BANGKOK, Feb 2 (TNA) – The cabinet allocated 251 million baht from the government’s central fund for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to reinstate the forest guards who had earlier been laid off.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa said that earlier the budget of his ministry had been cut. Consequently, half of guards at forests in nationwide national parks had been laid off and the rest of them had suffered salary reduction.
The ministry’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation will spend the 251-million-baht budget to hire 3,999 forest guards from March to September. Their monthly salary was set at 9,000 baht.
Of the budget, 225 million baht will be for 3,556 forest conservation guards, 23 million baht for 368 wildfire control guards and 2.8 million baht for 45 anti-wildlife trafficking guards.
Mr Varawut said forest guards were tasked with protecting forests and wild animals and updating information about national parks. The budget would encourage forest guards to work efficiently without concern about the security of their life, the minister said. (TNA)
