TRUCKERS TO DELAY PRICE INCREASES FOR 4 MONTHS

       Truckers yesterday said they would delay hiking rates for four months to avoid putting pressure on goods prices.
       However, Thongyu Khongkant, secretary-general of the Land Transport Federation of Thailand, said after a meeting yesterday that the federation would ask the government to keep the retail diesel price in a range of Bt25-Bt27 per litre to help transport service providers cope with rising operating costs.
       Diesel retails for Bt27.69 in Bangkok. Crude oil has recently eased from US$70 (Bt2,389) per barrel.
       Suchinda Cherdchai, president of the Association of Inter-provincial Bus Operators, on Monday told reporters that her members were in need for a rise in prices.
       Energy Minister Wannarat Charnnukul was cool to their request, saying the retail diesel price has been cut by Bt2 per litre due to lower Oil Fund contributions.
       "There is no reason to raise the fare. To their claim that they are shouldering other costs aside from fuel, I have to say that the public is now in deep trouble and they should not suffer more.
       "We should help relieve their burden. In this situation, the fare-increase proposal is inappropriate," he said.
       Commuter ferries have also called for higher fares.
       But Chalor Kotcharat, director-general of the Marine Department, said that next week, the committee that supervises them would consider their proposal, but the increase could be delayed as crude oil appear to be falling.