government
- Covid-19 News
What could happen after April 30? Thailand’s new ‘normal’
What could happen after April 30? Will it be the same in all provinces? Will the government prioritise public health, or a return to business? At this stage no final decisions are made. This is a collection of the latest information from various sources which provide a framework for what is likely to be the Thai government’s response to the…
- Covid-19 News
Doctors advise 5-step plan to re-opening Thailand
14 Thai doctors have sent a message to Thailand’s Government alerting them to the dangers of a premature easing of travel restrictions and closures around the country. Meanwhile pressure is mounting from people and hawkish businesses to reopen the schools, open the shop doors, restaurants and shopping centres. The group of doctors submitted a 5-point proposal. The government says it…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand imports chemicals from China to commence local production of antivirals
“We need to make sure we have at least 1 million pills of Favipiravir in store.” The Managing Director of Thailand’s Government Pharmaceutical Organisation Dr. Withoon Danwiboon says, “we have made contact with China to buy ‘Favipiravir’ (an antiviral drug) to start the production of the drugs locally as one of the treatments of Covid-19 virus in the country.” “We…
- Covid-19 News
PM Prayut seeks ideas and resources from Thailand’s top 20 richest people
Last night in a special 10 minute broadcast on national TV PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced that he will write an open letter to Thailand’s top 20 richest people to seek their assistance and help for the government and Thai citizens in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. He explained that he’s doing it to gather their input and ideas to…
- Covid-19 News
Migrant workers in Thailand can now stay until November 30
Yesterday the Thai government officially announced a blanket extension for the country’s migrant labourers. They will now be permitted to stay until November 30 this year and will be exempted from any sort of overstay penalty. Government Spokeswoman Narumon Pinyosinwat says that the government has backed the Ministry of Labour’s review of the Cabinet resolution on March 24 on the…
- Covid-19 News
Up to 10 million Thais out of work in next three months – CCSA
As many as 10 million Thais could be out of work in the next few months if the current Covid-19 epidemic drags on. Supant Mongkolsuthee, the president of the Federation of Thai IndustriesGovernment, says the Thai government needs to provide timely support for businesses. As head of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s working committee, tasked with overseeing small and…
- Covid-19 News
600 billion baht will be used to aid Thai farmers
Thailand’s farmers and other citizens who have been negatively impacted by the Covid-19 situation will be getting help, as the government has designated a 600 billion baht budget to help Thai people in need. The urgent budget of 600 billion baht is intended to help employers and freelancers who have been affected by the virus crisis, to support the public…
- Covid-19 News
UK suffers largest one day increase in Covid-19
The United Kingdom has recorded 708 new deaths from coronavirus today, the largest one day rise since the outbreak began. Figures released yesterday by the Department of Health and Social Care, suggest a total of 4,313 people have now died in the UK. In a press briefing yesterday, UK cabinet minister Michael Gove opened by saying “Our thoughts today are…
- Covid-19 News
Government says they won’t allow Thai Airways to collapse
“All rumours about a lay-off aren’t true. News involving Thai Airways that didn’t come from the Finance Ministry should be considered false.” Thailand’s deputy PM Somkid Jatusripitak says the government won’t allow its struggling national airline Thai Airways to collapse. He dismissed rumours of impending lay-offs due to the virus outbreak. Thai Airways has been a financial basket-case for the…
- Covid-19 News
Nearly 20 million try to register, crashing Thai government’s payout website
Four major Thai banks closed their branches this weekend, partly in anticipation of a surge of applicants for the governments recently announce 5000 baht handout scheme for “informal” workers affected by the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. According to Krungthai Bank, nearly 20 million people tried to log in and register on the government’s payout website, which opened last night, significantly higher…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand’s airlines line up for 16 billion baht lifeline
Thai airlines are mostly grounded, basically due to lack of traffic from government restrictions to stop people from travelling. But they still have staff and regulations that require them to be paid. So 7 Thai airlines are seeking a 16 billion baht lifeline from the Thai Finance Ministry so they can keep employees whist their planes remain on the ground.…
- Covid-19 News
Hundreds of Thai hotels seek aid to protect employees
Will the Thai Social Security Office compensate hundreds of hotels pursuing emergency assistance? Hotels are doing it hard as tourism has come to a virtual halt inside Thailand and hotels are either closing or scaling back their operations substantially. Yesterday, The Thai Hotel Associations sent a letter to the Thai Chamber of Commerce notifying them that hundreds of hotels are…
- Covid-19 News
Covid-19 coronavirus questions and answers
Everything you wanted to know which we answer to the best of our current knowledge…. 1. How does the virus/infection spread? Mostly spread through contact with an infected person through coughing, sneezing, nasal secretion and saliva. It is understood that the virus can be airborne for at least a short time. So just being in the same vicinity as an…
- Covid-19 News
Your democracy is killing you and how China suppressed Covid-19
OPINION On January 25, 2020 the Chinese government started locking down around 930 million citizens over the following few weeks, starting with the city centres of Hubei province, the probable ground zero of the outbreak, and spreading outwards. Most of these Chinese citizens are still quarantined in their homes. About two weeks later, in the second week of February, the…
- Economy News
Thai government planning more economic stimulus packages
Economists have urged the government to expand the fiscal deficit to up to 600 billion baht, while more stimulus packages are hopefully on course to counter the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak in Thailand. Secretary to the Council of Economic Ministers, Kobsak Pootrakool, says that the economic ministers would consider extra packages as relief for certain sectors, that were hit…
- Covid-19 News
Europe is the new epicentre of Covid-19 coronavirus – WHO
