News
South-East Asia’s biggest river is drying up
Fish writhe frantically in the shallow pool, as their schoolmates stranded on the exposed sandbar breathe their last. It is November, the end of the monsoon season, yet the water in the Mekong river is perilously low. On this stretch, in north-eastern Thailand, the bank ...
Tourism goal raises eyebrows
The Tourism and Sports Ministry is aiming high for 100 million domestic trips within this year, while the private sector plays down this target, saying it will be difficult to meet.“This new domestic target is reachable because local travel is likely to resume first, particularly ...
Bangkok Post Reporter
Blockchain eyed for palm oil
The Energy Ministry has ordered the Energy Business Department to discuss with Thai oil traders the prospect of using blockchain to facilitate palm oil trade.A blockchain system would cut out the middleman between palm planters and palm oil mills, in theory allowing planters to sell ...
Lamonphet Apisitniran
Social security members demand contribution refunds to survive
Many subscribers to the social security gathered outside the Social Security Office (SSO) in Bangkok on Friday (May 15) demanding that the agency refund their pension contributions so they can use the money to pull through the Covid-19 crisis.The protesters put their feelings down on ...
The Nation Reporter
Second phase of lockdown relaxation to start from May 17
The government has approved the second phase of the easing of lockdown measures from May 17 to help lift the economy, Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesman of the government’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said on Friday (May 15).The Cabinet has approved the proposal by the ...
The Nation Reporter
Q3 rebound eyed from relief boost
Thai GDP in the first and second quarters of 2020 faces a sharp year-on-year decline due to the global economic slowdown, widespread drought and coronavirus impact.But prospects are expected to improve in the third quarter onwards, boosted by the 1-trillion-baht plan for cash handouts to ...
Bangkok Post Reporter
Northeast residents oppose 6th Laos dam project
Thai residents living in eight northeastern provinces along the Mekong River are opposed to Laos’ plans to construct a new hydropower dam on the Mekong River over fears it will threaten the river system, where seasonal flooding supports fisheries and regional agriculture.The protest comes as ...
Bangkok Post Reporter
Data protection law delay to go before cabinet
A royal decree drafted to postpone the enforcement of most sections in the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) by a year will be tabled before the cabinet for approval next week, says the Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry.The PDPA was published in the Royal ...
Suchit Leesa-Nguansuk
NCB: Lenders' NPL ratio rises to 8.1%
The National Credit Bureau’s 104 members saw an upsurge in non-performing loan (NPL) ratio to 8.1% at the end of March from 6.8% a year earlier as headwinds such as the coronavirus outbreak took hold, says the NCB.Bad loans for mortgages, auto and personal loans ...
Somruedi Banchongduang
SME debt scheme hampers loan access
The troubled debt restructuring (TDR) scheme offered to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) was affected by subpar economic growth, a stumbling block for many firms in accessing additional lending as well as the central bank’s sponsored soft loans, says the head of the National Credit ...
Somruedi Banchongduang
