half of their full capacity, instead of 45 per cent, in order to reserve water for use during the current summer season and the government hopes that Thailand will not encounter any major flooding this year. (TNA)