Thailand's newly appointed ministers start working

BANGKOK, January 24 (TNA) – Several Thailand's newly-appointed Cabinet members assumed office of their respective ministries Tuesday for the first time, considering today as an auspicious day to begin their work. At the Ministry of Defence, Thai armed forces chiefs and high-ranking military officers attended an event to honor General Yuthasak Sasiprapa, the outgoing defence minister who was appointed a new deputy prime minister in a recent Cabinet reshuffle, and Air Chief Marshal Sukumpol Suwanatat, the new Defence Minister, who then told reporters that he would study which policies of his predecessor should be continued or accelerated. At the Ministry of Industry, newly-appointed Industry Minister M.R. Pongsvas Svasti told journalists, upon his arriving at the industry portfolio, that he would proceed with the government's policies and those of his predecessor Wannarat Channukul, as he used to be in a working group of Dr. Wannarat, and that his priority is to restore international investors’ confidence in Thailand, in the wake of a flooding crisis late last year. The new industry minister later flew to India, accompanying Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, among other Thai delegates, for a three-day official visit to New Delhi, during which he said he would invite Indian investors to do business in Thailand. At the Ministry of Transport, newly-appointed Transport Minister Jarupong Ruangsuwan, accompanied by his deputy, told reporters that he would speed up the repair of flood-damaged roads and improve public services, expressway systems and logistics, as part of Thailand's preparations for more liberal trade and investment under the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), set to be established by 2015. (TNA)