EGAT Labor Union threatens to cut electricity at two ministries
03 September 2008
Chairman of the Labor Union of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), Phien Yongnu (เพียร ยงหนู), says he has not yet received any response from both the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Interior which have refused to pay electricity bills of 11 million baht and 167 million baht respectively.
This morning (September, 3rd), the EGAT labor union chairman submitted a letter to the governor of the Metropolitan Electricity Authority, requesting him to urge the two ministries to pay the electricity bills.
Mr Phien says he hopes that the governor will respond to the labor union’s request by tomorrow, adding that the two ministries need to pay the bills within three working days otherwise EGAT will cut electricity at the two places and file lawsuits against them.
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Political turmoil affects loan payment in govt. sector
03 September 2008
Director of the Public Debt Management Office Phongphanu Sawetrun says the political turmoil has affected the government sector’s loan payment but affirms the Japan’s Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) will still provide financial assistance for Thailand for the construction of electric train routes.
The director says the London Inter Bank Offered Rate (LIBOR) has increased from 1% to 1.4% during the previous month, making more difficult for the Thai government to ask for loans from foreign financial institutions. In addition, he says credit of small enterprises has also significantly decreased.
Apart from JBIC, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank have confirmed that they will provide loans for Thailand for the implementation of mega-projects, including the electric train route extension, the construction of highways, the development of 3G network, and other public health projects. Thailand’s request for a 80-billion-baht loan for the Blue Line electric train route will be finalized at the end of this year while a 85-billiob-baht loan the Red Line will be approved within these 2-3 weeks, the director says.
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