PM affirms neutral Ukraine war stance
PM affirms neutral Ukraine war stanceThailand will not take sides in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, confirmed Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in advance of a top-level US-Asean meeting that he will be attending in Washington DC next week. During a media briefing at Government House yesterday, Gen Prayut talked about his upcoming trip to America for the US-Asean Special Summit from May 12-13. Given Russia's invasion of Ukraine, there might be some opinions about it during the meeting, Gen Prayut said. I will put my best effort into it," said Gen Prayut. Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon will be in charge of national affairs while Gen Prayut is away from May 11-15.
Source:Bangkok Post
May 07, 2022 05:42 UTC
Sri Lanka protesters tear-gassed again
Public anger has sparked sustained protests demanding the government’s resignation over its mismanagement of the crisis, Sri Lanka’s worst since independence in 1948. Officers fired a barrage of tear gas followed by water cannon from two trucks, but the crowd quickly reassembled behind police barricades set up to block access to the parliament. It was the second time police tried to disperse the crowd with tear gas, after an earlier unsuccessful attempt on Thursday afternoon. “We can pinpoint the policy blunders of the president that led to this very sorry state of our economy,” said trade union leader Ravi Kumudesh. Sri Lanka’s economic crisis took hold after the coronavirus pandemic hammered income from tourism and remittances.
Source:Bangkok Post
May 06, 2022 23:59 UTC
Crisis-hit Sri Lanka declares emergency after crippling strike
Earlier Friday, police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse students attempting to storm the national parliament demanding Rajapaksa resign. The emergency gives sweeping powers to security forces to arrest and detain suspects for long periods without judicial supervision. But protests have escalated since then, fuelling Sri Lanka's worst crisis since independence in 1948. - Storming parliament -The students' attempt to storm the tightly-guarded legislature on Friday was their second in as many days. Sri Lanka's economic crisis took hold after the coronavirus pandemic hammered income from tourism and remittances.
Source:Bangkok Post
May 06, 2022 23:16 UTC
Tour subsidy schemes extended to revitalise tourism
Tour subsidy schemes extended to revitalise tourismPeople gather hoping to watch migrating birds against the sunset, at Bang Pu Recreation Centre in Samut Prakan on Thursday. The present phase of the scheme offered two million room rights, until May 31. Mr Thanakorn said the Tour Teaw Thai package will also be extended, from the end of April to the end of September. This programme is aimed at helping tour group operators, by offering a 40% subsidy discount on tour packages. The Association of Domestic Travel, Thai Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Authority of Thailand have orchestrated calls for the government to continue the subsidy schemes to promote domestic travel.
Source:Bangkok Post
May 06, 2022 22:40 UTC
Surin reopens Chong Chom crossing to Cambodia
Surin reopens Chong Chom crossing to CambodiaThe first truck crosses the border to Cambodia through the Chong Chom checkpoint in Kab Choeng district, in southern Surin, after it reopens on Friday morning. (Photo: Nopparat Kingkaew)SURIN: The Chong Chom checkpoint on the border with Cambodia reopened on Friday, two years after it was closed by the arrival of the Covid-19 epidemic. Surin governor Suwapong Kitipatpibul and Oddar Meanchey governor Pen Kosal opened the gate at 10.30am after a countdown at the border. Chong Chom is in Kap Choeng district, and links with O Smach in Cambodia. The Chong Chom-O Smach xrossig is now open for Thais and foreigners seven days a week, from 6am-10pm.
Source:Bangkok Post
May 06, 2022 11:29 UTC
Mental health guidance amid Covid
Mental health guidance amid CovidJessada Charoensri, a teacher at a school in Tak province, tries to cheer up students under pressure from staying home during Covid. They are traumatic and contribute to the increasingly dire mental health concerns in society today. For many college and university students, the social isolation proved particularly alienating and is detrimental to their psychosocial development. We can develop more Thai language-based mental health questionnaires that can be completed anonymously online. The social marginalisation of those suffering from mental health concerns is real, and society would benefit from beginning to have this difficult discussion.
