The Cabinet met on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, at the Government House. Some of the resolutions are as follows:
The cabinet made the following resolutions:
1. Approved in principle a project to enhance manpower skills in technology and innovation to accommodate investment and increase capacity of industrial sector in the country and region, as proposed by Ministry of Education. Ministry of Finance and the Budget Bureau are to provide advice on budget detail for project implementation.
2. Ministry of Education is to collaborate with Office of the Civil Service Commission (OCSC), and other concerned agencies to finalize detail on the scholarships under the project.
3. Ministry of Education is to take suggestions of Ministries of Finance, Science and Technology, and Industry, as well as NESDB, OCSC, and other concerned agencies into consideration.
The project to enhance manpower skills in technology and innovation to accommodate investment and increase capacity of industrial sector in the country and region is aimed to prepare, and increase capabilities of vocational students in line with the country’s demand, and Thailand 4.0 policy.
The cabinet approved the following proposals made by Ministry of Industry (monitoring Eastern Economic Corridor Office):
1. Approved high-speed train project connecting 3 airports under PPP Net Cost model. The Government will be responsible for expenses related to land acquisition, while the private sector will take responsibility on expenses related to construction, electricity system, area development, consultancy, train operation and maintenance. Private sector will be granted 50-year concession contract.
2. State Railway of Thailand (SRT)’s joint investment with the private sector is approved.
3. Approved budget related to land acquisition and survey for the total amount of 3,570.29 million Baht to be allocated to SRT.
4. Approved budget for joint investment with the private sector for the amount not exceeding 119,425.75 million Baht. This amount will be transferred to the private sector in installments after the high-speed train is open for operation.
5. Approved for the Government to shoulder infrastructure debts (22,558.06 million Baht) of SRT’s Airport Rail Link
6. Approved for high-speed rail area from Don Muang Airport to the border of Bangkok, and Suvarnabhumi Airport to be part of the “Eastern Economic Corridor”.
7. Assigned Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Transport, and other concerned agencies to proceed accordingly.
The high-speed rail project is EEC’s core infrastructure project seamlessly connecting Don Muang, Suvarnabhumi, and U-Tapao Airports.
The cabinet approved the following proposals made by Ministry of Finance:
1. Approved draft Memorandum of Understanding Between the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand and the Government of Malaysia Concerning Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Customs Matters. Ministry of Finance is to take opinions of Ministry of Foreign Affairs into consideration. Should there be any amendment, if not effecting gist of the document or against the cabinet’s prior approval, Ministry of Finance is to proceed without further approval from the Cabinet.
2. Approved Director-General of the Customs Department as signatory of the MOU. Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to issue the Full Powers to the signatory.
The MOU is aimed to promote cooperation and mutual assistance between the Customs Department of both countries on exchange of information, legal affairs, etc.
The cabinet approved the Royal Thai Police’s proposals as follows:
1. Approved draft Letter of Intent between the Royal Thai Police and the Netherlands Police on Combating Transnational Crime.
2. Approved commissioner-general of the Royal Thai Police or his representative as signatory of the letter of intent.
3. Should there be any amendment, if not effecting gist of the document or against the cabinet’s prior approval, the Royal Thai Police is to proceed without further approval from the Cabinet.
Cooperation under the framework of the letter of intent includes: 1) exchange of strategic information, law enforcement and analysis; 2) coordination operation; 3) strengthening existing cooperation and network; 4) close collaboration and mutual support via liaison offices.
The cabinet approved the proposals made by Office of National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) as follows:
1. Approved Thailand’s agenda of discussion and documents to be endorsed at the 6th Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Coordination (GMS) Summit:
a. Draft Joint Statement of the 6 leaders
b. Draft Hanoi Action Plan (2018-2022)
c. Regional Investment Framework (2022)
The 3 documents are to be endorsed at the 6th GMS Summit held during March 29-31, 2018 in Hanoi, Vietnam. Should there be any amendment, if not effecting gist of the document or against the cabinet’s prior approval, NESDB is to proceed without further approval from the Cabinet.
2. Approved for the Prime Minister to endorse the documents together with other leaders from the Mekong Subregion countries.
At the 6th GMS Summit, Thailand will reiterate and endorse GMS implementations in the 6 following agendas:
1) Regional Investment Framework (RIF2022),
2) transport infrastructure development,
3) development policy of Eastern Economic Corridor,
4) electricity procurement in the Greater Mekong Subregion,
5) promotion of private sector’s investment in the region, and
6) environment and disaster management.
The cabinet approved Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ proposal as follows:
1. Approved the Draft Final Document of the 18th Mid-Term Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM 24), and Draft Baku Declaration to be endorsed by Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the meeting held on April 3-6, 2018 in Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan.
2. If the Draft Final Document in parts related to the South China Sea are not relevant with ASEAN’s proposal on the matter, Minister of Foreign Affairs, together with other ASEAN foreign ministers, is to sign a reservation against the parts to be in line with the practice of ASEAN Foreign Ministers regarding the final document of the 17th Mid-Term Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement held in Venezuela in 2016.
3. If the Draft Final Document in parts related to Myanmar’s Rakhine situation are not relevant with Thailand’s position or are deemed to condemn Myanmar, Minister of Foreign Affairs is to sign a reservation against the parts or to carefully explain Thailand’s reason to reserve its endorsement on the parts.
4. Should there be any amendment, if not effecting gist of the document or against the country’s benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to proceed without further approval from the Cabinet.
--Cabinet Meeting (Prayut Chan-o-cha) March 27, 2018--