Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin defended his overseas trips and visits to neighbouring countries as being necessary to boost foreign investment in Thailand and to forge closer relationships with its neighbours.
He also defended his various visits to the provinces to address local problems, such as the PM2.5 airborne pollution in Chiang Mai.
In response to senators’ criticisms of his government’s alleged under-performance, on the first day of the Senate’s general debate against his government today, the prime minister said he is not upset by the Senate debate, despite the fact that he has been in office for only seven months. On the other hand, the Senate never censured the administration of former prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, he noted
Regarding the criticism of him for being a salesman on his multiple overseas trips, Srettha said that the government has teams to approach multinationals to invite them to invest in mega projects in Thailand, adding that it will take time for them to make decisions because each project requires several billions of baht in investment.
Even if he is abroad or out of Bangkok, he said that he can still manage state affairs and delegate without any problem, thanks to communications technology.
He said that the Board of Investment and Thai trade representatives will hold a press conference tomorrow, to update the public on foreign investments during his administration.
Regarding resolving the informal debt problem, he said that it is a work in progress, adding that he has instructed police and local administration officials to reach out to debtors and encourage them to come forward to report on their problems, instead of waiting for the debtors to come to see them.
He admitted, however, that several problems remain unresolved, because his government is relatively new, but he vowed to carry on until they are resolved or alleviated.
