Mobile Cabinet Meeting in Chiang Mai

(12/01/2012)

The first mobile Cabinet meeting under the Yingluck Shinawatra administration is scheduled for January 14-15, in the northern province of Chiang Mai. Prime Minister Yingluck will chair a meeting of the Joint Public/Private Sector Consultative Committee in Chiang Mai on January 14, after visiting Mae Fa Luang Foundation in Chiang Rai on the same day. The Cabinet meeting will take place at the auditorium of the Bank of Thailand, Northern Region Office, on January 15 in the morning. In the afternoon, Prime Minister Yingluck and some Cabinet members will visit Huai Hong Khrai Royal Development Study Center in Doi Saket district. His Majesty the King initiated the establishment of this center in 1982 to conduct studies on soil and water conservation and introduce agricultural development models suitable for the environment of the North. The center provides opportunities for local people to learn the correct method of integrated farming, so that they may apply it to their own farms. His Majesty wants Huai Hong Khrai to serve as a “natural living museum,” functioning as a one-stop center for research, experimentation, and demonstrations. The center has been successful in research and experiment for sustainable agriculture. After the visit to Huai Hong Khrai, the Prime Minister and all Cabinet members will receive Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, who will arrive in Chiang Mai to preside over the official opening of the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek Fair, which is an international horticultural exposition, at 5:00 p.m. Government Spokesperson Titima Chaisang said that Prime Minister Yingluck wanted a mobile Cabinet meeting to be held once a month. After Chiang Mai, the next mobile Cabinet meeting is scheduled for February 20-21 in the northeastern province of Khon Kaen. Then it will be held on March 19-20 in the South and on April 23-24 in the central region. Meanwhile, members of the private sector in Chiang Mai are preparing to submit major proposals to the Prime Minister at their meeting in Chiang Mai. Among the proposals is the construction of a high-speed train system linking Bangkok with Chiang Mai and a motorway linking Chiang Mai with Chiang Rai. Other proposals to be raised for discussion include “long stay tourism.” medical tourism, the construction of a northern science park, with Chiang Mai University as the center, the development of the “Kaem Ling – Monkey’s Cheek” water retention program in Mae Taeng and Phrao districts, and the management of the Chiang Mai International Exhibition and Convention Center. Construction of the center will be completed this year. It is expected to help stimulate the local economy and boost the meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions (MICE) business.