Thai PM says no rethink on wage hikes

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's prime minister on Friday stood by a policy of sharp wage increases that have forced some firms to consider moving to other countries and said a fall in the baht would help exporters hurt by severe floods last year.

Yingluck Shinawatra, who won an election landslide last year on the back of a raft of populist promises, said neither the wage rises nor a much-criticised price guarantee scheme for rice farmers would be changed, despite an outcry from businesses and exporters.