Open Development Thailand - Sharing information about Thailand and its development with the world.

Essential Information on Covid-19 in Thailand

Under a Ministry of Public Health’s announcement, all hospitals, public and private, must do their best to treat COVID-19 patients (all who live within the Thai territory, irrespective of nationality) without delay until they are out of immediate danger or transferred to other hospitals based on their coverage.

Visit the data dashboard

COVID-19 Impact on Thai Labor Market

Unemployment is a looming concern. According to NSO’s data, the unemployment rate has increased to 2 percent in Q2 of 2020. This is more than three times Thailand’s jobless rate for the last decade, which hovered around 0.6%. The Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) estimated that 8.4 million jobs would be at risk from the COVID-19 outbreak in Q2 and Q3 of 2020, in addition to the six million farmers already impacted by drought. Thailand’s key sectors have been especially hit.

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Image: Motorbike taxi in Thailand by ibeeckmans | CC Search under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Dashboard: COVID-19 and Thai Labor Market

Some major findings from Labor Force Survey data of Thailand National Statistics Office (NSO) showed that the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted on jobs.

During the Q1 and Q2 of 2020, the virus impact was accelerating around the world. With the country put under lockdown from mid-March till June 2020, the COVID-19 impact on workers showed a significant change in the Q2.

View the full dashboard >>

Data Literacy Training

Thailand’s civil society representatives completed East-West Management Institute’s (EWMI) data literacy training program from February to June 2020. This training in Thailand was tailored for participants from the forestry sector to advocate for improved forest governance. They included representatives from Baan Non Toom Thaworn Community Forest, Self-organized Land Reform Network, Citizen Forest Network, Chiang Mai Community Organisation Council, Raks Thai Foundation, RECOFTC Thailand, and Western Community Radio Network.

All participants were sponsored by the Voices for Mekong Forests (V4MF) project, a five-year initiative funded by the EU. Read the full story.

Participants were very supportive of each other during the training. (This photo was taken during the first phase in February 2020.)

Pandemics / COVID-19

Thailand was the first country outside of China to have confirmed a patient with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection on 13 January 2020. On March 1, 2020, Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) designated COVID-19 as a dangerous communicable disease under the Communicable Diseases Act B.E. 2558 (2015). An emergency in all areas of the Kingdom of Thailand was declared by the Thai Prime Minister on March 20, 2020, pursuant to the Emergency Decree on Public Administration in emergency situations. The emergency period was originally to last until April 30, 2020, until further announcement of relax measures.

Forest Policy and Admistration

Thailand’s forests are governed under a system of laws and policies that has evolved over the past few decades to place a greater emphasis on conservation and sustainable management. Though challenges of implementation, participation, and community usage rights persist, governance can be considered a positive factor in Thai forest health.

Forests and Forestry

In 2018, forest products accounted for roughly 118 billion Thai Baht (3.9 billion USD) in exports—or about 1.2% of all exported goods and services. That figure does not include either the value of domestic consumption of forest products or the ecosystem services forests provide.

Forest covers in the Mekong region 2000-2015

Arkhom predicts potential growth of 4-5%

10 March 2023

The potential growth rate of the economy is 4-5%, says Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith. Among the factors that will determine more robust sustainable growth is increasing productivity by reskilling and upskilling workers, Mr Arkhom said yesterday at a seminar called “The NEXT Thailand’s Future”, co-hosted ...

 Bangkok Post Reporter

Cyber scams: Top bankers unite to battle rise in financial crime

10 March 2023

The central bank, commercial banks and state-run financial institutions are joining forces to fight online criminals preying on bank customers, officials and executives told a press conference on Friday.Senior officials from the Bank of Thailand (BOT), the Thai Bankers’ Association (TBA), and the Government Financial ...

 The Nation Reporter

Thailand issues warnings after smog blankets major cities

10 March 2023

Thai authorities have urged children and pregnant women to stay indoors and people to wear masks outside, as toxic smog covers vast areas of the country, leading more than one million people to seek medical attention, officials said. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha begged farmers to stop ...

South, Southeast nations to enhance cooperation for maritime transport

9 March 2023

A group of seven South Asian and Southeast Asian nations – collectively known as Bimstec – has reached an agreement on maritime transport cooperation to boost maritime connectivity within the region.The group’s Senior Officials’ Meeting endorsed the Agreement on Maritime Transport Cooperation at a virtual ...

 The Nation Reporter

Air pollution has made over 1.3 million Thais sick this year

9 March 2023

More than 1.32 million Thai people have reported sick in 2023 due to PM2.5 pollution, the Disease Control Department (DCD) said.A total of 1,325,838 patients suffered from air pollution-related diseases during the first five days of January, department director-general Dr Opas Karnkawinpong said.“The PM2.5 [particulate ...

 The Nation Reporter

Central bank turns to biometrics to battle online scams

9 March 2023

The Bank of Thailand has joined the fight against online crimes by instructing financial institutions to step up their preventive measures, including a requirement for biometric verification for mobile banking transactions, its governor, Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput, said on Thursday.Bank customers who want to transfer more than ...

 The Nation Reporter

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Questionnaire | Thailand's Unsustainable Development Review

19 February 2023

SDG Move invites everyone to take part in reflecting on How far has Thailand’s response to significant challenges progressed? Using the questionnaire “Thailand’s Unsustainable Development Review: 7 Years Passed, How Sustainable is Thailand in Your Opinion?”Your comments will be processed and will be part of ...

4-Point Digital Rights Agenda Report Launch

15 February 2023

As Thailand’s general election is approaching, there have been concerns whether the next government would ensure citizen participation and set a fertile ground for democracy to prosper once again after the long suspension. Such concerns stem from the fact that in the past years, the ...

Seminar | Carbon Accounting: Observation from Space

12 February 2023

GISTDA and partner agencies organize a seminar “Carbon Accounting: Observation from Space”Currently working to reduce carbon emissions in order to mitigate the effects of global climate change. It is a topic that the entire world is interested in. GISTDA is Thailand’s space technology and geo-information ...

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Open Development Thailand publishes a dashboard on “Essential Information on COVID-19 in Thailand."

16 December 2020

Open Development Thailand (ODT) recently published a dashboard on “Essential Information on COVID-19 in Thailand,” which collects useful information on the nationwide measures, capacity of health services and medical workforces, hotline contact, educational videos, and infection cases over time. Access to the page>> ...

Open Development Thailand publishes new pages on COVID-19 Impact on Thai Labor Market and its Dashboard

12 October 2020

Open Development Thailand (ODT) recently published a new topic page on “COVID-19 Impact on Thai Labour Market,” which shows that the lockdown measure and other COVID-19 measures significantly affected jobs and workers in Q2/2020. The data dashboard will provide you insights to understand vulnerable informal ...

Open Development Thailand publishes a new topic page on "COVID-19 in Thailand"

21 May 2020

Open Development Thailand (ODT) recently published a new topic page on “COVID-19 in Thailand,” which shows the impacts from and measures of the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand. Like other countries, the COVID-19 has economic, social and environmental impacts. You will learn the key measures implemented ...

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