Track Thailand's economy in English — business, trade, finance and market news, covered by Thai PBS World, Thailand's public broadcasting service.
The 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 support Thai film producers’ participation in three international film festivals. The sectors and activities include festivals, tourism, food, arts, design, sports, music, books, films, performances,
The 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 today. He said the Council ruled that the cabinet and the digital wallet policy committee are authorised to implement the digital wallet scheme through such
The 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 January 1 to February 15, the governments is implementing “Easy E-Receipt”, a tax deduction measure. Who is eligible? Under the scheme, individuals will receive a
People 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 groups, coastal fishermen, durian and oil palm growers have expressed concerns over its potential environmental impacts. The House Committee studying the project held public hearings
Prime 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 the steadily falling inflation observed over the past several months. The central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee unanimously voted to raise the policy rate to 2.50
Thai 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 titled “Thailand’s Critical Birthrate Fall” estimates that the number of first-jobbers (people aged between 20 and 24) has already dropped below the number of people
Thailand’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 richest 1% hold over a staggering 75% of wealth, and the education system remains a major stumbling block to equality. The World Bank says fixing
Prime 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 for it in terms of economic dividends for the country. Branding himself as the chief salesman of Thailand, Srettha said in early December that his
A 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 a subterranean water supply tunnel in the area, resulting in water being released and eroding the ground beneath the road. Kriengkrai Detchaiprakarn, the director of
Following 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 Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines, Jessadaphan Chantakhan, says that searches for flights from Shanghai and Beijing to Bangkok jumped by more than 40%, while China-related
The 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 council expressed doubts over the causes of the incidents, as both lines have only recently opened for public service. “We believe that the accidents may
Prime 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 national economy, while assuring that taxpayers’ money will be spent efficiently. In his address to the House, the prime minister said that the budget bill
