Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is concerned with the strengthening and fluctuating Thai currency and instructed related agencies to urgently assist smaller businesses affected by the situation, Thai News Agency reported.

The premier told the meeting of economic ministers on Thursday that additional measures should be mapped out to help small-and- medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in light of a nationwide introduction of the 300 baht (10 U.S. dollars) daily minimum wage and the fluctuating Thai baht.

Deputy Prime Minister/Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong quoted the Bank of Thailand (BoT) as informing the premier that the rapidly appreciating Thai baht was due to a short-term inflow of foreign capital into the domestic stock and bond markets.

Economic ministers agreed that Thai investors should be encouraged to invest abroad as a long-term measure to maintain a balanced Thai currency, he said, adding that economists and financial experts will be asked to evaluate if a measure to supervise the inflow of foreign capital is necessary.

However, measures on taxation and the control of inflow and outflow of foreign capital will not be issued since Thailand is a free trade country, Kittiratt said.