ID :
164180
Sat, 02/26/2011 - 10:39
Auther :

Thai PM insists on freezing diesel prices

BANGKOK, Feb 26 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Saturday (Feb 26) that political problems in the Middle East and the North African region have affected world diesel prices, but the Thai government is freezing domestic diesel prices to protect the national economy.

In his speech on politics in the Thai economic management delivered to students of King Prajadhipok’s Institute in Bangkok's Suburban Nonthaburi Province Saturday morning, Abhisit insisted on the need to cap the domestic diesel prices at 30 baht per liter, noting that the government’s state oil fund remains strong enough to prevent impacts from the policy to affect the overall Thai economy, and that his government would freeze the domestic diesel prices until the end of April this year.

The Thai premier pointed out that the state oil fund now stands at about 8 billion baht and is still free of loss, but Abhisit admitted that political crisis in the Middle East and the North African region has affected world oil prices, saying if world crude oil prices exceed 100 US dollars per barrel, the government will look for other solutions, as his administration will not let the state oil fund to be loss-ridden.

Regarding solutions to rising palm oil prices, the Thai prime minister insisted that his government has been on the right path to solve the problem, saying that bottled palm oil with pink caps will be available on the domestic market from February 28 at the subsidised price of 47 baht per bottle. (TNA)

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