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 The policy debate is expected to last three days, from Tuesday to Thurssday. Coalition and opposition lawmakers received copies of the policy statement yesterday.

The government priorities are:

l Forge national reconciliation to advance democracy forward

l Quell the unrest in the southern border provinces

l Promote cooperation and ties in the region

l Set up a risk-management mechanism to monitor the world financial crisis and its impacts on funds transfers

l Restore confidence for business and tourism

l Speed up essential investment projects

l Address the grievances relating to natural calamities, inflation and oil-price hikes

l Establish a Farmers' Council and safeguard the risk exposure for commodity prices

l Ensure the community's access to capital

l Promote micro-lending to low-income people and small- and medium-sized businesses

l Enhance management efficiency of the Otop (One Tambon, One Product) project

l Intensify the suppression of drug trafficking, dark influences, vice and activities deemed harmful to the youths

l Improve public healthcare services

l Increase the efficiency in distributing and utilising water resources inside and outside irrigation areas

l Implement measures to lessen the impact of global warming

l Map out a master plan to brace for climate changes, energy price volatility and world food crisis.

In heeding the growing call for political reform, the government has voiced support for amending the charter's Article 291 to pave the way for the formation of a Constitution Drafting Assembly to take charge of reforms.

The CDA is slated to be an independent body representing various professional groups and will have a mandate to solicit ideas from all sectors of society in order to revamp the political system and rewrite the charter to reflect peoples' aspirations.