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.

Thai economy hit by China’s zero-Covid policy, import restrictions: NESDC

8 May 2022

China’s zero-Covid policy, agricultural import restrictions, and shift away from global dependence will hit Thailand’s economy, warned a government agency on Sunday.The National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) said it was monitoring China closely after the country imposed Covid-19 lockdown measures on Shanghai and ...

 The Nation Reporter

Thailand raises age of legal immunity from 10 to 12 years old

8 May 2022

Thailand has raised the age of criminal responsibility to 12 years old unconditionally and to 15 years with conditions, under a legal amendment that took effect on Sunday.The 29th amendment to the Criminal Code replaces Section 73 and states: “Children under the age of 12 ...

 The Nation Reporter

Inflation rises in April

8 May 2022

Thailand’s inflation rate saw a continuous increase in April, due to the rising fuel prices driven by the armed conflict in Ukraine. The Thai government’s trade policy office now expects the average inflation rate for the entire year to fall within the expected 4-5% margin.Continue ...

Co-payment scheme to be extended

7 May 2022

The government has pledged to implement a fifth phase of the “Khon La Khrueng” co-payment subsidy scheme after Friday approving tourism stimulus packages to revitalise the embattled sector.According to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, the government wants to extend the scheme and is studying the possibility ...

 Bangkok Post Reporter

TAT keen on 20m goal

7 May 2022

Thai tourism remains on course to reach 20 million arrivals next year as the prime minister predicted, following the easing of travel rules on May 1, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).“The industry next year is poised to strengthen from this year, making ...

 Bangkok Post Reporter

PM orders govt to cut power use by 20% as fuel crisis deepens

7 May 2022

Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered all government agencies to reduce their energy usage by 20 per cent as Thailand struggles with the fuel price crisis.Prayut said the Energy Ministry had proposed several measures to reduce energy usage, government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said on ...

 The Nation Reporter

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Global Compact, United Nations to accelerate Thailand’s business leadership on climate action

7 October 2021

The annual Global Compact Network Thailand (GCNT) Forum 2021 will this year be held online on October 11, 2021.The Global Compact Network in Thailand, in partnership with the United Nations in Thailand is organizing the GCNT Forum, which brings together a broad range of delegates ...

Competition | ASEAN Youth Sustainable Development among ASEAN Countries

11 May 2021

We are looking for ASEAN Youth who are willing to promote SustainableDevelopment among ASEAN countriesBy joining ASEANDSE2021 Competition, you can design your own innovative and implementable solution based on data-driven insights to tackle ASEAN socio-economic issues in one or more of these SDGs:SDG 6 – ...

Webinar | Indigenous Peoples forests governance: a fundamental strategy in preserving forests and reducing carbon emissions

16 April 2021

April 22nd, 2021 | 8:00PM – 09:30PM (Bangkok Time)Join the Ford Foundation, the Land Portal Foundation, the Tenure Facility and the Thomson Reuters Foundation for a webinar on April 22nd, Earth Day. This webinar will provide an opportunity to review the report “Forest Governance by ...

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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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