Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Monday outlined his government's policy agenda to parliament, focusing on immediate actions to revive Southeast Asia's second-largest economy.
Anutin's policies include measures to reduce living costs, tackle household debt and stimulate domestic tourism, with Thailand now struggling with U.S. tariffs, high household debt, weak consumption and a soaring baht .
"With limited time and a budget not prepared by this government, as well as being a minority administration, the government must urgently address the challenges currently facing the nation," he told parliament.
On Friday, the government also announced plans to launch a 47 billion baht ($1.46 billion) co-payment scheme, in which the government will subsidise up to 60% of the costs of certain food and consumer goods purchased by qualified Thai citizens.
Other priorities include the peaceful resolution of a dispute with Cambodia, combating illegal gambling, and enhancing disaster preparedness through the use of advanced warning systems, Anutin said.
Anutin's government has a limited window to implement its measures, with the premier last week announcing that he planned to dissolve parliament by the end of January, leading to a general election in March or early April.
A majority of Thais are undecided on who is the prime minister of their choice, but support for Anutin jumped to 20.4% from 9.6% previously.
He trails the leader of the main opposition People's Party, Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, who received 22.8%, according to a survey by the National Institute of Development Administration published on Sunday.
After lagging regional peers with growth of 2.5% in 2024, the economy is projected to expand by 1.8% to 2.3% this year, according to the state planning agency, with a slowdown expected in the second half of 2025 because of U.S. tariffs.
($1 = 32.23 baht)
