The cabinet met on December 14, 2021. Some of the resolutions are as follows:
The cabinet approved in principle the draft Royal Decree on exemption of toll fee for Motorway No. 7 and No. 9 for a specified period (No. ?) B.E. ?, as proposed by Ministry of Transport.
The draft Royal Decree prescribes exemption of toll fee for Motorway No. 7 (Bangkok-Pattaya), and No. 9 (Kanchanaphisek Rd.- Bang Pa-in- Bang phli section and Phra Pradaeng- Bang Khun Tian Interchange section) from 0001hrs of December 30, 2021 to 2400hrs of January 3, 2022. This is to facilitate people?s traveling during the long holidays.
The cabinet acknowledged the study report, conduceted by Tourism Committee of the Senate House on post-COVID-19 medical tourism promotion. This is as proposed by Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
Under the study report, Tourism Committee of the Senate House proposed policy agendas and development agendas as follows:
Policy Agendas
1.Prescribing medical tourism promotion as a national agenda
2.Revising related laws and measures to promote medical tourism
3.Promoting medical tourism via online platform
1.Engaging the private sector in medical tourism promotion, and developing medical tourism database in line with foreign tourists? behaviors
2.Thailand Science Research and Innovation (TSRI) should be the core agency in linking and compiling researches conducted by both the public and private sectors on medical tourism and healthcare tourism
Title: Operation of Fact-Checking Committee on Expansion of ?Stable, Prosperous and Sustainable Triangle? Model City Project to Chana District, Songkhla Named the ?Progressive Industrial Model City of the Future?
1.Acknowledged the call of Chana Rak Thin Network, as proposed by Fact-Checking Committee on Expansion of ?Stable, Prosperous and Sustainable Triangle? Model City Project to Chana District, Songkhla Named the ?Progressive Industrial Model City of the Future?
2.Assigned Office of National Economic and Social Development Council and other concerned agencies, i.e., Office of Permanent Secretary to Prime Minister?s Office, local educational institutes, etc., to conduct Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), and assessment of master plans, while taking into consideration proposals of the people sector (including Chana Rak Thin network) and the conclusion of the Fact-Checking Committee on Expansion of ?Stable, Prosperous and Sustainable Triangle? Model City Project to Chana District, Songkhla Named the ?Progressive Industrial Model City of the Future?.
3.The Fact-Checking Committee on Expansion of ?Stable, Prosperous and Sustainable Triangle? Model City Project to Chana District, Songkhla Named the ?Progressive Industrial Model City of the Future? is exempted from the cabinet?s resolution made on November 24, 2015 on ?Proposal of Urgent Agenda to the Cabinet? on the matter.
The cabinet approved the draft MOU between ASEAN member states and Government of People?s Republic of China on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Cooperation, and authorized Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives or a representative as signatory of the MOU. This is as proposed by Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives.
The draft MOU between ASEAN member states and Government of People?s Republic of China on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Cooperation prescribes scope of cooperation on sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) which includes 4 main activities: 1) systematization of exchange of related regulations and warnings; 2) exchange of visits; 3) organization of trainings, seminars, and activities; and 4) research cooperation.
The draft MOU also prescribes operation mechanism at different levels and protection of intellectual property rights as a result of joint research and development.
The cabinet acknowledged the outcome of the 54th ASEAN Foreign Ministers? Meeting (AMM) and related meetings, and instructed concerned agencies to proceed accordingly. This is as proposed by Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Don Pramudvinai attended the 54th ASEAN Foreign Ministers? Meeting (AMM) and related meetings, chaired by Brunei Darussalam, via a teleconference on August 2-7, 2021. Some of the outcomes are as follows:
1.Promote the full and effective implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 in accordance with Brunei chairmanship?s theme ?We Care, We Prepare, We Prosper.?
2.Enhance the ASEAN Community and advance ASEAN?s relations with external parties based on the principles of strengthening ASEAN Centrality, openness and inclusivity as enshrined in the ASEAN Charter, the TAC and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific.
3.Respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic through implementation of the Regional Strategic and Action Plan on ASEAN Vaccine Security and Self-Reliance (AVSSR) 2021-2025, and development of the ASEAN Travel Corridor Arrangement Framework (ATCAF)
4.Accord the United Kingdom the status of Dialogue Partner of ASEAN, affirm accession of the Kingdom of Denmark, the Hellenic Republic, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Sultanate of Oman, State of Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates to the TAC.
Thailand also chaired ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers? Meeting before handing over the duty of ASEAN-India Coordinator for 2021-2024 to Singapore, and accept the duty of ASEAN-Japan Coordinator for 2021-2024. The meeting also discussed the developments in Myanmar and the South China Sea.
Source: Cabinet Meeting (Prayut Chan-o-cha) December 14, 2021