News
Making Southeast Asia's skies safer
Last week, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration downgraded the safety rating for the entire Thai aviation system, placing it among those of a handful of countries — including Southeast Asian neighbors Bangladesh and Indonesia — that don’t meet international “minimum safety oversight standards.” Boeing expects Southeast Asian airlines ...
Thailand leads declines in Asian stocks, Europe opens lower
Most Southeast Asian stock markets traded lower on 8 December, with the Stock Exchange of Thailand posting its biggest one-day decline in two weeks on falling oil prices. The SET index posted the steepest fall in the region with a 1.6% drop, led by oil firm ...
Gas accounts for smaller share
Thailand’s heavy dependence on natural gas for the power sector has been trimmed to 60% from 70% thanks to greater use of coal and renewable sources, says the Energy Policy and Planning Office (Eppo). The coal-fired Hongsa power plant in Laos has helped to increase the ...
Drought spurs call for home water savings
The Metropolitan Waterworks Authority (MWA) has urged households in the capital and its vicinity to reserve at least 60 litres of drinking water for the duration of the drought season until May next year. The reduction of Chao Phraya River water usage is due to the ...
Migrant rights group presses government on stalled registration
A migrant rights network has appealed to the Myanmar and Thai governments to reach a solution on a worker registration standoff, and to take steps to alleviate the exploitation of workers by brokers. The call comes as the two sides prepare to meet in Thailand on ...
3D printer makers flock to Thailand
Global three-dimension (3D) printer manufacturers are pushing into Thailand, paving the way for a growth cycle in Southeast Asia. XYZprinting Inc, the world’s largest 3D printer maker, established Bangkok as its first Southeast Asian office in September, with investment of almost 20 million baht. The Taiwan-based company ...
GSB wants add-on to SME loans
The state-backed Government Savings Bank (GSB) is seeking Finance Ministry approval to expand a 100-billion-baht soft loan scheme for small and medium-sized enterprises by 50 billion. The extra amount reflects pent-up demand after 100 billion baht was already taken out, said GSB president and chief executive Chatchai ...
Solar power on the go
Mrs Kanittha Napaworakul thought it would be interesting if she could invent equipment to solve the problem of power outages during natural disasters. “There were bad weather phenomena happening in several countries, killing lots of people, and it made me think of what I would ...
China signs rice, rubber deals with Thailand
China has signed rice and rubber purchase deals with Thailand as part of the Thai-Sino railway development agreement. Negotiations over the railway are continuing. The deals were signed at the ninth meeting of the Joint Committee on Railway Cooperation in Bangkok on 3 December. Keep reading ...
Cheapest Thai fragrant rice for six years
The global price of Hom Mali fragrant rice has dropped to the lowest in six years as growers sell their grain direct to millers-cum-exporters instead of joining a state-run bank’s scheme to increase rice prices. Keep reading ...
