Thai Cabinet nods development projects for southern Andaman region

PHUKET, March 20 (TNA) - The Thai Cabinet, at its mobile meeting in the southern resort Phuket province Tuesday, approved 117 development projects worth 84,064 million baht for Phuket and four other southern Andaman coastal provinces of Ranong, Phang-nga, Krabi and Trang. Deputy Government Spokesman Chalitrat Chantharubeksa told journalists that of the 117 projects, 23 ones worth 628 million baht could be implemented within Thailand's present 2012 fiscal year and relevant agencies are ordered to file their budget requests for the projects with the Bureau of the Budget over the next two weeks. The Cabinet meeting also acknowledged a proposal from the Phuket governor for the gradual expansion of the Phuket Airport to double its capacity from serving some 6 million passengers to 12 million passengers annually. Meanwhile, Commerce Minister Boonsong Teriyapirom said that the Thai Cabinet also allocated a 1.62-billion-baht-budget for a project to introduce “Blue Flag” cheap products at 10,000 shops nationwide and endorsed the organization of fairs of cheap products nationwide, a dozen of which will be of a regional scale, 76 others will be of a provincial scale and 878 others will be at the district-level. (TNA)