Ruam Thai Sang Chart’s economic team will be led by, Chayotid Kridakon, a Thai trade representative and an advisor to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
Prayut, as the party’s sole PM candidate, introduced the team on Thursday, weeks after the main opposition Pheu Thai Party and the ruling pro-military Palang Pracharath Party announced theirs.
Given that the country’s economy is still recovering from the pandemic and inflation while the global economy is slowing down, economic issues are hot topics for the upcoming general election on May 14.
Other members and advisers of Ruam Thai Sang Chart’s economic team include:
- Former Minister of Industry Trirong Suwankiri (in charge of macroeconomic and fiscal policies)
- Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow (in charge of energy-related policies)
- Minister of labor Suchart Chomklin (in charge of labor-related policies)
- Minister of Social Development and Human Security Juti Krairiksh (in charge of policies for vulnerable groups and the elderly)
- PM’s Office Minister Anucha Nakasai (in charge of agricultural policies)
- Former ambassador Chak Boonlong
- Co-Founder of One.Six Development Chawin Athakravisunthorn
- University lecturer Wit Wannakrairoj
- Steel tycoon Win Suteerachai
- Director of Mongkutwattana Hospital Rienthong Nanna (in charge of healthcare policies)
The party’s main economic policies that have been announced so far include:
- Increasing monthly allowances for state welfare cardholders to 1,000 baht per month
- Increasing monthly allowances for elderly people
- 100 vocational scholarships for each district
- The continuation of the re-development in the Eastern Economic Corridor
- The introduction of four new economic corridors
- Lowering taxes for business operators that hired elderly people
- Continuing the “half and half” co-payment scheme to help low-income earners
- Building a 24-hour healthcare system with telemedicine
- Advancing payment from the social security insurance
- Registering freelance workers into the social security system
- Setting up funds to support crop prices
- Fix land-related laws
Additional report by Erich Parpart
