The army has sent troops to the provinces to support the regime's so-called Thai Niyom Yangyuen (sustainable Thainess) development project which is now also courting the private sector.
Deputy army spokesman Col Sirichan Ngathong said yesterday the army has given its full backing to the project by sending troops from the Internal Security Operations Command's regional and provincial branches to work with the 7,463 teams sent by the government to push the campaign in the provinces.
Chatchai Promlert, permanent secretary for the Interior Ministry, said that provincial governors were instructed to invite local educational institutes, the private sector and civil sector to support the teams.
In the first phase of this project, which began on Feb 12, the teams will knock on the doors of people in more than 80,000 villages to listen to the needs and problems of "grassroots" people.
Political observers believe the scheme is a public relations drive by the regime ahead of a general election expected early next year.
