The crisis of high household debt is casting a dark shadow over Thai society: over a million people are on the edge of bankruptcy, some have committed suicide or crimes,…
Read MoreThe Government Lottery Office (GLO) is set to launch the sale of digital lottery tickets through registered lottery dealers on March 17th, to provide buyers with another channel through which…
Read MoreThailand wants Hong Kong business operators to use Thailand as their trade and investment centre in the Southeast Asian region and to support Thailand’s efforts to develop its soft power…
Read MoreThailand has partnered with the International Labour Organization (ILO) in a groundbreaking initiative to enhance positive work conditions. The newly signed four-year Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) aims to improve…
Read MoreA Thai business delegation, comprising business leaders in the education, food, manufacturing and agricultural industries, has been impressed by the vibrancy and infrastructural projects in East Java, Indonesia. The lack…
Read MoreFrom May 1st, Thai commercial banks will charge their customers a 1% Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) fee for making cash withdrawals abroad. A similar fee will also be levied on…
Read MoreMost Thai industrialists admit that their businesses have been affected by the imports of cheap and substandard products, particularly electrical appliances, food, textiles, cosmetics and garments, according to the latest…
Read MoreIn an exclusive interview with Thai PBS World, Bank of Thailand governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput talks to Suthichai Yoon about the Thai economy and interest rate policy. The central bank governor…
Read MoreThai tourists are excited at the permanent visa-free agreement signed by Thailand and China, which would make travel for citizens of both countries easy, with large-scale implications for tourism. Chairat…
Read MoreThe State Railway of Thailand will begin the construction of a station for the Thai-Chinese high-speed train project in Ayutthaya province this month, in parallel with the laying of the…
Read MoreThe Bank of Thailand has issued a temporary measure allowing state-run banks of the Assets Management Company to establish joint asset management entities, to address the non-performing loans (NPLs) of…
Read MoreThe tri-partite Wage Committee has approved, by a vote of 7:5, a new formula for the calculation of minimum wages, which is tentatively expected to come into force in April,…
Read MoreExports are bringing cheer to Thailand’s gloomy economy, growing 10 per cent year on year in January, the highest in 19 months. The January results marked six consecutive months of export…
Read MoreThe State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has agreed to adjust the design of a section of the Thai-Chinese high-speed train project, in response to complaints from people in Nakhon Ratchasima…
Read MoreThe National Credit Bureau has raised the alarm over the prospect of about 610 billion baht in housing loans becoming bad debts, as it urges the government to come to…
Read MoreThailand’s Cane and Sugar Board will propose that the government increases the incentives for sugarcane growers not to burn it before harvesting. Virit Viseshsindhu, secretary-general of the board, said that…
Read MoreThailand and Kazakhstan are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in April to permanently exempt Thai and Kazakh citizens from requiring pre-travel visas for travel to each other’s…
Read MoreThai exports have risen for six straight months, with export value for January increasing by 10%, to US$22.6 billion, while imports went up by 2.6%, to US$25.4 billion, resulting in…
Read MoreThailand’s household debt remains worryingly high at almost 91 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) as of the third quarter of last year, due largely to a debt overhang…
Read MoreResidents living around Thailand’s only commercial potash mine warn that Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s plan to transform the country into a leading potash producer risks inflicting devastating environmental impacts in…
Read MoreThe Electric Vehicle Board has agreed to promote the use of commercial electric vehicles in Thailand, such as truck or buses, by making the purchase price tax deductible, according to…
Read MoreThai Airways International has entered into a deal to acquire a fleet of 45 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, plus an option on another 80, with the deal also offering the…
Read MorePrime Minister Srettha Thavisin has urged the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to call a special meeting to review its decision to maintain the policy rate at 2.5%, without waiting until…
Read MoreForeign investors are reluctant to invest in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) because of delays in some major infrastructure projects, among them the high-speed train linking U-Tapao, Suvarnabhumi and Don…
Read MoreThe 5:2 vote by the Thai central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to hold the key policy rate at 2.50 per cent is a hint of an impending rate cut at…
Read MoreThe Thai private sector should brace for a global economic reset, amidst the uncertainty over geo politics and the changing political landscape, which will lead to a multi-polar world order…
Read MorePrime Minister Srettha Thavisin has reiterated the government’s determination to resolve formal and informal debt problems within the 4-year term of his administration. He said that the progress in tackling…
Read MoreThailand’s biggest economic challenge is that its economy has been growing at slower pace, about 3% per annum, than Malaysia and China, at about 5% annually, because it lacks the…
Read MoreValentine’s Day is expected to cost consumers more this year as inflation remains sticky. Yet despite the economic doldrums, they are planning to celebrate the official day of love with…
Read MoreA new UN report claims that, between 2001 and 2021, 30% of outspoken Thai activists experienced violence resulting in a loss of life, by the businesses against which they had…
Read MoreThe Thai government’s controversial plan to raise 500 billion baht through an off-budget loan for the digital wallet scheme has run into another roadblock. The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) recently…
