BANGKOK (REUTERS) - Thailand's King has approved Mr Arkhom Termpittayapaisith as the country's new finance minister, the official Royal Gazette said, handing him the task of steering South-east Asia's second-largest economy through the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr Arkhom, 64, was a transport minister in the government, put in place after a 2014 coup, and was former head of the state planning agency, where he worked for more than three decades.

He replaces banker Predee Daochai, who unexpectedly quit on Sept 1 after only a few weeks in the job.

Mr Arkhom holds a master's degree in Development Economics from Williams College in the United States.

He has also served on several national committees, including the Bank of Thailand's Monetary Policy Committee and the Board of Investment.