Commerce Ministry to assist entrepreneurs affected from riots

BANGKOK, 21 May 2010 (NNT) – The Ministry of Commerce will convene a meeting within next week to formulate measures to assist entrepreneurs negatively affected from riots instigated in many business districts of the capital city.

Deputy Commerce Minister Alongkorn Ponlaboot announced that the Department of Business Development on 24 May would convene with related associations to formulate measures to help shops, retail business owners, and people who became unemployed as a result of the riot.

The Minister of Commerce will propose the rehabilitation committee to approve a budget of 3 billion THB to support the operation.

Mr Alongkorn admitted that the curfew imposition until 22 May would negatively affect logistics of goods from sea, air, and land transportation. However, he said this would only be short-term negative effects, and related units had been assigned to issue facilitating documents.

The deputy minister added that the ministry would help reduce the cost of living for people via the Blue Flag project, and the ministry would arrange more trade fairs in many regions and overseas as soon as the situation is restored and things return back to normal.