Asean bills set for parliament

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's Cabinet yesterday approved a total of 33 framework agreements pertinent to the upcoming Asean Summit, which will be hosted by Thailand in late February.

Of the total, 11 documents were proposed by the Foreign Ministry, while the rest came from the Commerce, Public Health and Transport ministries.

All the agreements need parliamentary approval.

Abhisit remained optimistic yesterday lawmakers would be able to convene at Parliament on January 7 to endorse the Asean-related framework agreements.

Yesterday, the premier was forced by anti-government protesters to deliver his maiden policy speech at the Foreign Ministry instead of Parliament, which was blockaded by thousands of protesters.

Abhisit reiterated that his administration would not resort to violent means to disperse protesters in order to enter into the Parliament building.

Originally, the government was due to hold the policy debate on December 29 and 30 but protesters - supporters of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra - laid siege to Parliament on Monday.

On the upcoming Asean Summit, Veerasak Fu-trakul, permanent secretary for foreign affairs, said after the Cabinet meeting Thailand was awaiting responses from other member countries on whether they would be able to attend the summit if it was held in late February.

"So far, we have got confirmation from 11 countries that they will attend the summit [as rescheduled]," he said.

The Asean Summit, which will be attended by leaders

of the 10-country grouping plus the leaders of China, Japan, and South Korea, was postponed from mid-December due to the political chaos.

The government will hold meetings every Wednesday to make final arrangements for the summit, Abhisit said.

The Cabinet yesterday also appointed Korbsak Sabhavasu, one of the deputy premiers, to oversee drafting of government policies to revive the economy and use of supplementary state funds for fiscal 2009.

Earlier, Abhisit announced the government would spend Bt300 billion, or 3 per cent of gross domestic product, next year to stimulate an economy hit hard by the global economic downturn and protracted domestic political upheaval.

Abhisit said yesterday he would meet Bank of Thailand Governor Tarisa Watanagase on January 5 to exchange opinions on the state of the economy.

Yesterday, the Cabinet also approved the appointment of Niphon Prompan, a veteran Democrat, as the PM's secretary-general, while naming three deputy government spokespersons, including Puttipong Punakan and Supachai Jai-samut.

Panitan Wattanayakorn, a Chulalongkorn University lecturer, is tipped to be the government's chief spokesman and concurrently deputy PM secretary-general, but his posts have yet to be put up for Cabinet approval.

The Cabinet also approved an extension of a Bt3-billion maize-pledging scheme to till the end of February to help farmers hit by low prices.

It also approved a proposal for motorists to use state-owned motorways free of charge during the New Year holiday period.