Latest news with #WanMuhamadNoorMatha
Bangkok Post
2 days ago
- Business
- Bangkok Post
Thailand's agriculture spending faces probe
Opposition MPs have raised concerns over the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives' budget allocation, questioning a 41-million-baht investment in the development of a central agricultural market in Phayao. The comments were made during a special House session, convened to deliberate on the second reading of the budget bill for fiscal year 2026, amounting to 3.78 trillion baht. The session, chaired by House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, continued into its second day following review by the special budget scrutiny committee. During the deliberation of Section 14 of the budget bill concerning the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives' 62-billion-baht expenditure, Kittiphon Panphrommas, an MP for Nakhon Pathom from the People's Party (PP), proposed a reduction in budget allocations related to training and seminars totalling 56.27 million baht. He argued that such initiatives lacked measurable outcomes in terms of improving agricultural productivity or increasing the value of farmers' produce. Witwisit Pansuanpluk, an MP for Lamphun, also from the PP, questioned the rationale behind allocating 41 million baht to the Marketing Organisation for Farmers (Or Tor Kor) for constructing a single central market in the northern province of Phayao. He noted that this amount accounts for nearly half of the organisation's overall marketing budget. The project, he said, is part of a three-year financial commitment totalling 168 million baht. However, during a field visit on Sunday, it was found that the site -- allocated 32 million baht this year -- remains undeveloped and vacant. Mr Witwisit warned that, should the project succeed, it could lead to market monopolisation, disadvantaging farmers in neighbouring provinces. Conversely, if it fails, the facility risks becoming an abandoned "ghost market". "Why has Phayao been granted a higher investment budget than larger provinces in the North?" he asked. "The economic data shows that the value of Phayao's agricultural exports to Laos is three times lower than that of Chiang Rai and Nan. This raises a critical question about the selection of the location -- who stands to benefit from this? Was this decision driven by economic reasoning, or was it politically motivated?" he asked. Chetawan Thuaprakhon, a PP MP for Pathum Thani, queried the disproportionate allocation of funds for senior army officers' personal vehicle allowances compared to the budget for defence equipment intended to safeguard the Thai-Cambodian border. "In fiscal 2026, the Royal Thai Army has allocated 240.39 million baht for lump-sum payments in lieu of official vehicles for 694 senior officers," Mr Chetawan said.
Bangkok Post
2 days ago
- Business
- Bangkok Post
Agriculture spending faces probe
Opposition MPs have raised concerns over the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives' budget allocation, questioning a 41-million-baht investment in the development of a central agricultural market in Phayao. The comments were made during a special House session, convened to deliberate on the second reading of the budget bill for fiscal year 2026, amounting to 3.78 trillion baht. The session, chaired by House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, continued into its second day following review by the special budget scrutiny committee. During the deliberation of Section 14 of the budget bill concerning the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives' 62-billion-baht expenditure, Kittiphon Panphrommas, an MP for Nakhon Pathom from the People's Party (PP), proposed a reduction in budget allocations related to training and seminars totalling 56.27 million baht. He argued that such initiatives lacked measurable outcomes in terms of improving agricultural productivity or increasing the value of farmers' produce. Witwisit Pansuanpluk, an MP for Lamphun, also from the PP, questioned the rationale behind allocating 41 million baht to the Marketing Organisation for Farmers (Or Tor Kor) for constructing a single central market in the northern province of Phayao. He noted that this amount accounts for nearly half of the organisation's overall marketing budget. The project, he said, is part of a three-year financial commitment totalling 168 million baht. However, during a field visit on Sunday, it was found that the site -- allocated 32 million baht this year -- remains undeveloped and vacant. Mr Witwisit warned that, should the project succeed, it could lead to market monopolisation, disadvantaging farmers in neighbouring provinces. Conversely, if it fails, the facility risks becoming an abandoned "ghost market". "Why has Phayao been granted a higher investment budget than larger provinces in the North?" he asked. "The economic data shows that the value of Phayao's agricultural exports to Laos is three times lower than that of Chiang Rai and Nan. This raises a critical question about the selection of the location -- who stands to benefit from this? Was this decision driven by economic reasoning, or was it politically motivated?" he asked. Chetawan Thuaprakhon, a PP MP for Pathum Thani, queried the disproportionate allocation of funds for senior army officers' personal vehicle allowances compared to the budget for defence equipment intended to safeguard the Thai-Cambodian border. "In fiscal 2026, the Royal Thai Army has allocated 240.39 million baht for lump-sum payments in lieu of official vehicles for 694 senior officers," Mr Chetawan said.
