Economic policy and administration

Thailand’s planned reopening of the resort island Phuket next month to vaccinated visitors, bypassing quarantine requirements, has met a lukewarm response, with hotel bookings indicating expected occupancy of less than 20% so far. The “Phuket Sandbox” initiative from July 1 will allow free movement on the ...

A new industrial boom is bringing high-tech investments to eastern Thailand. But in this drought-prone landscape, is there enough water to go around? As Thailand embarks on an ambitious industrialisation drive along its eastern seaboard, local communities and conservationists fear a brewing war over water. The Eastern Economic ...

An elevated fiscal deficit will result in growing public debt, which will ramp up pressure on Laos’ debt servicing capacity amid the COVID-19 crisis, the Vientiane Times reported on August 21. The Lao Government has estimated that the budget deficit will rise from 6.69 trillion kip (700 million USD) , ...

In a document informing the PM’s conclusion in a meeting with leaders of the Mekong Delta localities, PM Phuc called for the engagement of the whole political system in implementing the Government’s resolutions on supporting COVID-19-hit people and solutions to remove difficulties facing business and ...

Development should be Myanmar’s number one priority. In the lifetime of today’s children, it has the potential to become a developed country. Combined with measures to fight inequality, finding the right path to development is critical for a successful transition to democracy. It’s also critical ...

Thailand’s economy is expected to be impacted severely by the COVID-19 pandemic, shrinking by at least 5 percent in 2020 and taking more than two years to return to pre-COVID-19 GDP output levels, according to the World Bank’s latest Thailand Economic Monitor, released today. The COVID-19 pandemic ...

The strategically vital Mekong subregion has been gaining salience in Beijing’s strategic calculations as China faces growing pushback from the US and other countries. The global pandemic appears to be consolidating a few trends in China’s ties with the Mekong nations. In this emerging scenario, it is likely ...

When Myanmar announced its seven-point economic relief plan to mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19 in late April, one item immediately raised eyebrows among China analysts in the country. The initiative’s third main objective is stated as “Easing the Impacts on Laborers and Workers”, and ...

Thai Airways International (THAI) is headed for bankruptcy court to pave the way for a much-needed rehabilitation for the octogenarian, near moribund national carrier, which in its glory days operated under the smug “Smooth as Silk” logo. Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha’s Cabinet approved the plan ...

The COVID-19 pandemic has slowed global trade and disrupted supply chains. The virus, which first started in China, shut manufacturing facilities for an extended period of time. As China, known as the factory of the world, shut factories, it resulted in a ripple effect battering ...