Read MoreThe Thai government is expected to announce new measures today to solve the debt problems of Thai people, after it was revealed that, by the end of last year, household…
Read MoreASEAN and China are reported to have made substantial progress in the 5th round of the ASEAN-China free trade agreement (ACFTA) upgrade negotiations held between January 29th and February 2nd…
Read MoreThe National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), has not approved or rejected the government’s beleaguered “digital wallet” scheme, but has expressed concerns that it may fall foul of the Constitution and fiscal…
Read MoreThai society was shocked when well-known serial petitioner Srisuwan Janya, who has been a thorn in the flesh of the powers that be for years, was arrested on January 28…
Read MoreThailand’s consumer price index has dropped for four months in a row, to 106.98 points in January this year, which is the lowest since February 2021, said Poonpong Naiyanapakorn, director…
Read MorePrime Minister Srettha Thavisin said that the dumping of cheap Chinese-made elephant pants in the Thai market is a normal and opportunistic trade practice that should serve a lesson for…
Read MoreThailand and Sri Lanka signed a free trade agreement (FTA) and more in Colombo yesterday, aimed at boosting bilateral trade. Prime Minister Srettha, who was in Sri Lanka to witness…
Read MoreThe government claims an advantageous outcome of job creation and economic growth for the 1-trillion-baht land bridge project, which connects the Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea, but foreign investors…
Read MoreThe Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is interested in the huge land bridge project in southern Thailand, from an investment perspective, and in educational development, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said…
Read MoreThe Thai government is grappling with a dilemma on how to deal with an unresolved maritime border issue with Cambodia amid political pressure at home, while also pursuing joint development of…
Read MorePheu Thai leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra has stated that, at this hour, Srettha Thavisin is the right man to lead Thailand. In an exclusive interview with Nikkei Asia last Friday, Paetongtarn…
Read MoreThe government must think laterally and ahead, otherwise Thailand will become bogged down and will not move forward. This has been the case over the past ten years and the…
Read MoreThe story about a large Chinese family in Henan paying US$140 (about 5,000 baht) a day to stay in a hotel suite for over 200 days rather than buy a…
Read More34.66% of respondents to NIDA Poll suggest that the government should scrap the digital wallet scheme, to distribute 10,000 baht to most Thai nationals 16 or older, and 68.85% say…
Read MoreThe Soft Power Strategy Committee is to request about 270 million baht from the government for the promotion of this year’s Songkran Festival, in an attempt to make it part…
Read MoreThailand’s household debt is expected to soar to 16.9 trillion baht, or 91.4% of GDP, by the end of this year, with the value of non-performing loans (NPLs) in the…
Read MoreThailand’s economic growth this year is expected to be about 2.8%, largely due to increasing exports and tourism. This compares favourably against 1.8% GDP growth last year, according to Pornchai…
Read MoreThe Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has predicted that almost a million foreign tourists will visit the kingdom during the Chinese New Year festival, which runs from February 8th to…
Read MoreThailand’s central bank chief, under fire from the prime minister for not cutting rates, said slower-than-expected economic growth was not a crisis as portrayed by the government, nor would it…
Read MorePrime Minister Srettha Thavisin offered his assurance to multiple groups opposing the land bridge mega project, saying that the feasibility study covers all aspects of the project, related industries and…
Read MoreThe idea of a land bridge connecting the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea has been in the pipeline for a few years. Former transport minister Saksayam Chidchob had…
Read MorePrime Minister Srettha Thavisin said yesterday Thailand should not continue to use low labour cost as an incentive to draw foreign investments and urged ASEAN countries to work together to…
Read MoreThai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has kept Thais well-informed about his activities in Switzerland through numerous messages on his X account. He left Thailand for Davos to attend the World…
Read MoreDeputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat admitted for the first time today that the launch of the digital wallet scheme, which was set for May, will be delayed. He vowed, nonetheless,…
Read MoreThe cabinet agreed today to cut the excise tax on diesel by one baht per litre for three months, effective January 20 until April 19. Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat…
Read MoreThe cabinet agreed today to extend state price controls on five products until June 29, said Government spokesman Chai Wacharonke. The products are face masks, synthetic yarn (used in the…
Read MoreThe Digital Wallet Committee has postponed today’s planned meeting, pending delivery of the National Anti-Corruption Commission’s (NACC) opinion on the scheme, Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said today. The secretary general…
Read MoreThe Bank of Thailand has defended the recent decision by the Monetary Policy Committee to maintain the policy rate at 2.50%, claiming that the decision was based on the principle…
Read MoreCommerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai will lead a trade delegation to the United States from January 17th to 22nd, in an attempt to expand the US market for Thai products. During…
Read MoreThe number of people using the two extensions of BTS Green Line train service has dropped by about 20.5%, from 340,000 to 270,000 a day, since the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration…
Read MoreThe Ministry of Interior, via the Provincial Administration Department, will begin nationwide informal debt mediations, as part of the “debt solving market place” program, at provincial halls and municipal offices…