Source:Bangkok Post
May 06, 2022 11:03 UTC
Baht dips again in volatile currency market
Volatility in the currency market is still supporting the dollar and pressuring the baht, Poon added. Meanwhile, the Covid-19 situation in China is deterring investment in Asian emerging markets, meaning the baht is likely to swing sideways, he said. However, the baht would face downward pressure from purchases of gold if the price goes down. Poon said the Thai currency’s key resistance level would be 34.50, at which point exporters would sell the dollar. He advised businesses to use hedging tools such as options to manage risks in the highly volatile currency market.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
May 06, 2022 09:43 UTC
India objects to WHO report of 4.7 million COVID excess deaths
Almost three times as many people have died as a result of COVID-19 as official data show, according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) report, the most comprehensive look at the true global toll of the pandemic so far. There were 14.9 million excess deaths associated with COVID-19 by the end of 2021, the U.N. body said on Thursday (May 5). The official count of deaths directly attributable to COVID-19 and reported to WHO in that period, from January 2020 to the end of December 2021, is slightly more than 5.4 million. The WHO's excess mortality figures reflect people who died of COVID-19 as well as those who died as an indirect result of the outbreak, including people who could not access healthcare for other conditions when systems were overwhelmed during huge waves of infection.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
May 06, 2022 07:00 UTC
The latest news on what's happening in the region
Crisis Sri LankaAnti-government protesters vow to bring the country to a standstill todayThe Island ( Sri Lanka )https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40015281Covid-19 ChinaCPC: Nation will win antivirus fightChina Dailyhttps://www.nationthailand.com/international/40015283Jobs SingaporeSix in 10 in Singapore prepared to request pay rise amid labour crunch, inflation: SurveyThe Straits Times ( Singapore )https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40015284NATO South KoreaSouth Korea’s intelligence agency joins NATO’s cyber defence centre as the first in AsiaThe Korea Heraldhttps://www.nationthailand.com/international/40015282Covid-19 VietnamDomestic health declaration for Covid-19 prevention and control is no longer required across VietnamVietnam Newshttps://www.nationthailand.com/international/40015285
Source:The Nation Bangkok
May 06, 2022 06:37 UTC
PTTEP aims to hike output
The plan was unveiled on Thursday by Orachon Ouiyamapun, senior vice-president for financial affairs at PTTEP. The problem was blamed for causing a drop in gas production at the block. According to PTTEP, it can currently increase gas production at Erawan to 376 MMSCFD, up from 200 a few months ago. At Bongkot, PTTEP plans to increase gas production to 700 MMSCFD within 2023, up from 200 MMSCFD. PTTEP expects its average petroleum sales to increase to 467 kilo barrel of oil equivalent per day (KBOED) in 2022, up from 416 KBOED last year.
Source:Bangkok Post
May 06, 2022 04:50 UTC
GTG unveils hemp-based applications
GTG unveils hemp-based applicationsMr Kris, centre, says there is an opportunity to develop a range of hemp-based products to serve growing consumer demand. GTG believes hemp-based products, including skincare products, have the potential to grow. GTG plans to introduce hemp-based food and beverages in the second half of this year to serve customers. This year, GTG has set a revenue target of 270-300 million baht, with an average growth of 55% per year. The company expects to have a 6.3% market share in the Thai hemp industry over the next three years.
Source:Bangkok Post
May 06, 2022 00:59 UTC
Thai stock investor mood at 3-month low over Ukraine war, Fed
Thai stock investor mood at 3-month low over Ukraine war, FedAn investor monitors share price movements at Asia Plus Securities’ headquarters on Sathon Road, Bangkok. (Photo: Pornprom Satrabhaya)Investor confidence in the Thai stock market has slipped to a three-month low on concerns about Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the US Federal Reserve's tightening policy, a capital markets group said on Thursday. Foreign investor confidence fell 19% from the "bullish zone", also weighed by the Finance Ministry's plan to collect a financial transaction tax, the group said, adding it also opposed the plan. The group lowered its target for the main Thai stock index to 1,750 points this year from 1,800 points, he said. The SET index has fallen 0.76% to 1,645.76 points so far this year, after rising 14.4% in the whole of 2021.
Source:Bangkok Post
May 05, 2022 21:07 UTC
SS&C ties up with PTT Digital to help SMEs adopt intelligent process automation
The global process automation market is forecast to grow to more than US$13 billion (THB445 billion) by 2030. Most enterprises see automation technology as the top priority of their digital transformation to succeed and be competitive globally. According to studies conducted by Grand View Research, the total value of the global robotics process automation (RPA) market was $1.89 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach $2.32 billion this year. Furthermore, its compound annual growth rate is projected at 38.2 per cent from 2022 to 2030, with the market size expected to exceed $30 billion in 2030. There are around 7,000 small-to-medium companies in Thailand and they would like their business to stand out in such a competitive market.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
May 05, 2022 19:40 UTC
Panel seeks delay of PDPA enforcement
The enforcement of the PDPA has a crucial impact on them," Atip Bijanonda, vice-chairman of the Board of Trade, told the Bangkok Post. Once implemented, it is expected to upgrade personal data protection in Thailand. He said strict enforcement of the PDPA would make it more difficult for big data analytics and the country's digital transformation. "Thailand's PDPA was derived from the EU's General Data Protection Regulation, including some measures that are too strict," said Mr Atip. According to Mr Thienchai, the PDPA will create confidence among foreign business operators, particularly those from Europe, in conducting business in Thailand.
Source:Bangkok Post
May 05, 2022 11:32 UTC
Thailand to host Apec trade ministers' meeting from May 19-22
Among other things, the DTN will push for more FTA agreements to cover up to 80 per cent of Thailand’s trading partners. Currently, the FTA ratio of Thailand with trading partners stands at 64 per cent, while Singapore’s FTA ratio is 96 per cent, Vietnam 73 per cent and the Philippines 71 per cent. “This year, the DTN plans to complete pending FTA talks, such as Thailand-Turkey FTA, Thailand-Sri Lanka FTA, and Thailand-Pakistan FTA,” Oramon said. She is confident that the FTA talks with Turkey will be concluded this year and Thailand will then hold talks with the European Free Trade Association as well as with the European Union. The DTN will gradually hold talks of the joint trade committee (JTC) with key trade partners.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
May 05, 2022 10:04 UTC