Thai PM: Japan to support Thailand's post-flood rehabilitation

BANGKOK, November 18 (TNA) - Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said on Friday that Japan has agreed to support Thailand's rehabilitation plans and flood prevention systems in the future, as inundations in vast areas of Thailand have been receding. Yingluck told TNA that Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda made the offer during his bilateral discussions with her earlier in the day, on the sidelines of the 19th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and related meetings, being held on the Indonesian resort Bali Island from November 15-19. Yingluck revealed she has proposed that a joint Thai-Japanese task force be set up, comprising experts and officials concerned of both sides, to work out the rehabilitation plans and flood prevention systems for Thailand, noting that the Thai government will provide visa and other facilitations for the Japanese personnel for the sake of a quick restoration of flood-hit areas and industrial sites in Thailand, as well as confidence in the Thai economy among Japanese business operators. The Pheu Thai premier said the agreed cooperation indicates that Japanese investors have remained confident in Thailand, acknowledging that Japan will be playing more roles in the 10-nation ASEAN bloc, particularly in Thailand, including in infrastructure development plans and other regional projects. (TNA)