Bangkok Post
Protesters under lockdown delay hearing on Songkhla mega project
Public hearings on an industrial mega project in the southern province of Songkhla have been postponed after locals and activists – led by a 17-year-old – warned that a nationwide coronavirus lockdown could see the plans approved with little scrutiny.The hearings for a Special Economic ...
Cabinet sends THAI to Bankruptcy Court
The cabinet on Tuesday resolved that cash-strapped Thai Airways International (THAI) would file for bankruptcy at the Central Bankruptcy Court in order to work out its rehabilitation plan.Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said it was the best course to help the troubled airline back onto its ...
Bangkok Post Reporter
Post-Covid teachers wanted
The Education Ministry will offer jobs to 10,000 assistant teachers to man smaller classrooms post-Covid-19 lockdown as classes are to be split.Education Minister Nataphol Teepsuwan said class sizes will be reduced for social distancing purposes. The pre-pandemic ratio was 20 students per teacher.Keep reading ...
Bangkok Post Reporter
SEZ interest pales next to EEC
Investment applications for 10 special economic zones (SEZs) remain low compared with those made for the flagship Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), with the number of projects and investment value totalling 75 projects and 11 billion baht, respectively, from 2015 to April 1, 2020.According to the ...
Bangkok Post Reporter
Banks may see strong loan growth, more bad loans this year: BoT
Commercial banks are expected to post strong loan growth this year, as more large businesses are seeking credit due to the volatile debt market amid the coronavirus outbreak, a senior director at the Bank of Thailand (BoT) said on Monday.Loans grew 4.1% in the first ...
Economy shrinks for first time since 2014 on virus
The country’s economy contracted in the first quarter for the first time since 2014 as the coronavirus outbreak cut off tourist arrivals and shuttered commerce.Gross domestic product shrank 1.8% from a year ago, the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) said on Monday. That’s ...
People's livelihoods seriously affected by Covid-19: Poll
The spread of novel coronavirus has lowered the Thai people’s incomes and savings while inflating their debts, according to a survey conducted by the Suan Dusit Rajabhat University, or Suan Dusit Poll. The poll was conducted online between May 12-15 on 1,125 people throughout the ...
Bangkok Post Reporter
Tourism goal raises eyebrows
The Tourism and Sports Ministry is aiming high for 100 million domestic trips within this year, while the private sector plays down this target, saying it will be difficult to meet.“This new domestic target is reachable because local travel is likely to resume first, particularly ...
Bangkok Post Reporter
Blockchain eyed for palm oil
The Energy Ministry has ordered the Energy Business Department to discuss with Thai oil traders the prospect of using blockchain to facilitate palm oil trade.A blockchain system would cut out the middleman between palm planters and palm oil mills, in theory allowing planters to sell ...
Lamonphet Apisitniran
Q3 rebound eyed from relief boost
Thai GDP in the first and second quarters of 2020 faces a sharp year-on-year decline due to the global economic slowdown, widespread drought and coronavirus impact.But prospects are expected to improve in the third quarter onwards, boosted by the 1-trillion-baht plan for cash handouts to ...
Bangkok Post Reporter
