Thai PM assures of economic growth

Special Report:Global Financial Crisis

BANGKOK, Feb. 4 (Chinese media) -- Thai Premier Abhisit Vejjajiva Wednesday has

assured the country's gross domestic product (GDP) will not be the lowest in the

world, saying the government would try to expand the economy.

Abhisit said he did not believe Thailand's GDP growth would contract by

around 4 percent since many economic forecasts from involved organizations had

not yet signaled such a worst case scenario, the website by the Thai-language

newspaper Thai Rath newspaper reported.

Earlier, former Deputy Premier Olarn Chaipravat forecasted the GDP this

year would contract by 4.05 percent.

The current government would attempt to have a positive growth rate for

2009, Abhisit assured, the newspaper said.

Abhisit said he had assigned investment agencies to gather more information

from Thailand's trading partners and regulations would be adjusted to facilitate

investors by improving transparency and efficiency, according to the website by

the Bangkok Post.

Also, he said the current value of Thai baht was at an acceptable level,

adding that the Bank of Thailand was closely monitoring the foreign exchange

market.

"Although some people want the baht value to be weaker, its value should be

close to other regional currencies," the website quoted Abhisit as saying.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Thai currency was valued at 34.95 baht per U.S.

dollar.

Meanwhile, Abhisit said there was no plan to remove Foreign Minister Kasit

Piromya and Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban since they had contributed

well to the work of the government.

According to a recent poll conducted by the Bangkok University, Kasit and

Suthep were the two ministers the respondents wanted to see their removal the

most.