Economy and commerce
ADB see China slowdown hitting Thailand through 2017
Softer growth prospects for China and a weak recovery in major industrial economies are expected to suppress economic growth in developing Asia and cut Thailand’s growth by half a percentage point, according to an Asian Development Bank report released March 30. Keep reading ...
PM asks Korea for $10M more to build road
Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday made a public appeal to the South Korean government for an extra $10 million – on top of $52 million already provided – to complete the second phase of a road project. Keep reading ...
Central bank to relax rules, diversify risks
The Thai central bank will relax rules governing investment in products linked to foreign exchanges and transferring money internationally via mobile phones at the end of this month. Keep reading ...
Rosewood haul found in Tbong Khmum tied to local chief
Provincial authorities in Tboung Khmum province on 26 March said they discovered 17 tonnes of illegal rosewood hidden on a commune chief’s family’s land, only to have a mob of armed local residents break into the property that night and steal potential evidence. Keep reading ...
Unusual items bump February exports up 10.3%
Thai exports grew in February for the first time in 14 months, thanks to two unusual items — helicopters and an eight-fold increase from a month earlier in gold shipments. In February, customs-cleared exports rose 10.27% from a year earlier, the Commerce Ministry said on Friday. ...
ASEAN defence personnel call for closer cooperation
A vision for politics and security in the region, tackling non-military threats and challenges, and maintaining cooperation in national defence were tabled for discussion at the Track II 9th Network of Asean Defence and Security Institutions meeting, which opened in Vientiane on 24 March. Keep reading ...
State, private and foreign banks to compete for SOE clients
Myanmar’s financial regulator has ended state-owned banks’ monopoly on providing foreign currency accounts for state-owned firms, opening a new market to private lenders – both local and international – that could potentially bring vast amounts of public money into the wider banking system. Keep reading ...
Plan aims to rebuild silk sector
With Cambodia’s storied silk industry in rapid decline, the government is looking to revitalise the sector with a new development strategy aimed at making local sericulture more modern, sustainable and inclusive, officials said during a recent industry event. Keep reading ...
National bank ups cash reserve requirements
The National Bank of Cambodia has doubled the minimum capital requirements for commercial banks and significantly raised the requirements for microfinance institutions in a move experts say will protect and consolidate the country’s banking sector. Capital requirements are used by central banks worldwide to ensure ...
Vietnam seeks private investment for $721 million highway
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved a plan to attract private investment for a highway project in the Mekong Delta with a cost estimate of VND16.34 trillion (US$721 million), the government office said on on 23 March. Keep reading ...