Read MorePrime Minister Srettha Thavisin has floated the idea of weekly meeting with Bank of Thailand Governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput, after both of them met at Government House yesterday to discuss the…
Read MoreEnergy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has set the fuel tariff (FT) surcharge on electricity, for the January through April period, at 39.72 satang per unit and the electricity unit price at…
Read MoreThe National Soft Power Strategy Committee has recognised 11 sectors and activities for promotion as elements of Thailand’s soft power. It has also approved a 3 billion baht budget to…
Read MoreThe government has launched tax breaks to encourage consumer spending this year, in a bid to stimulate the economy. But will it work and who is going to benefit? From…
Read MoreThe Council of State says the government can proceed with promulgating a loan bill to borrow Bt500 billion to fund the digital wallet scheme, Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat said…
Read MorePrime Minister Srettha Thavisin has expressed his disagreement with the decision of the Bank of Thailand to raise its policy rate, arguing that it is excessively high in comparison to…
Read MoreThailand’s efforts to combat income inequality are hitting a wall. Despite strides before 2015, progress has stalled, leaving the country with the highest inequality in East and Asia Pacific. The…
Read MorePeople in the southern provinces of Ranong and Chumphon are divided over the controversial land bridge project, with the business sector and most local community leaders in favour, while civic…
Read MoreThai retirees started outnumbering people entering the workforce for the first time last year, sparking concerns that the country faces a future of economic and social breakdown. An official report…
Read MorePrime Minister Srettha Thavisin has set a record for the most number of foreign trips by a premier in just four months in office, but he has little to show…
Read MoreA section of Kanchnapisek Road in the Thonburi area remains closed to traffic this morning after subsidence yesterday. Initial investigations indicate that the collapse was caused by a break in…
Read MoreFollowing the announcement of pre-travel visa exemptions for Chinese and Thai tourists starting March 1st, searches using Thailand-related keywords surged by 90% within an hour. Senior Director of Trip.com for…
Read MoreThe Thailand Consumers Council has called for urgent inspections of the entire operational system of the Yellow and Pink train lines, following separate recent accidents. On its Facebook page, the…
Read MorePrime Minister Srettha Thavisin presented the government’s 3.48 trillion baht budget bill to the House of Representatives today, saying that he is confident it will stimulate tourism and improve the…
Read MoreLeading opposition MPs have expressed their disappointment in the government’s FY2024 budget, claiming that the financial allocations do not reflect the government’s policies and the bulk of the budget is…
Read MoreThe marine fishing management committee has agreed to allow 1,200 fishing vessels to continue to fish in the Gulf and the Andaman Sea for another 20-50 days, effective January 1 to…
Read More27,252,488 foreign tourists visited Thailand between January 1st and December 24th this year, meeting the 25-28 million foreign arrivals target. People from Malaysia topped the list, with 4,439,480 arrivals, followed…
Read MorePolice on the island province of Phuket have expanded their investigation into human smuggling activities, after rounding up some 28 Chinese nationals who exploited tourist visas to work at a…
Read MoreThe Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) lodged a complaint with the Department of Special Investigation today, accusing three former executives of STARK Corporation Public Company of insider trading. According to…
Read MoreThe cabinet agreed to increases in minimum wages by 2-16 baht/day today, as proposed by the tri-partite wage committee. The new rates will become effective on January 1. There are…
Read MoreMajor irregularities at Stark Corporation, a wire and cable manufacturer, made headline news in 2023 and was undoubtedly the biggest financial scandal of the year with far-reaching impact. Stark executives, board members…
Read MoreBangkok commuters’ dream of paying no more than 20 baht for a metro ride regardless of distance traveled still faces serious obstacles. Even with the ruling Pheu Thai Party by…
Read MoreA total of 105,482 borrowers have signed up since the beginning of December for government assistance in tackling their informal indebtedness, estimated at about 6.5 billion, Government Spokesman Chai Wacharonke…
Read MoreThe tri-partite wage committee has rejected Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s request for them to reconsider their recent decision to increase the minimum wage by only Bt2-16 a day and the…
Read MoreThe Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is considering transferring the operation of three elevated train lines to the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRT). They are the Gold Line, between…
Read MoreThe Cabinet decided today to freeze the retail prices of diesel and cooking gas from January 1 until the end of March, but to raise the price of electricity from 3.99…
Read MoreThe Ministry of Finance unveiled details of its plan to solve formal debts today. Dr Paopoom Rojanasakul, secretary to the finance minister, said formal debtors seeking state help will be…
Read MoreTwo leading business executives have shared their views about the challenges and the unpredictability of doing business in the future, ranging from depleting natural resources and digital disruption to emerging…
Read MorePrime Minister Srettha Thavisin said he has invited Japan’s leading companies to join in the development of Thailand’s digital economy and the auto industry. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on…
Read MoreFour members of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), Thailand’s broadcast and telecom regulator, have proposed that the commission consider the service charges and quality of True Corporation after…
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