Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha said after the cabinet meeting on Tuesday that there is no need to speculate whether the cabinet will be reshuffled because he will tell the public once he has decided.
“The reshuffle will not happen now so you can stop asking,” he said to reporters.
“If there is a reshuffle, I will tell you myself… and it will be based on my decision as a PM, not the decision of the party leader,” he added while referring to the changes within the ruling Palang Pracharat Party.
Local reports are now pointing to Prayut’s deputy prime minister Prawit Wongsuwan as the next leader of the party.
“If the party decided that General Prawit will be the next leader, I will have nothing against it because that would be up to the party’s decision and there is no worry about his age,” Prayut said.
The changes within the party leadership could lead to at least three other changes in ministerial positions, including the deputy minister in charge of economic affairs, the finance minister and the energy minister.
Stimulating the economy
The 1 trillion baht emergency loan should be able to support economic recovery in the fourth quarter of 2020 and the beginning of 2021, Prayut said.
“The most important thing is that the disbursement meets the needs of the people that have been most affected…” he said.
“The disbursement will begin from July onwards… [It will concentrate] on domestic consumption, domestic tourism, helping SMEs gain access to capital and provide support for the grassroots economy and new graduates via job creations,” he added.
The disbursement will also be made transparent to the public as it will use technology such as an electronic disbursement system.
“Public involvement is crucial to ensure transparency and to make sure that the disbursement meets their needs,” he said.
The money will not be used for large infrastructure projects. Those projects are already underway and within the annual fiscal budget of each government agency, he added.
The National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) said on Monday that most of the projects under the 400 billion baht budget will be for job creation and reskilling people who lost their job.
The council said in May that 8.4 million people are at risk of unemployment because of the outbreak. Of that, there are about 520,000 new graduates, who will have a hard time looking for jobs in 2020.
In addition, about 6 million farmers have also been affected by the ongoing drought.
International tourism
Somkid Jatusripitak, the deputy prime minister in charge of economic affairs, said on Monday that the country’s entry ban on international flights could be lifted within the third quarter of 2020.
Deputy Somkid said that he had discussed lifting the entry ban, which began on May 16, with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha at the State Enterprise Policy Office on Monday. They both agreed that it could be lifted in the third quarter.
The CCSA’s subcommittee on reopening businesses will discuss matters relating to international tourism on Wednesday before they propose it to the CCSA at its main meeting on Friday.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) also said on Tuesday that the regulator is meeting with airlines next week to discuss resuming international flights.
“We still cannot say if the entry ban will be extended or not and we will wait for recommendations from the CCSA first,” said Chula Sukmanop, director of CAAT.
Prayut confirmed on Tuesday he instructed related agencies to prepare for “travel bubble” negotiations.
The negotiations involve bilateral agreements on travelling between the kingdom and countries considered by the Thai government to have a low risk of infection from the coronavirus.
The first targeted demographic of passengers could be businesspeople.
The tourism sector is still hoping, however, that the entry ban will be lifted alongside the State of Emergency on July 1.
Other countries around the world are also looking to reopen international flights on the same day.
Domestic tourism
Somkid said on Monday that since exports and international are slowing down, domestic consumption, domestic tourism and government spending are now seen as the most important economic drivers in the second half of 2020.
“Measures to stimulate tourism and consumption are being prepared to enter the economy in the third and fourth quarter,” Somkid said.
The plan is to stimulate people who can afford to spend and travel domestically, he added.
Such measures could include a complimentary travel package for 1.2 million medical staff worth around 2,000-3,000 baht person, and digital coupons for 4 million people aged 18 and over who want to travel across provinces.
Tourism Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn also said on Tuesday that measures to stimulate domestic tourism will be up for the CCSA’s consideration at its meeting on Friday (June 12) before entering the cabinet next Tuesday (June 16).
