Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha visited Chanthaburi and Rayong province to inspect the progress of government projects, particularly on coastal erosion and the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC).
The PM’s visit was joined by high-level government officials, including Minister of Defence Gen Anupong Paochinda, Minister of Labour Suchart Chomklin, and Minister attached to the Office of the Prime Minister Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana.
The group first traveled to inspect the coastal erosion mitigation effort at Moo 5, Baan Khlong Klang Village in Laem Sing district of Chanthaburi. The area has over the past 30 years been affected by coastal erosion, which has in the past 2 years accelerated, causing some 1.6 hectares (10 rai) of coastal land in Pak Nam Laem Sing area to be submerged under seawater.
Speaking to the villagers at this site, the Prime Minister said the government is well aware of the problem, and has accelerated the mitigation effort, particularly through the construction of seawalls in Laem Sing district.
The Prime Minister and his team then traveled to Wat Khao Ta Noi to receive briefings on the latest progress of local government campaigns. At this site, the Permanent Secretary of Natural Resources and Environment Jatuporn Buruspat told the villagers that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will solve critical issues in the area in three months, reassuring the villagers that their properties will not be damaged beyond the current condition.
The Prime Minister in the afternoon traveled to Rayong province to preside over the opening ceremony of the EEC rubber and economic plant expo 2023 at the Office of Rayong Central Rubber Market.
The event is being held to promote the use of natural rubber in the country, in line with the government’s policy, and to promote the rubber industry as the sixth targeted cluster in the Eastern Economic Corridor strategy. The event organizer hopes to position Thailand as a global hub for rubber production. (NNT)
