According to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul,
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Tuesday during the informal meeting with his deputies that the Energy Ministry must speed up the launch of new measures to lower diesel retail prices.
During the past few weeks, the problem of high diesel prices has sparked a protest and strike by truck drivers nationwide.
The permanent secretary for the Ministry of Energy informed Prime Minister Prayut that the measures for diesel prices would be launched early next month.
General Prayut also said that diesel retail prices must be lowered below 30 baht per litre, while the truck driver protestors have required the government to pin the price at 25 baht per litre for a year.
At the same time, The Land Transport Federation of Thailand (LTFT) has repeatedly reminded the government to meet the demand or to handle a larger scale protest and truck driver strike on December 1.
Meanwhile, Minister of Energy Supattanapong Punmeechaow said it would be impossible to lower the diesel price that much even though it has been gradually falling and now is below 30.
Minister Supattanapong added that to subsidise the diesel price and cap it at 25 baht for a year, it will be about 15 billion baht per month that the government has to pay.
Diesel prices globally have been dropping after large nations like the United States, China, India, Japan and others began releasing their strategic petroleum reserves in lieu of importing oil which can be beneficial to the situation in Thailand. (NNT)
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