Open Development Thailand

Essential Information on Covid-19 in Thailand

Under a Ministry of Public Health’s announcement, all hospitals, public and private, must do their best to treat COVID-19 patients (all who live within the Thai territory, irrespective of nationality) without delay until they are out of immediate danger or transferred to other hospitals based on their coverage.

Visit the data dashboard

COVID-19 Impact on Thai Labor Market

Unemployment is a looming concern. According to NSO’s data, the unemployment rate has increased to 2 percent in Q2 of 2020. This is more than three times Thailand’s jobless rate for the last decade, which hovered around 0.6%. The Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) estimated that 8.4 million jobs would be at risk from the COVID-19 outbreak in Q2 and Q3 of 2020, in addition to the six million farmers already impacted by drought. Thailand’s key sectors have been especially hit.

Keep reading…

Image: Motorbike taxi in Thailand by ibeeckmans | CC Search under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Dashboard: COVID-19 and Thai Labor Market

Some major findings from Labor Force Survey data of Thailand National Statistics Office (NSO) showed that the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted on jobs.

During the Q1 and Q2 of 2020, the virus impact was accelerating around the world. With the country put under lockdown from mid-March till June 2020, the COVID-19 impact on workers showed a significant change in the Q2.

View the full dashboard >>

Data Literacy Training

Thailand’s civil society representatives completed East-West Management Institute’s (EWMI) data literacy training program from February to June 2020. This training in Thailand was tailored for participants from the forestry sector to advocate for improved forest governance. They included representatives from Baan Non Toom Thaworn Community Forest, Self-organized Land Reform Network, Citizen Forest Network, Chiang Mai Community Organisation Council, Raks Thai Foundation, RECOFTC Thailand, and Western Community Radio Network.

All participants were sponsored by the Voices for Mekong Forests (V4MF) project, a five-year initiative funded by the EU. Read the full story.

Participants were very supportive of each other during the training. (This photo was taken during the first phase in February 2020.)

Pandemics / COVID-19

Thailand was the first country outside of China to have confirmed a patient with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection on 13 January 2020. On March 1, 2020, Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) designated COVID-19 as a dangerous communicable disease under the Communicable Diseases Act B.E. 2558 (2015). An emergency in all areas of the Kingdom of Thailand was declared by the Thai Prime Minister on March 20, 2020, pursuant to the Emergency Decree on Public Administration in emergency situations. The emergency period was originally to last until April 30, 2020, until further announcement of relax measures.

Forest Policy and Admistration

Thailand’s forests are governed under a system of laws and policies that has evolved over the past few decades to place a greater emphasis on conservation and sustainable management. Though challenges of implementation, participation, and community usage rights persist, governance can be considered a positive factor in Thai forest health.

Forests and Forestry

In 2018, forest products accounted for roughly 118 billion Thai Baht (3.9 billion USD) in exports—or about 1.2% of all exported goods and services. That figure does not include either the value of domestic consumption of forest products or the ecosystem services forests provide.

Forest covers in the Mekong region 2000-2015

Interest rates forecast to continue rising

5 June 2023

Research houses expect the Bank of Thailand to raise its policy rate one or two additional times this year because of an upside risk to inflation as the economy recovers.SCB Economic Intelligence Center (EIC), a research unit of Siam Commercial Bank, predicts the central bank’s ...

 Bangkok Post Reporter

New govt agency to manage 'big data'

5 June 2023

The government has created the Big Data Institute (BDI), a public agency that will handle the massive amount of data generated by the public and state agencies.The BDI, announced in the Royal Gazette on Friday, is expected to be up and running within 180 days, ...

 Bangkok Post Reporter

Thailand extends contracts of over 200,000 migrant workers

5 June 2023

The Thai Cabinet’s recent decision to extend employment contracts for over 200,000 migrant workers has eased concerns about a domestic labour shortage.Poj Aramwattananont, Vice Chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and President of the Labour and Skill Development Committee, said based on discussions held ...

Asean is fast-tracking digital transformation and more FTAs, officials say

4 June 2023

Asean will focus on increasing the use of digital technology to expand trade and enhance economic cooperation among its 10 member states, according to a recent meeting of senior economic officials who oversee the bloc’s economic agenda for this year.Asean will also continue trade talks ...

 The Nation Reporter

April export value falls 7.6%

30 May 2023

The dollar value of Thai exports fell for a seventh straight month in April, down 7.6% from a year earlier, the Ministry of Commerce said on Tuesday, as global demand remained slow. The decline was far more than the 2% fall forecast in a Reuters ...

 Bangkok Post Reporter

Trio unite to build digital workforce

30 May 2023

The Digital Economy Promotion Agency (Depa), TBN Corporation and Kasetsart University have partnered to help develop a skilled digital workforce to bridge the demand gap for personnel in the country.The partners plan to use the low-code development platform to train the workers, targeting more than ...

 Bangkok Post Reporter

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TOR: Finance and Administration Manager

23 May 2023

Assignment:Finance and Administration ManagerLocation:Chiang Mai, Thailand, with possible regional travel Contract Type:Full-time, on site. Reports to:Program DirectorDuration:2 years (contingent on performance and funding continuation) Start: ImmediatelyDeadline:Until filledPosition: This position is open to Thai nationalsOVERVIEWThe Knowledge for Development Foundation (K4D) is a newly established not-for-profit organization based in Chiang Mai, Thailand. ...

The Thai - Cambodian Young Generation Exchange “The future of the ASEAN’s Mekong after the Thai and Cambodia elections”: The Mekong demands to political parties

25 April 2023

The Thai – Cambodian Young Generation Exchange “The future of the ASEAN’s Mekong after the Thai and Cambodia elections”: The Mekong demands to political partiesDate: Saturday 29 April 2023Time: 10.00 – 12.00 AMJoin the event via Zoom Contact us (+66) 92 254 3231 or somrudee.youth@gmail.com For Registration ...

JOB OPPORTUNITY: Mangrove Conservation Coordinator

23 March 2023

The Open Development Initiative (ODI) program of the East-West Management Institute (EWMI) is supporting a Mangroves for Coastal Resilience Initiative, which aims to conduct a coastal and riparian stakeholder mapping in order to enhance evidence-based policy advocacy to strengthen the governance structures and tenure rights of communities who rely ...

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Open Development Thailand publishes a dashboard on “Essential Information on COVID-19 in Thailand."

16 December 2020

Open Development Thailand (ODT) recently published a dashboard on “Essential Information on COVID-19 in Thailand,” which collects useful information on the nationwide measures, capacity of health services and medical workforces, hotline contact, educational videos, and infection cases over time. Access to the page>> ...

Open Development Thailand publishes new pages on COVID-19 Impact on Thai Labor Market and its Dashboard

12 October 2020

Open Development Thailand (ODT) recently published a new topic page on “COVID-19 Impact on Thai Labour Market,” which shows that the lockdown measure and other COVID-19 measures significantly affected jobs and workers in Q2/2020. The data dashboard will provide you insights to understand vulnerable informal ...

Open Development Thailand publishes a new topic page on "COVID-19 in Thailand"

21 May 2020

Open Development Thailand (ODT) recently published a new topic page on “COVID-19 in Thailand,” which shows the impacts from and measures of the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand. Like other countries, the COVID-19 has economic, social and environmental impacts. You will learn the key measures implemented ...

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