Thailand needs another 30 billion USD to aid virus-hit economy
Thailand needs a further 1 trillion THB (29.9 billion USD) to ensure jobs and incomes for residents, the country’s central bank governor said on August 16, as the Southeast Asian nation struggles with its most severe COVID-19 outbreak to date.
An empty shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand as restrictions are imposed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 disease. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)
Bangkok (VNA) - Thailand needs a further 1 trillion THB (29.9 billionUSD) to ensure jobs and incomes for residents, the country’s central bankgovernor said on August 16, as the Southeast Asian nation struggles with its mostsevere COVID-19 outbreak to date.
Thailand’s has seen a spike in cases and deaths, prompting toughercontainment measures to be extended this month and expanded to areas whichaccount for around 80 percent of gross domestic product.
The projected 1 trillion THB in fiscal support, or 7 percent of GDP is reasonable given the problems the economy is facing, Bank of Thailand (BOT) Governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput told a news conference.
The problems were worse than the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis, hesaid, adding the government’s fiscal position is strong and is able to borrow moreto help the economy.
The outbreak created a huge “income hole” in the Thai economy, withincome losses are expected at 2.6 trillion THB - 1.8 trillion THB in 2020-2021and 800 billion THB in 2022, Sethaput said.
The number of jobless people is expected at 3.4 million at the end of 2021, up from3 million in the second quarter, he said.
The central bank maintained its 0.7 percent GDP growth outlook thisyear despite a better-than-expected second quarter, he said.
The BOT will ensure the baht will not impede theeconomy, Sethaput said, as it had depreciated by 10 percent this year, making itAsia’s worst performing currency./.
Thailand's biggest coal mining company Banpu has invested 430 million USD to acquire a 100 percent stake in a large-scale gas-fired power plant in the US, hurrying to move away from its main business, which has a large environmental impact, to a green business.
Thailand on August 16 downgraded its economic growth forecast for 2021 as the country is battling its worst COVID-19 wave, which has brought record numbers of new infections and deaths.
Japan's Shizuoka Gas Co. will engage in supplying industrial natural gas in Thailand next year by investing in a local firm and developing new customers in the Southeast Asian country.
In his article, Oscar Sanchez Serra highlighted President Ho Chi Minh’s founding of the Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper on June 21, 1925, which marked the birth of Vietnam's revolutionary press rooted in a bold and far-sighted vision.
Several ASEAN meetings are scheduled to take place in Port Dickson this September, including the Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) for ASEAN Plus Three (APT), the East Asia Summit (EAS), the 15th ASEAN Maritime Forum, and the 13th Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum.
Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has ordered the urgent implementation of a national policy to crack down on all forms of call centre scams, online fraud, and illegal gambling, which are now considered threats to national security.
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto and EAEU Trade Minister Andrey Slepnev jointly declared the conclusion of FTA talks on the sidelines of the 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2025), according to the statement.
The article stressed that throughout his revolutionary career, the founder of modern Vietnam consistently regarded the revolutionary press as a vital part of the Vietnamese Party’s and nation’s revolutionary struggle.
Pichai said the trade talks with the US are important and need to move forward professionally, without regard for any political changes in Thailand, believing that Thailand has clear principles, guidelines and procedures in place.
The tax adjustment supports the Malaysian Government’s strategy to reduce reliance on foreign food supply chains and to assist domestic farmers, a finance official has said.
The proposed venue is located in the Chatuchak area of Bangkok, featuring eight public sites, including Krungthep Aphiwat Central Terminal and several nearby parks.
Connectivity is expected to improve further with the completion of the fifth Laos–Thailand Friendship Bridge by the end of 2025, facilitating logistics and agricultural exports to Vietnam, Thailand, and China.
Two naval gunboats intercepted a fishing vessel carrying 1.5 tonnes of methamphetamine hydrochloride off the coast of the main island of Luzon just before dawn, in a joint operation with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
In the today context of socio-economic development and growth, the professionalism of Vietnam’s revolutionary journalists continues to rise, guided by exemplary mastery of new information technologies and the modernisation of their founding principles to preserve the enduring values of revolutionary journalism.
Thai Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Vuttikrai Leewiraphan Thailand's formal proposal will be substantial enough for the US to consider further detailed negotiations. He hoped for a tariff rate not exceeding 10% and suggested that the US might extend the negotiation period if an agreement is not reached by the July 8 deadline.
Organised by the Ministry of Culture and the Association of Thai Silk & Culture Promotions, the event honors Her Majesty the Queen on her 47th birthday anniversary and promotes Thai craftsmanship on an international stage.
Prensa Latina's recent article on Vietnam’s assurance of smooth and effective transition to a leaner structure highlighted Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s latest directions on implementing 28 resolutions regarding the decentralisation and delegation of authority.
The lab focuses on four key thematic areas: energy transition and green innovation, sustainable agriculture, circular economy and sustainable cities, and nature-based solutions and biodiversity.
The key content of the document titled "Accelerating Innovative Strategies: Addressing the OOSCY Challenges" will be refined further in a seminar preceding the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur this October.
This follows Telegram’s serious failure to address the content that has been repeatedly reported to them, despite various efforts of negotiation and cooperation made by MCMC, it said.
An empty shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand as restrictions are imposed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 disease. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA) 
