July 21, 2007	Saturday	Rajab 05, 1428

BANGKOK, July 20: The Thai prime minister on Friday agreed on new measures aimed at curbing the baht’s rise, while the central bank governor insisted the country would not return to a fixed exchange rate system.

“My government has a clear stance that we want to stablise the currency,” army-installed Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said after meeting with top finance officials.

Surayud endorsed a package of measures laid out by his economic team, including Finance Minister Chalongphob Sussangkarn and Bank of Thailand governor Tarisa Watanagase.

Industry Minister Kosit Panpiemras said the cabinet was expected to formally approve the measures on Tuesday in hopes of weakening the baht.

Under the new rules, Thai firms will be allowed to keep foreign currency revenues for a longer period while also being encouraged to use dollars to pay down their debts.

Ordinary Thais would also be allowed to open US dollar-denominated bank accounts with deposits worth up to $100,000, Kosit said.—AFP