The cabinet meeting on Tuesday 19, May 2009 has come to the following decisions:
The Cabinet has approved for the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) to borrow funds and for the Ministry of Finance to guarantee the loan. This is to compensate BMTA for operating services provided to ease the people’s financial burden. The budget is within 639.13 million baht. The Bureau of the Budget was tasked to allocate this budget to compensate BMTA, using the general budget of the 2009 fiscal budget, which will alleviate the interests incurred from the loan according to the opinions of the Ministry of Transport and National Economic and Social Development Board.
The Cabinet considered the return of the 7 artifacts to Cambodia, as proposed by the Secretariat to the Prime Minister and decided as follows :
1. to approve in principle for the Thai government to bear the costs of the packaging and transportation of the 7 artifacts to Cambodia, totaling 336,980 baht, to be allocated from the budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
2. to acknowledge and waive implementation of Cabinet decision of 24 February 2009 deciding to have Cambodia responsible for the packaging and transportation of the artifacts, as mentioned in number 1.
The Cabinet acknowledged the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Governments of the Kingdom of Thailand and the Union of Myanmar on Cooperation to Eradicate Human Trafficking, Especially of Women and Children, as proposed by the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security.
The MOU is the fourth bilateral cooperation document that Thailand has signed with countries in the Mekong River Basin sub-region. It is a framework for cooperation to prevent and suppress human trafficking, to protect victims of human trafficking and return them to their countries of origin, as well as to embark on joint operations. This MOU is different from past MOUs, in that the substantive points are made clearer—on child victim protection, separation of victims, witness protection, development of mechanisms and tools, and on having concrete follow-up of measures. This MOU also makes a connection with the MOU between the Governments of Thailand and Myanmar on Cooperation on Hiring Labour of B.E.2546 (2003) by adding a provision on the important measures to prevent human trafficking in the form of forced labour. This addition is in line with the Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act of B.E. 2551 (2008). The Union of Myanmar also came out with an anti-human trafficking legislation, especially for women and children. It is therefore strongly believed that this framework of cooperation will lead to the success in preventing, suppressing and protecting victims of human trafficking. Both countries shall continue to work on the plan of action for the MOU in due course.
The Cabinet considered the modification of the plan for training and hosting seminars and study tours, as proposed by the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB). The Cabinet decided to assign the various agencies, which have modified their plans for training and hosting seminars and study tours and have submitted the plan to the NESDB, to submit the modified plan to the Bureau of the Budget for implementation and allocation of funds.
The most recent modification of the plan, as of 21 March 2009, can be summarized as follows:
1. Government agencies have submitted the results of their second modification of the plan to the Cabinet on 3 March 2009. These agencies include a total of 15 ministries (consisting of 112 departments and department-level agencies), 3 agencies not under the Secretariat of the Prime Minister or a particular ministry, and 1 independent agency. When considering all government agencies that have modified their plans according to the first and second Cabinet decision, a total of 20 ministries (consisting of 155 departments or department-level agencies and 28 provinces) have modified their plans.
2. The total budget modified from training, hosting seminars and study tours in foreign countries is 173.90 million baht, out of a total of a 1,331.84 million baht budget (or 13 per cent) if such activities were held in foreign countries.
The Cabinet approved the Draft Royal Decree on Holding of By-elections to Elect a Member of Parliament for Sakon Nakon Province, 3rd Electoral District, to Fill in Vacant Position, B.E....., as proposed by the Election Commission (to replace Mr.Pongsak Boonson who was disqualified by the Supreme Court by Order number 3345/2552 dated 14 May 2009). The dates of the by-elections are set for 21 June 2009.
--Cabinet Meeting (Abhisit Vejjajiva) May 19, 2009--