National
Thailand’s officials advised to focus on tackling poverty
Former Thailand’s prime minister Anand Panyarachun yesterday suggested that the feuding sides in the political conflict start the process of settling their differences by focusing on the problem of poverty.
Former prime minister Anand Panyarachun yesterday suggested that the feuding sides in the political conflict start the process of settling their differences by focusing on the problem of poverty.
See the original post:
Anand: Focus on tackling poverty
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s government has responded to the crisis with vigorous fiscal pump priming, including direct cash injections into the grass roots economy. With public debt at 23% of GDP, international reserves at US$110 billion, and 2008 balanced budget, the government arguably has plenty of fiscal room to maneuver.
In January the Cabinet approved a 117 billion baht supplementary budget, which included various measures aimed at buoying the economy, including cash 2,000 baht handouts to nine million civil servants and workers nationwide, job creation programs and community investment funds.
Former prime minister Anand Panyarachun: focus on tackling poverty.
Higher agricultural prices drove up farm incomes during the first half of 2008, but fell sharply in the second half in line with declining global commodity prices. As the local economy slows and unemployment rates rise, it’s not clear that the rural sector will with falling food prices have the same absorptive capacity it did in the wake of the Asian financial crisis.
The same protest group occupied Government House for nearly three months beginning last August, effectively crippling the workings of two different Thaksin-affiliated governments. A modicum of stability has returned with the formation of Abhisit’s coalition government, which is believed to have military backing and has prioritized restoring foreign confidence.
Investor confidence has not yet fully recovered from the military appointed administration’s surprise move in December 2006 to impose and then retract capital controls on foreign equity, bond and currency transactions. A nationalistic motion the following year to amend the Foreign Business Act spooked Japanese investors, many of whom have their Thailand operations structured in a way legislators aimed to ban.
Indeed grass roots competition for government resources is intensifying. For instance the Farmers Rehabilitation and Development Fund is seeking 17.2 billion baht from the cabinet to buy back debts owned by over 62,000 farmers and rehabilitation and occupational training programs. During the 1997-98 financial crisis, a large number of unemployed factory and service sector workers returned to the rural countryside to eke out a subsistence living working in their relations’ fields. Agriculture currently accounts for 11% of GDP.
National
Thai cabinet allows illegal migrant workers to sign up for 2-year work permit
Migrant workers from Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar, who are in Thailand illegally, will be able to obtain a 2-year work permit under a special arrangement offered to help contain the spread of COVID-19.

BANGKOK (NNT) – Cabinet has approved a special arrangement for illegal migrant workers from neighboring countries, allowing them to register for 2-year legal work status in Thailand, following the case of a new COVID-19 outbreak among the migrant workers’ community.
(more…)National
Thailand blocks online gambling websites
In the past week, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society has asked all internet service providers and mobile carriers to block access to online gambling websites.
National
Covid-19: Thailand reports 10 weeks without local transmission
According to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), Thailand has recorded zero new locally-contracted cases for 10 weeks.
-
Economics1 week ago
96% of Foreign Investors still confident in Thailand says BOI
-
Investment1 week ago
Thailand BOI new measures to boost post-Covid-19 investment
-
Companies1 week ago
Thai Firm to produce 200 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine
-
Investment4 days ago
Thailand Saw $1.7 billion Applications in Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) Investments in 2020, BOI Says