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Govt readies New Year 'presents' for citizens


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Govt readies New Year 'presents' for citizens
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Transparency in state operations, bicycle lanes, no ATM fees among planned gifts

The government has many New Year "presents" for the public, Cabinet members said yesterday.

From next week onwards, the public will be offered gifts ranging from increased allowance for registered disabled people, more transparent services by state agencies, new bicycle lanes, and no ATM withdrawal fees during the long New Year holiday.

Social Development and Human Security Minister Adul Saengsingkaew said his ministry had prepared about 20 presents.

Adul said they included an improvement to the ministry's hotline system, increasing the disabled allowance from Bt500 to Bt800, a lower interest rate at pawnshops, and a house-repair project for poor people.

Christmas Day surprise

He plans to hold a press conference on December 25 to reveal all the details.

Interior Minister Anupong Paochinda said his ministry had also prepared many projects that would be given as New Year presents to the people. He said they included more efficient garbage collection and improved transparency and services at local administrative organisations and state agencies under the ministry including the Land Department.

"After December 20, the bike-lane project should be able to start in Bangkok," Anupong said, adding that the Interior Ministry was working with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to implement the project.

He said his ministry was also working with relevant state agencies to build roads along the Chao Phraya River in the capital. The government has approved the project in principle and the relevant agencies will work out the design, scope of the project, budget and construction.

Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said her ministry had worked with the Thai Bankers Association so that anyone making a withdrawal from an automated teller machine in a province other than their own between December 31 and January 4 would be exempted from a fee.

The minister dismissed concerns that there would be insufficient banknotes in the ATMs during the long holiday. "There will certainly be enough money to withdraw," she said.

Kobkarn said the martial law that had been in place since the coup in May had no impact on tourist arrivals, with the number of foreign visitors increasing over the past three months.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Govt-readies-New-Year-presents-for-citizens-30249749.html

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-- The Nation 2014-12-13

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[quote name="Lite Beer" post="879571......

BANGKOK: -- Transparency in state operations, bicycle lanes, no ATM fees among planned gifts

...

Does this include foreign atm cards?

Yesterday the BP website story only mentioned inter-bank and inter-regional withdrawal but the word ' international ' was not used.

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Good to see we've moved away from "populist" policies.

Whilst many of these are worthwhile, marking them as "presents" is both arrogantly patronising and a blatant attempt to curry favour.

its different when this side does it because it is to make the people happy and these are better gifts. Yingluk didn't give out free movie tickets, hold free parties with all you can eat and drink.

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Hey, I also can be extremely generous with someone else money, no skin of

my nose,

I wonder, if those politicos had to foot the "gifts" bill out of their pockets, would they just as generous?

Those acts of "generosity" is a flimsy attempt to keep the poor masses quiet and appeased,

they will be forgotten very quickly...

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What nonsense about ' presents ' !

Bicycle lanes etc are infrastructure projects and transparency should be expected as a normal govt function not handed out as a so called present. Is the govt admitting if they weren't so generous transparency wouldn't exist ?

Can't wait for Christmas Day to find out what other simple govt functions are to be wrapped up as goodies for the masses.

How about 8 hrs of correct services at all offices?

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What nonsense about ' presents ' !

Bicycle lanes etc are infrastructure projects and transparency should be expected as a normal govt function not handed out as a so called present. Is the govt admitting if they weren't so generous transparency wouldn't exist ?

Can't wait for Christmas Day to find out what other simple govt functions are to be wrapped up as goodies for the masses.

How about 8 hrs of correct services at all offices?

Not sure even Santa Prayuth could arrange that.

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More welcome than a suspension of the absurd fees charged for using machines outside your own town would be a guarantee that the dispensers will be kept stocked with notes throughout the extended New Year break. At holiday times, many of those in the seaside town where I live tend to run out in a day or two.

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Adul said they included an improvement to the ministry's hotline system, increasing the disabled allowance from Bt500 to Bt800, a lower interest rate at pawnshops, and a house-repair project for poor people

Gotta love it. How many really poor people own a house?

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