THE government’s Bt2.9-trillion budget for 2018 has massive spending of Bt575 billion for upgrading workers’ skills and education, plus related activities, while the Defence Ministry’s budget rises Bt8.8 billion to Bt222 billion.

Under the 2018 Budget Bill, passed in its first reading by the National Legislative Assembly yesterday, money allocated for tackling unrest in the country’s deep South also continued to rise to a total of about Bt13 billion. Meanwhile, the Navy is expected to get extra money to pay for its first Chinese-made submarine, worth Bt13.5 billion over a period of seven years.

The controversial submarine acquisition programme is estimated to be worth a total of Bt36 billion for three vessels to be delivered over a decade.

Besides human resource development and related activities, the budget for the 2018 fiscal year, starting on October 1, includes huge spending of Bt476 billion for national competitiveness and related schemes, while poverty reduction programmes and related expenditure will get Bt332 billion.

Bt273 billion is earmarked for security and related activities, while water resources, environmental protection and related spending will amount to Bt125 billion.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said the budget was not formulated to prolong the military’s grip on power but it would allow the implementing of the national reform agenda.

That includes reducing social injustice and economic inequality as the economy is projected to grow 3.3 to 4.3 per cent in 2018.

Revenue collection is projected to total Bt2.45 trillion, resulting in a budget deficit of Bt450 billion. That means the government will have to borrow funds to cover the shortfall.

There are also plans to increase tax revenue, including the introduction of a new land and building tax, which is being considered by the NLA.

Earlier, the government also floated the idea of hiking the value-added tax rate from the current 7 per cent, but opponents said the timing was not suitable as the country’s economic growth rate is not yet favourable.

Overall, the Bt2.9-trillion budget bill for fiscal 2018 is relatively modest, including fixed expenditure of Bt2.15 trillion, investment projects worth Bt650 billion and public debt repayment of Bt86.9 billion. According to the premier, treasury reserves amounted to Bt182 billion as of May 26 this |year.

He said the budget for national security included spending on protecting key national institutions, national and political reconciliation, and solving prolonged insurgency problems in the far South.

Another key strategy is to increase competitiveness in manufacturing and industrial areas with a focus on helping small and medium enterprises and developing special economic zones.

The government will spend the most resources in education, healthcare, people’s skill development and related activities.

To reduce income inequality, the government will also spend significantly to boost the grassroots and rural economy, while providing welfare to people whose income is below the poverty line. In addition, Bt125 billion is earmarked for environmental protection, water resources management and related activities.

Meechai said the CDC had attended a meeting of the committee vetting the law and eventually agreed with the idea to reset the EC.

Meechai said as the election scheduled for between late 2018 or early 2019 drew near, there would be more EC members who would vacate their posts following the expiration of their terms, which could pose a problem in selecting people to fill the vacancies.

The reset would follow the enactment of a new law as the best option and least complicated process, Meechai said.

He added that resets would not automatically be applied to other independent agencies, which should be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The EC was expected to see the greatest changes to its structure, he said.

“Reform is inevitable and may pose some impacts, so if we agree to take this path, it may hurt a bit,” said Meechai.

A RETIRED ARMY major-general has been linked to a junior military officer arrested last Saturday on suspicion of smuggling a large quantity of weapons from Cambodia, a security source said yesterday.

An initial investigation indicated the possibility that the smuggled arms were being used for political purposes ahead of the next general election, according to the source who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The major-general was described by the source as having close ties with a politician who is against the post-coup government.

This high-ranking officer is also close to Flight Sergeant Pakhin Detphong, who drove the pickup truck that carried the weapons, according to the source. The vehicle was involved in a road accident in Trat province.

Meanwhile, Democrat Party deputy leader Chaiwut Bannawat’s house in the border province of Tak was searched yesterday by a joint force of some 50 police and military officers.

The surprise operation took place while an investigation is under way into the large number of weapons found in a pickup truck involved in a road accident in the eastern seaboard province of Trat on Saturday.

Pakhin, from the Internal Security Operations Command, who drove the vehicle, later confessed that he had smuggled the weapons from Cambodia for sale to Karen rebels in Myanmar.

A source familiar with the operation said yesterday that authorities were focusing on local influential figures as part of a “clean-up” attempt following the discovery of weapons in Trat and an explosive device in Tak recently. However, the source did not elaborate and it remained unclear if there was any connection between the two events. Nothing illegal was found during the search of Chaiwut’s house in Tak’s Mae Sot district, and no arrests were made. Chaiwut is a former member of Parliament for Tak and a former industry minister.

Reporters and passers-by were prohibited from taking photographs or recording videos of the search operation. Those who tried were stopped and told to delete the photos and videos from their cameras immediately.

Also in Tak yesterday, the house of provincial administrative organisation president Nattawut Thaweekuakulkit in Muang district was also searched by a separate group of some 80 officers. Four firearms and dozens of rounds of ammunition were found during the search.

An Immigration Police investigation found that Air Force officer Pakhin, 40, had no record of leaving the country via the Trat border checkpoint, Immigration Bureau chief Police Lt-General Natthorn Prosunthorn said yesterday. However, that was not the case with the two other suspects who were arrested with Pakhin. Cambodian Pisit Liang, 29, was found to have visited Thailand 231 times while Trat resident Jakkapong Krairiang, 37, had visited Cambodia 11 times, according to the immigration police chief.

A police investigation found that Pisit’s alleged weapons smuggling was not linked to a high-ranking official in Cambodia as some news reports had previously suggested.

Deputy Premier and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan yesterday said he had phoned his Cambodian counterpart, General Tea Banh about the matter. He said Tea Banh had called on the Thai media that linked him to the alleged smuggling ring to offer an official apology to the Cambodian government.

In a related development, officials from the Judge Advocate-General’s Department yesterday filed a police complaint against three military officers and 15 civilians allegedly involved in selling weapons online.

Many grenades were found in an unclaimed parcel at an outlet of private courier service Kerry Express in Bangkok’s Bang Khen district.

The suspects were all charged with possessing illegal firearms and explosive devices, he added. All the suspects were being detained at the 11th Military Circle command.

The EC is subject to “resetting” following the resolution made by the National Legislative Assembly’s law vetting committee. The EC draft bill is one of the 10 organic laws to be enacted following the new charter. The NLA is scheduled to deliberate it in the second and third readings on Friday.

The EC launched the probe following a resolution yesterday, Somchai said.

The move followed a complaint filed by Pheu Thai’s lawyer Ruangkrai Leekijwattana in early May. The EC has 60 days to consider the complaint to see whether it would submit the case to the Constitutional Court.

Somchai said he could not confirm whether the case would be completed within the present terms of the EC, but the current members have to launch the probe or they would face charges of negligence of duty.

Somchai said the EC’s legal team is looking into legal points of the “resetting” and would protest the NLA’s proposal.

The probe, he said, was the result of a complaint filed earlier to the agency, and he said he understood that it is the EC’s duty to respond to the complaint.

Wissanu said it was unlikely the complaint was to gain any bargaining power between the agency and the government.

Wissanu said there was no problem with his share holding, but he said he could not talk about others.

The National Legislative Assembly’s law vetting committee has resolved to reset the EC following the passage of the law in the first reading.

The law is among 10 organic laws to be enacted following the promulgation of the new charter.

Democrat Party’s deputy leader Nipit Intarasombat said it is not a problem that the EC has launched the probe into the ministers’ qualifications as it is part of the checks and balances process following the law.

Nipit expressed his disagreement for the reset of the agency, saying a mix of members of independent agencies could better keep the government in check.