Thailand to reduce road casualties by half by 2020

BANGKOK, November 16 (TNA) - The Thai government, through the Ministry of Interior, has targeted to reduce road casualties by 50 per cent over the next three years. Thai Interior Minister General Anupong Paochinda, in his capacity as the director of the government's command center on road safety, announced the official target on Thursday, marking the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. General Anupong noted that the Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO) has designated Sunday of the third week of every November the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. While presiding over an official event in Bangkok to observe the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, General Anupong said that the event is also aimed to promote participation in preventing and reducing road accidents from all Thai sectors in the concrete and sustainable aspect. "The Thai government has paid attention to the solution to road accidents and has included the issue on the national agenda and a main policy framework on the decade of road safety 2011-2020, aimed to create a benchmark standard of road safety in Thailand and to minimize road casualties nationwide by 2020", the interior minister declared. The Thai interior minister expressed his condolences to all casualties of road accidents in the country and gave moral support for them and their families. The interior minister revealed that the Thai government has amended laws on road safety with tougher legal punishment and has instructed all concerned agencies to strictly enforce the laws, urging local media and all other sectors in the society to join forces in reducing road casualties through their public relations (PR) campaigns and other activities. (TNA)