News
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 ...
Groundless EU rumour smacks big-cap Thai shares
Thai stocks dived 1.29% on 2 December on panic selling after rumours swirled on social media that the EU had imposed sanctions on Thailand. The Stock Exchange of Thailand index, Asia’s worst-performing market for the day, took a nosedive just minutes after the afternoon session began, with the ...
Revenue, debt alarms sounded in Thailand
Concerns about the private sector’s revenue and debt servicing ability have been raised at a joint meeting of two Bank of Thailand committees. The Monetary Policy Committee and the Financial Institutions Policy Committee held a joint session on 30 November to discuss financial developments and risks to financial ...
Thai PM urged to await verdict before paying constructor of Klong Dan project
A civic group on 3 December petitioned Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to exercise his special power and cancel the Cabinet’s resolution approving the payment of Bt9.6 billion in compensation to the constructor of the corruption-plagued Klong Dan wastewater-treatment project. Keep reading ...
Critics doubt Thai PM's climate pledge
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on 1 December declared in front of the world community that Thailand would slash greenhouse gases by 20-25 per cent within 15 years, but critics panned the plan, saying it was just for show, as it looked unrealistic. Prayut told the two-week-long United Nations climate-change ...
Workers in Thailand get temporary labour permits
Vietnamese migrant workers in Thailand are allowed to register for temporary work permits at the country’s provincial labour departments from 1-30 December, according to the Thai Ministry of Labour. The ministry said on 30 November that the 30-day expansion for Vietnamese guest workers (excluding their companies) aims ...
Thailand 'to reap rewards' from IMF's yuan move
Thailand’s trade and investment will benefit in the long run from inclusion of the yuan in the special drawing rights currency basket of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), says a senior central bank official. Greater use of the Chinese currency would help to slim down foreign ...
