Thai PM orders panels to furnish water plan

BANGKOK, December 24 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said on Saturday she has ordered two government panels set up during the country's recent flooding crisis to furnish flood prevention plans for next year and to submit the plans to the government before the end of this month. Speaking during her weekly address, Yingluck told the public that her government also plans to invite foreign experts on water management to give advice to the government next year, as the issue is now considered regional agenda of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), in which Thailand is a member. After learning on water management plans from the two government panels, Yingluck acknowledged, she is optimistic that foreign investors’ confidence in Thailand will be restored. The Pheu Thai premier insisted that the public and the local industrial sector will be timely informed on how to prepare for any flooding in the future, including having equipment and water pumps installed and dykes erected. According to the Premier Yingluck, water management is now an urgent issue in Thailand and is to be implemented within five–six months under a single unit in order to manage water efficiently and to simultaneously create confidence for local industrial and agricultural operators. (TNA)