Thailand will have new government next week, prime minister says

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Saturday that he expected the country to have a new government next week, with a list of new cabinet members to be submitted for royal endorsement on Monday.

The new government will move quickly to deliver a policy statement to parliament so it can begin its work, Anutin told a press conference.

Anutin apologised to the public for the turmoil caused by the way oil prices have been managed in the first half of March.

The government initially held prices steady for 15 days to try to ease the burden on the public, but as the war in the Middle

East dragged on, it was necessary to adopt more appropriate measures to mitigate the impact, he said.

The government is planning an oil tax cut, along with other support measures, to ease the impact of rising oil prices.

Anutin said Thailand currently has oil reserves for 100 days.

-Orathai Sriring and Panarat Thepgumpanat/Reuters