Cabinet orders suspension of overseas study trips as energy prices rise

A Government House source said the Secretariat of the Cabinet has now issued an urgent circular requesting the suspension of overseas study trips, in line with the Cabinet resolution passed on March 10.

The circular has been sent to the Secretary-General to the Prime Minister, deputy prime ministers, ministers of all ministries, heads of government agencies and more than 70 other organisations to acknowledge the Cabinet resolution, as well as the guidelines governing overseas study visits.

According to the document, at the Cabinet meeting on March 10, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, Deputy Prime Minister acting on behalf of the Prime Minister, informed the meeting that the Prime Minister had proposed the measure in order to reduce the burden on the state budget at a time when energy and fuel prices are rising sharply.

Any remaining budget could then be redirected to plans or projects aimed at easing public hardship.

The government therefore considers it appropriate to proceed as follows:

1. All government agencies are to refrain from undertaking overseas study trips under all programmes from the date of the Cabinet resolution onwards, except where there is evidence that a contract had already been signed before the Cabinet resolution and cancelling or postponing the trip would prevent the agency from receiving a refund, or would result in only a partial refund, thereby causing loss or damage to the state or the agency.

In this regard, heads of government agencies or authorised approving officials are required to consider the appropriateness and necessity of such travel very carefully.

However, official overseas travel or attendance at international meetings deemed important and necessary to the agency’s mission, travel to meetings under international cooperation frameworks, attendance at meetings with international organisations, short-term training, or overseas study by civil servants and state officials who have already signed agreements with the sponsoring agency or related bodies may proceed as normal.

2. Ministers responsible for supervising state enterprises, public organisations, regulatory bodies such as the Bank of Thailand, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, and local administrative organisations are to ensure that this Cabinet resolution is also implemented by those bodies.

3. Cooperation is also being sought from the Office of the Judiciary, the Office of the Administrative Courts, the Office of the Constitutional Court and independent bodies, as well as the Secretariat of the House of Representatives, the Secretariat of the Senate and agencies under the supervision of Parliament, to consider implementing Item 1 as appropriate.

The Cabinet considered the matter and approved the proposal submitted by the Prime Minister. 

The Secretariat of the Cabinet has therefore formally notified the relevant parties for acknowledgement and compliance. It has also informed the Department of Local Administration accordingly.