Title: Draft Ministerial Regulation on Organizational Restructure of the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission, Office of the Prime Minister, B.E. ….

The cabinet approved the draft Ministerial Regulation on Organizational Restructure of the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission, Office of the Prime Minister, B.E. …., which has been scrutinized and revised by Office of Council of State. The draft Ministerial Regulation will be sent back to the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission and forwarded to the Prime Minister for signing before being published in the Royal Gazette.

Gist

The draft Ministerial Regulation is aimed at restructuring the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission to align with public sector development in the areas of national policy and strategic planning to effectively respond to future changes and emerging trends.

The organizational restructuring details include: 1) establishing one new administrative unit (Bureau of Public Sector Service Facilitation); 2) merging the Public Sector Development Bureau 1 and Public Sector Development Bureau 2, and renaming as the Public Sector Development Bureau; 3) revising the mandates and responsibilities of six administrative units; and 4) maintaining existing structure of two administrative units (Secretariat Office, and Bureau of Public Organizations and Other State Agency Models)

Title: Construction of Bangkok Outer Ring Road (Western Section: Bang Bua Thong–Bang Pa-In)

The cabinet approved for the Department of Highways to implement the construction of Bangkok Outer Ring Road (Western Section: Bang Bua Thong–Bang Pa-In), which is part of the Intercity Motorway No. 9. The approval is made for the civil works of the project with the total budget of 15,862 million Baht, funded through toll revenue and supplementary budget. This is as proposed by Ministry of Transport.

Gist

The construction will begin from the endpoint of Intercity Motorway No. 9 Western Outer Ring Road, Bang Khun Thian – Bang Bua Thong section. This will connect the two sections (Bang Khun Thian - Bang Bua Thong and Bang Bua Thong - Bang Pa-in) and complete the Bangkok Outer Ring Road. Not only that, the project will also connect with existing Intercity Motorways and future projects, creating a seamless regional transport network between Bangkok and vicinity.

Project implementation is mainly to upgrade existing highway to a concrete 6-lane intercity motorway and will not require any land expropriation. The allocated budget of 15,862 million Baht will cover civil works and construction, consultancy fees, and contingencies. It will take approximately 6 years (2025 – 2030) to complete the project.

Office of Council of State has earlier deliberated the project proposal, and was of the view that this project is already included in the Budget Expenditure Act, B.E. 2569 (2026), and does not fall into the stipulation under Section 169(1) of the Constitution which states that “The outgoing Government must refrain from acts which result in giving approval to works or projects or which creates an obligation on the subsequent Council of Ministers, except as already determined in the annual appropriation”.

Title: Guideline for greenhouse gas reduction through the application of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology

The cabinet acknowledged the proposal of Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment on the guideline for greenhouse gas reduction through the application of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology, a key measure that will contribute to the goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 which aligns with Thailand’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets.

Gist

In order to ensure systematic and effective implementation of CCS, the cabinet assigned the Department of Climate Change and Environment to be the core agency in liaising the integration of operation and supporting relevant agencies in developing and revising related laws, regulations, measures, and policies.

The cabinet also assigned Ministry of Energy’s Department of Mineral Fuels, as project owner agency, to supervise and coordinate with other relevant agencies during the study and assessment phases of carbon capture and storage in the area around the Upper Gulf of Thailand. The implementation covers seismic survey and exploratory drilling within the Thailand-Japan cooperation framework on the application of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology.

The cabinet also acknowledged the guidelines on assigning concerned agencies respective tasks to ensure that the study be efficiently carried out and yield maximum benefit in line with the objectives. The tasks include granting privileges for import of experts, import duty exemption on materials and equipment required for the project, and facilitating related formalities and procedures as appropriate.

The project is part of the cooperation between Thailand and Japan to study and assess geological formations in the Upper Gulf of Thailand. Once the study confirms feasibility of the project implementation and necessary legal procedure is put in place, both onshore and offshore infrastructure will be developed to commence carbon capture and storage from the year 2034 onward. CCS technology will contribute to the country’s transition toward a low‑carbon industry to enhance competitiveness and support long‑term sustainable economic development.

Title: Outcome of the 29^th Thai Lao General Border Committee (GBC) Meeting

The cabinet acknowledged outcome of the 29th Thai Lao General Border Committee (GBC) meeting which was held during February 16-19, 2025 in Bangkok, as proposed by Ministry of Defense.

Gist

The meeting, which was co-chaired by the then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Phumtham Wechayachai and the Lao Minister of National Defense, was aimed at promoting border peace and orderliness and strengthening cordial relations between security and defense agencies of the two countries.

The meeting focused on the cooperation in various dimensions which included: 1) peacekeeping along the border areas; 2) maintaining the Thailand–Lao PDR border; 3) preventing and suppressing drug trafficking along the Thailand–Lao PDR border; 4) exchanging information; 5) addressing international terrorism issues between Thailand and Lao PDR; 6) tackling illegal immigration; 7) addressing transboundary haze; 8) disaster relief along the Thailand–Lao PDR border; and 9) other matters.