The State Enterprise Policy Office (Sepo) is preparing to reclassify certain shareholdings in the Finance Ministry's portfolio that were previously designated as strategic assets to be retained, allowing them to be sold.According to Tibordee Wattanakul, director-general of Sepo, the office manages more than 100 securities in which the Finance Ministry holds less than a 50% stake. These holdings were acquired for various reasons, and some were classified as strategic national assets, making them ineligible for disposal.
Sepo is preparing to propose the reclassification to the ministry before submitting it to the cabinet for approval.
Mr Tibordee said market conditions have changed and competition in these industries has increased, meaning continued state support is no longer considered necessary. These holdings should be reclassified, allowing the ministry to dispose of certain shareholdings, he said.
Mr Tibordee declined to identify which companies could lose their strategic status, citing potential business impacts.
Sepo has implemented an ongoing plan to manage ministry shareholdings of less than 50%, rationalising both listed and unlisted investments that are no longer deemed necessary. The objective is to convert these assets into government revenue and rebalance the portfolio towards investments offering better returns.