Bangkok Post
6 days ago
- Business
- Bangkok Post
House called in to debate budget cuts
House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha has called a special parliamentary session from Wednesday to Friday to deliberate the 3.78-trillion-baht budget after the review panel trimmed nearly nine billion baht and reallotted funds to seven agencies, reports say. The schedule came after a budget committee, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira, completed its vetting of the bill ahead of the next fiscal year starting on Oct 1. The 2026 budget of over 3.7 trillion baht is said to have been reduced by a total of 8.92 billion baht. All ministries and state agencies will suffer, with the top five reductions seeing the Interior Ministry cut by 2.148 billion baht, parliamentary agencies by 880 million baht, the Transport Ministry 795 million baht, the Public Health Ministry 693 million baht and the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry by 459 million baht. The saving has seen 8.69 billion baht assigned to cabinet-proposed agencies and 230 million baht to parliamentary bodies, courts, constitutional groups and the Office of the Attorney-General. The vetting also led to some agencies receiving additional allocations, including state enterprises (+4.9 billion baht) for land and civil works under the Orange Line metro project (Bang Khun Non–Thailand Cultural Centre); and the Finance Ministry (+1.5 billion baht) to host the 2026 Annual Meetings of the World Bank and IMF. Other to benefit were the central budget for emergency and urgent state operations relating to security, public order, and disaster response (+1 billion baht) and the Labour Ministry (+1 billion baht). Danuporn Punnakanta, Pheu Thai Party-list MP and party spokesman, said the second and third readings will be crucial in setting the economic direction for the coming year. "I believe the deliberations will proceed smoothly, allowing the government to drive forward its policies to address the people's problems," he said.
Bangkok Post
30-07-2025
- Politics
- Bangkok Post
Parliament president blasts Cambodia for 'fake claims'
The president of the Thai National Assembly has condemned Cambodia's House speaker for making 'groundless, misleading allegations' against Thailand during a high-level Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting in Geneva that ends on Thursday. Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, who also serves as speaker of the House of Representatives, expressed disappointment over claims by his Cambodian counterpart accusing Thai forces of violating the recent ceasefire agreement and targeting civilians during border clashes. 'The National Assembly rejects and strongly condemns these baseless accusations,' Mr Wan said in Bangkok on Wednesday. 'They are untrue and contradict the facts, including Cambodia's repeated breaches of the ceasefire agreement, as documented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the government.' Thailand has lodged complaints against Cambodia with Malaysia, in its capacity as the current Asean chair, as well as the United States, and China, he said. Mr Wan urged Cambodia to stop spreading misinformation that could exacerbate tensions. He reaffirmed Thailand's commitment to the United Nations Charter, international humanitarian law, and the protection of civilian lives. He also called on the Asean chair to set up an international observer mission to determine the truth and jointly ensure the ceasefire agreement 's effectiveness. Thailand has adhered strictly to the agreement brokered on July 28, but Cambodian forces have continued firing in violation of the accord, Mr Wan said. 'We are grateful to the Asean chair and allied countries for supporting the ceasefire. Thailand remains fully committed to upholding the rule of law, facts, and peace,' Mr Wan said. He said the allegations that Thai forces attacked civilian targets and used chemical weapons were false and reflected Cambodia's own actions, adding the truth must be made known.
Bangkok Post
28-06-2025
- Politics
- Bangkok Post
House speaker backs amnesty bills' passage
House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha has urged government and opposition whips to push forward the amnesty bills for political offenders, believing successful passage of these bills would foster national reconciliation. Mr Wan said on Saturday the amnesty bills are currently under review by a parliamentary committee. The bills require discussions by all whips before they can be presented to members of the House of Representatives for deliberation. The Pheu Thai Party has drafted its own amnesty bill to pardon political offenders, although it reiterated the legislation will not include amnesty for those found guilty under Section 112 of the Criminal Code, also known as the lese majeste law. Three other amnesty bills, separately proposed by other parties, including the opposition People's Party, have also been submitted to parliament. On Oct 14 last year, the House rejected a proposal to add lese majeste to a list of offences that can be pardoned under a new amnesty bill, with 270 MPs voting against the offence's inclusion and 152 voting to support the push. The amnesty bills are being highlighted after the government decided to deprioritise its controversial casino bill ahead of a parliament session next week. The political amnesty bills, currently lower on the parliament meeting's agenda, will be moved up. Mr Wan on Saturday acknowledged splits over the bills, anticipating further revisions and the government's need to listen to all viewpoints to achieve consensus.
