News
Laos buys fewer Thai goods after VAT at Friendship Bridge
Laotians have spent less money on goods in Thailand after Vientiane imposed a 10% value-added tax late last year, a Lao customs official said on January 26. Soutchai Inthavong, deputy chief of the customs international checkpoint at the Friendship Bridge, said the number of Laotians ...
Thai fintech sector calls for state support
The Thai FinTech Association has called on the government to increase its support for local tech startups and financial institutions to enhance their competitiveness and prevent foreign giants from monopolising the fintech market. “It’s time for the government to create a level playing field between ...
679 schools fail basic education test
At least 600 of more than 4,500 schools seeking to be included on a school standard enhancement programme provide poor education quality, according to the Office of the Basic Education Commission, which is introducing the scheme. A total of 679 schools do not meet the ...
Cambodian migrants kin to testify in trafficking case
Parents of Cambodian human trafficking victims who were rescued from fishing boats in the southern border province of Ranong have travelled to Thailand to testify for their children in court. “I just want to see [the lawsuit] end quickly so my son can come back ...
Mushroom’s SME programme crosses the borders
Mushroom Television Co is taking its hit SME programme “Young Self-Made Millionaire”, which has been airing on MCOT for five years, to Laos next month, and to Vietnam and Cambodia in March. “We expect the expansion will help our growth to reach 10 per cent ...
'Bio-economy' to draw Bt400 bn
The government on January 23 announced the launch of its ambitious “bio-economy” scheme, which it expects to draw Bt400 billion worth of investment from the private sector during the next 10 years. Speaking at the signing ceremony for a memorandum of understanding between the public and ...
Trade officers prepare for Trump era
Amid concern over the impact on Thailand’s export growth of so-called “Trumponomics” under the new US president and the United Kingdom’s Brexit vote, Thai trade officers from 63 posts in 47 countries will attend a meeting in Bangkok on February 22 that has been called ...
SEC not worried about impact of B/E defaults
The securities watchdog has said it is not worried about defaults involving millions of baht worth of bills of exchange, saying the exposure is very low compared to the total bond market. The Securities and Exchange Commission, however, has taken prompt action to mitigate nervousness ...
MCOT’s plea to import equipment raises doubts
MCOT recently asked the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission for permission to import equipment that it will use in cooperation with True Corp and Advanced Info Service to operate wireless services on its portion of the 2.6 gigahertz spectrum. But a telecom analyst was doubtful ...
Flood victims in South resort to living on rafts
In the face of weeks-long flooding, many victims in Surat Thani province have chosen to live on rafts so that they can stay close to their flooded houses. Although rain stopped pouring down in the Sap Tawee area of Surat Thani’s Ban Na Doem district ...