Bangkok: Prime Minister Paethongtarn Shinawatra convened a meeting with Pheu Thai Party ministers at the Thai Khu Fah Building, Government House, to discuss the ongoing unrest in the southern border provinces. This meeting took place before the scheduled cabinet meeting and included key cabinet figures such as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Phumtham Vejjayachai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Prasert Chantarawongthong, and Minister of Commerce Maris Sengiampong, among others. The meeting lasted around one hour.
According to Thai News Agency, the Prime Minister led the ministers from the Pheu Thai Party to the Cabinet meeting at Building 1 after the discussion. The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of monitoring the unrest in the southern border provinces and addressed various critical issues.
Deputy Prime Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit mentioned that the meeting focused on strategies to support and care for the affected people in the southern regions. The cabinet meeting's agenda covered several significant matters, including secret agendas from various ministries. Notably, the Ministry of Finance discussed tax exemptions and customs duty reductions, while monitoring continued on the Digital Wallet project aimed at providing 10,000 baht to teenagers aged 16-20, impacting about 2.7 million individuals.
The Ministry of Finance proposed a secret agenda concerning duty exemptions and customs duties for the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area and products originating from Japan. Additionally, the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre (SBPAC) presented findings related to the draft act to revoke the order of the National Council for Peace and Order.
Four ministers were absent from the meeting, including Ms. Supamas Isaraphakdi, Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, and Mr. Chulaphan Amornvivat, Minister of Finance. Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Ms. Narumon Pinyosinwat, participated via video conference.