The World Health Organisation has now put Europe as its current “epicentre” for the global coronavirus pandemic, warning that it was impossible to know when the pandemic would peak. In the past 24 hours there has been a swift rise in new cases and deaths, compared to past months, primarily in Europe, as well as Iran and the US. WHO…
- Politics News
Thai minister Thammanat Prompao tells parliament he “never pled guilty” or “served time” over heroin drug charges
The Thai deputy agriculture minister Thammanat Prompao has re-ignited the controversy over his drug convictions in Australia by continuing to insist he “never pled guilty or served jail time for drug charges in Australia”. His claims are contrary to the evidence provided by the Australian courts. The ministers’s denial follows the disbanded Future Forward Party publishing an Australian court ruling on…
- Politics News
UPDATE: Future Future dissolved, MPs stripped of parliamentary status
UPDATE: The Constitutional Court has dissolved Thailand’s Future Forward political Party after finding it guilty of breaking the laws pertaining to loans, specifically from its leader Thanathorn Jungroongruangkit. The court has also ordered MPs of the party’s executive stripped of their parliamentary status and banned from politics for 10 years. Party leader Thanathorn and party supporters gathered at the headquarters in…
- Northern Thailand News
Government officials wear black today, Korat residents grieve
Thailand’s cabinet ministers and officials at Government House will be wearing black clothing today as the Kingdom wakes to the first full work day since the Korat massacre – a mass shooting that has left at least 30 people dead, including the gunman. Government officials will officially mourn the innocent people killed in the north-eastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima and…
- Covid-19 News
Thai Health Minister apologises for his comments that ‘farang’ should be kicked out
UPDATE: The Thai Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, has had a bad case of foot-in-mouth disease since this morning, after being panned in social media for his comments at a government PR gathering to promote the wearing of face-masks following the coronavirus outbreak in China. The minister has apologised for his earlier comments about ‘farang’ , when he said that they…
- Transport News
Deputy transport minister says Thai Airways must increase revenue, cut costs
Thai Airways International is in the process of slashing costs and restructuring. Deputy Transport Minister Thaworn Senneam discussed Thailand’s open sky policy and stressed the importance of increasing revenue and reducing expenditure to turn the airline around and make it sustainable. Thaworn, along with the assistant secretary at the Ministry of Transport and other officials visited Thai Airways’ HQ to…
- Environment News
Sugar industry asks the government to subsidise harvesting machinery
Sugar factories are campaigning to cut and harvest raw sugarcane, instead of boring it first, for processing. The conglomerates are recommending that the government offer funding at low interest rates to farmers to buy harvesters as the prices of the equipment are quite high (6-12 million baht). They are also urging the government to purchase electricity from biomass power plants…
- Politics News
Opposition will ask NACC to probe Thai PM on three counts
Seven of Thailand’s opposition parties are demanding that the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) investigate Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha for allegedly breaching the law on three issues. They claim… • The Prime Minister failed to state the sources of the Government’s revenue in its policy statement presented to parliament last year. • The process of selection of senators was illegal due…
- Thailand News
Activists propose amendments to same-sex marriage bill in Thailand
Activists from Togetherness for Equality and Action are broadening their push for an amendment to the Civil and Commercial Code that would to allow people to legally marry, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. Ekkawat Pimsawan, from the group, has submitted a proposal to amend the Code to Mukda Pongsombat, chairwoman of the House Standing Committee on children, youths, women,…
- Politics News
Thai PM will sit down with rebel members of coalition
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is again being forced to sit for chats with leaders of the 20 coalition parties to patch up differences ahead of a no-confidence debate being brought against the fragile government. The no-confidence debate is likely to happen early next month. Given the close numbers between the multi-party government and the opposition, a full quorum for the…
- Politics News
Thai pro-democracy body calls on UN to investigate ‘military government in disguise’
PHOTOS: Facebook: Jaran Ditapichai/Kritsada Akkhapracha Jaran Ditapichai, the president of the Association of Thai Democrats without Borders’ has written to the UN yesterday asking the international body to investigate the government of Thai PM General Prayut Chan-o-cha. The Nation reports that Jaran personally dropped the submission at a letterbox near the UN headquarters in New York and recorded the action with…
- Politics News
Proposal: New law that will allow six cannabis plants per Thai household
PHOTO: Campaign posters before the last election for the Bhumjaithai Party who continue to push further legalisation of cannabis The Bhumjaithai Party, a party in Thailand’s coalition government, is now proposing a law that would allow Thais to grow a limited amount of cannabis at home. This takes laws, passed less than a year ago that legalised the drug for…
- Politics News
Seri Ruam leader says he told Sydney Morning Herald to investigate Thammanat Prompao
PHOTO: Seri Ruam Thai party leader Gen Seripisut Temiyavet “The Seri Ruam Thai party leader said that he was not afraid that he might be sued for providing information to the Australian media.” Seri Ruam Thai party leader Gen Seripisut Temiyavet claims that he was the source who tipped off the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper in Australia to investigate the…
- Politics News
Coalition considers demoting clumsy deputy agriculture minister, Thammanat Prompow
Key members of Palang Pracharath are now discussing the future of deputy agriculture minister Thammanat Prompow’s as ‘fixer’ or coordinator of the coalition’s minor parties. The coalition’s smaller parties, some of them just single MPs, are in uproar following the controversial minister’s “monkey keeper” weekend remarks, potentially causing new rifts in the shaky coalition government. At the weekend the minister…
- Politics News
Opposition says Thammanat should not have been appointed minister
PHOTO: Bangkok Post “It is old stuff from the opposing political group. I know all of them. Don’t pay any attention to them. I do not give them any importance.” A government opposition spokesman, Adisorn Piangkate, says he would not have appointed Captain Thammanat Prompow as deputy agriculture minister if he were the PM due to the minister’s “tainted record”. He…
