Kittiratt stands ready for the mega infrastructure development project

[webfact]

Kittiratt stands ready for the mega infrastructure development project



BANGKOK, 8 November 2013 (NNT) - Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minster Kittiratt Na-Ranong has revealed some important updates on the government’s progress in the 2.2 trillion baht mega project.

As of now, the 300 billion baht water management projects are going according to plans. As for the 2.2 trillion baht infrastructure projects, once related legislations have been passed, Mr. Kittiratt stated that the government is ready to go ahead with them.

In regard to the customs infrastructure developments, the Finance Minister stated that public enterprises can now participate in the auctions. As for land transport, most of the country’s highways will be expanded from the existing 2 lanes to 4 lanes.

Mr. Kittiratt believes that this year’s economic growth target can be achieved, stating, however, that local and foreign investors are more likely to be interested in how next year’s economy would actually perform.

Exports continue to prove a challenge, said Mr. Kittiratt. Figures have sometimes shown to be drawing at a loss. However, when factoring out gold import expenses, the nation’s balance of trade can be seen as being leaning towards a slight profit.


-- NNT 2013-11-08

[jaidam]

Go for it son, you have proved your worth with the excellent and transparent rice scheme. Or to paraphrase Robert Shaw in Jaws, "we're gonna need bigger pockets" What could possibly go wrong?

[ggold]

sounds like they are going to need a bigger trough!

[bigbamboo]

Well, boys and girls....... do you believe him?

[casindonet]

Mr. White Lie even have a matching suit to go along with all his white lies.

Sent from my GT-I9200 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[winstonc]

Well, boys and girls....... do you believe him?

well he seems to an honest looking face mate,cant make me mind up..its a toughy this one....

[waza]

As of now, the 300 billion baht water management projects are going according to plans. As for the 2.2 trillion baht infrastructure projects, once related legislations have been passed, Mr. Kittiratt stated that the government is ready to go ahead with them............

I need a bigger bag

[Nickymaster]

Another very dangerous member of Yingluck's team. Dangerous because he is crooked and not that smart to say the least.

[GentlemanJim]

How odd that he should coincidentally release all that 'good' news today. I bet the cabinet were up until 4 am thinking, what news can we give them to make them all feel better and believe us. Funny really! Now what was it he said last time "it was only a white lie to make the people feel better" !!

[Neilly]

Posted Today, 12:15

Kittiratt stands ready for the mega infrastructure development project

[spirit47]

That makes me so happy, that they now fill up the potholes in the roads. Think they will find some missing people there, and I save a lot of money for spareparts...

[chainarong]

Kittiratt stands ready,while the rest of Thailand stands ready for hardship , as with the amnesty bill , no fore thought or scale modelling has been done, you bulldoze your plans through Parliament , you do so at your own peril, as you have seen Kittiratt , the response from one shabby piece of legislation, if the 2.2th loan turns to crap , you are done to a dinner old son, believe me , the people have now mobilized , they now have the spirit to continue.

[rubl]

"As of now, the 300 billion baht water management projects are going according to plans."

Which plans? The new ones including talking with all local residents effected? The ones which include a few more Environmental Impact studies?

Or just the old plans with additional financing found as the original decree expired before?

[Crushdepth]

The great thing about megaprojects is that they offer greater economic efficiencies...when it comes to graft. So much more convenient than trying to skim from hundreds of fiddly little projects. Hope this goes better than the Samut Prakarn Wastewater Management Project (warning PDF). Remember that one? It was a cracker.

Edited November 8, 2013 by Crushdepth

[55Jay]

Ah yes, the good old steady hand, focusing on important issues in a crisis, trick.

If you look behind his face in the photograph, you can see the reflection of the 10,000 pound elephant in the room.

[Robby nz]

I suspect he is ready.

He will have the tax haven bank accounts sorted and know exactly how he is to channel the money into them.

[arthurboy]

I suspect that the current protesters against the amnesty will soon direct their collective gaze and fury towards these mega projects, their attendant lack of transparency and the ever present spectres of corruption and cronyism.

Let's hope so.

[seminomadic]

Kittiratt stands ready,while the rest of Thailand stands ready for hardship , as with the amnesty bill , no fore thought or scale modelling has been done, you bulldoze your plans through Parliament , you do so at your own peril, as you have seen Kittiratt , the response from one shabby piece of legislation, if the 2.2th loan turns to crap , you are done to a dinner old son, believe me , the people have now mobilized , they now have the spirit to continue.

