Thai Budget Bill, Spending to Move as Planned, Minister Says

Thailand will push ahead with plans to stimulate the economy and pass the budget for next year as planned, Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira said, easing concerns that an ongoing political crisis could derail economic policy.

The government is set to inject an additional 48 billion baht ($1.5 billion) into the economy over the remaining three months of the current fiscal year, Pichai told Bloomberg News in an interview late Sunday. The $115 billion budget bill for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 is on track to be passed by parliament by the end of August, he said.