News
UnionPay signs chip card standard license with Thailand
UnionPay International and Thai Bankers Association signed Chip Card Standard License Agreement in Bangkok on 18 August. According to the agreement, the chip card standard of UnionPay will be introduced to local banks as the standard of Thailand’s banking industry. Thailand has become the first overseas ...
Bank of Thailand: Slower growth a regional ill
The Bank of Thailand insists that despite shocks and changes experienced in the macroeconomic environment, the country’s fundamentals remain strong, as reflected in the country’s current account surplus, stable foreign exchange rate and low unemployment. Central bank governor Prasarn Trairatvorakul on 17 August said speeding up infrastructure investment ...
City bomb horror in Bangkok
Central Bangkok descended into chaos on evening of 17 August when a bomb exploded at Ratchaprasong intersection, killing 20 people, including three foreigners, and injuring at least 125. The explosion occurred about 7pm near the Brahmin statue at the Erawan Shrine on the intersection packed with evening rush-hour ...
‘Slave’ fishermen not all trafficking victims
The return of hundreds more Myanmar fishermen found in slave-like conditions in Indonesia could be in jeopardy. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the embassy in Jakarta separated the rescued men into two different categories: trafficking victims and non-trafficked “slaves”. The 91 who have been identified as ...
K3600 likely to stick in final wage talks
Labour officials will hold a final meeting with employers and worker representatives in Nay Pyi Taw on 18 August to finalise the minimum wage, with some participants suggesting there will be no change from the K3600 proposed in June. The ministry hopes to reach an agreement on ...
Importers hedging against baht slump
Local small and medium-sized importers are in a rush to hedge their currency exposure to protect against the rapid weakening of the baht, says TMB Bank. The number of SME customers hedging against foreign exchange risk has increased by 20-30% since the baht began depreciating after ...
Thai entrepreneurs urged to move fast in Myanmar
Thai entrepreneurs should tap Myanmar’s high growth potential, say business leaders. However, competition has grown intense as Myanmar welcomes other foreign investors, forcing some Thai businesses to seek local partners in order to make it easier to do business there. Keep reading ...
Poverty reduction for Laos receives boost from further World Bank financing
The Government of Laos and the World Bank on 17 August signed agreements for three projects aiming to improve the efficiency and reliability of electricity, to improve women’s and children’s health and nutrition, and to enable the construction of vital infrastructure including schools, health clinics, roads, ...
Lack of press freedom mars Lao media anniversary
Reporters in Laos must cover the news in greater depth, an official said as the country marked the 65th anniversary of Media and Publication Day, but sources claim journalists are hamstrung by a lack of press freedom in the communist nation, with the public increasingly ...
Thai baht at six-year low, tourism shares fall after bombing
Thailand’s baht currency slumped to a more than six-year low on 18 August and shares fell in Bangkok over concerns an unprecedented attack in the capital could hit the vital tourism sector. At least 21 people were killed and over 120 wounded when a bomb ripped through ...