I suspect that the current protesters against the amnesty will soon direct their collective gaze and fury towards these mega projects, their attendant lack of transparency and the ever present spectres of corruption and cronyism.

It's not going to happen. Never will. This society has a phenomenal collective tolerance for corruption & exactly zero solutions to the problem. Thaksin was booted on grounds of 'corruption' because it suited the designs of higher-up players in this whole game. If you think he was ousted on actual principle, I have some land in Florida I'd like to sell you.

For my students, if the topic arises I'll spin the yarn of how Chairman Mao virtually wiped out corruption when he made a display of executing a middling minister in his gov't accused of graft. The accusations made the papers and the people, according to an adviser, were getting irked about corruption. The minister was summarily hanged. This reduced corruption in China greatly for some time until Tienamen, which taught the gov't that crushing students shuts them right up, and by extension that they can do and get away with whatever the hell they want.

I then ask my students who would vote for a clearly corrupt high-level gov't official to be executed assuming foreknowledge that it would greatly, greatly reduce corruption in Thailand. On average, maybe 2 or maximum 3 out of thirty say 'yes', the rest pull the pious "that's not the Buddhist way" thing.

So guess what? You can learn to like reading about corruption or you can eat crow. It's never going to stop, and will likely get worse.

Much worse.

[cue Vincent Price-like laughter]

[lostmebike]

As of now, the 300 billion baht water management projects are going according to plans.

Does he mean making progress in the construction or siphoning of funds?

[Thailion]

I disagree semi...I think it has been changing (albeit at a snails pace) and will continue to change the more Thai move into middle class status.

The problem now is the majority of Thai fall into the lower class category (earn less than 15k a month, farmers, etc.) and don't pay tax...so the government aren't stealing from them.

On top of that the majority of the 'perks' (rebates, minimum wage, 30 Bht. doctor visits, subsidies, rice pledging, etc.) are aimed at this group which in return means votes...the 500 Bht. handshake also works well.

If I was in this category I know I probably would be voting for the ones that will make my life a little better...at least in the short term. (remember too, that this group generally are poorly educated and struggle to see long term effects.)

What I have seen in the 12 years living here that more and more are shifting from a lower class status into middle class and hence more and more are paying taxes.

In fairness I can only speak from what i have seen in Chiang Mai and cannot comment on other parts of Thai.

[Muhendis]

"As for land transport, most of the country’s highways will be expanded from the existing 2 lanes to 4 lanes."

Ehh?

Two lanes plus two additional for off road vehicles only.

[drdoom6996]

Mr. White Lie even have a matching suit to go along with all his white lies.

Sent from my GT-I9200 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

You beat me to it, nice one!

[Songhua]

Well, boys and girls....... do you believe him?

No. Sounds like the vows politicians make when they're electioneering.

There's not one concrete or finalized plan in what he's outlined, and he's doing nothing more than taking the focus of current woes with dreamy promises.

Not to say those promises will not be met eventually but why bring it up right at this point in time?

[godden]

mia noi she say yes

[seminomadic]

I disagree semi...I think it has been changing (albeit at a snails pace) and will continue to change the more Thai move into middle class status.

The problem now is the majority of Thai fall into the lower class category (earn less than 15k a month, farmers, etc.) and don't pay tax...so the government aren't stealing from them.

On top of that the majority of the 'perks' (rebates, minimum wage, 30 Bht. doctor visits, subsidies, rice pledging, etc.) are aimed at this group which in return means votes...the 500 Bht. handshake also works well.

If I was in this category I know I probably would be voting for the ones that will make my life a little better...at least in the short term. (remember too, that this group generally are poorly educated and struggle to see long term effects.)

What I have seen in the 12 years living here that more and more are shifting from a lower class status into middle class and hence more and more are paying taxes.

In fairness I can only speak from what i have seen in Chiang Mai and cannot comment on other parts of Thai.

Yes there is the burgeoning middle class but the habits/culture of government officials won't change. Even though there's middle-class tax payers voting in or out some of these officials, remember that the augmented tax base means more money to steal, more money at stake, more money that'll be tempting those politicians to pocket. Furthermore, teaching the middle-class-to-be as I do, I've surveyed them enough to know that polls - saying a majority of Thais will tolerate corruption esp. when they know it enriches them - are reasonably accurate.

I sincerely hope that you're right, but imho any country which has 4 different yet equally ineffectual anti-corruption agencies in its federal system is beyond hope.