BANGKOK (REUTERS) - Thailand's military government plans to spend about 78 billion baht (S$3.1 million) on developing the country's waterways infrastructure over the next 10 years, the transport minister said on Saturday.

That will include a 2.21 billion baht budget for the current fiscal year which began this month, Air Chief Marshal Prajin Juntong told reporters after a media briefing.

Such infrastructure includes ports, bridges and canals. Among major projects are the development of Pak Bara seaport in the southern province of Satun and a rail link from that port to a port in Songkhla province, the minister said.

The government has approved a budget of 2.4 trillion baht for overall transport infrastructure spending over the next eight years.

Last week, it said it would go ahead with a US$1.9 billion (S$2.4 billion) expansion plan at Bangkok's main Suvarnabhumi Airport, as well as plans to build another three provincial airports.