Economy

People play with water pistols during the Songkran water festival in Bangkok in April 2019. This year Thailand has decided to resume the celebrations for the first time in three years, but in limited form, with water-splashing in public areas not allowed.
Coronavirus

Thailand plans watered-down Songkran celebrations for April

Government aims to class COVID as 'endemic' by July, nightclubs kept shut for now

18 March 2022
The Philippines opened its borders to fully vaccinated travelers from over 150 countries in February.
Economy

Philippines, Indonesia to revamp tourism sector amid reopening

Southeast Asia pushes for a more resilient industry to deal with future crises

17 March 2022
Commuters in Mumbai: India is likely to see pay increases average 9.2% this year, according to one survey.
Economy

From India to Indonesia, wages to rise faster alongside inflation

Studies find Asian employers ready to pay more after COVID pain

13 March 2022
A Singapore Airlines plane at the Singapore Airshow in February: The city-state this week announced a package worth 500 million Singapore dollars to support its aviation sector.
Coronavirus

Singapore weighs air hub reopening as Malaysia charges ahead

City-state plows millions into restoring aviation but remains cautious about border

11 March 2022
Thailand will keep its retail diesel price cap at 30 baht per liter as it tries to soften the blow of higher costs on consumers. 
Economy

Thailand keeps diesel price cap despite crude oil surge

Government softens blow on consumers from fuel crisis caused by Russia invasion

9 March 2022
Women dressed in traditional costumes welcome visitors in Lamphun, Thailand on Nov. 20, 2021.
Economy

Thailand eases entry rules despite omicron surge

Move aimed at boosting vital tourism sector, but Ukraine crisis clouds future

28 February 2022
Containers are processed at the port of Bangkok. The Thai economy expanded in 2021 after a contraction the previous year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Economy

Thai economy grew 1.6% in 2021 despite COVID-19 headwind

Strong export demand helped rally but failed to make up for big dip in 2020

21 February 2022
The government of Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha is expected to complete by next year a feasibility study on a "land bridge" across the Kra Isthmus to connect ports on either side of the Malay Peninsula. (Nikkei montage/Reuters/Getty Images)
Comment

Thai 'land bridge' project caught in Sino-U.S. tug of war

Will Japan join the fray to help contain China's advance in Indian Ocean?

20 February 2022
Thailand's State Oil Fund, which helps hold down retail prices, has run out of money and at the end of January, had a 14 billion baht ($429.4 million) deficit. 
Economy

Rising oil prices add to Thai government's public debt burden

Ukraine tension may require state to borrow $3bn for oil subsidies

14 February 2022
With Japan among the popular destinations for Thai tourists, Harajuku Thailand has drawn residents unable to travel abroad due to the pandemic. (Photo by Marimi Kishimoto)
Travel & Leisure

Thai tourist spot offers touch of Harajuku close to home

Japanese-themed attractions fill gap as COVID blocks travel to popular destination

11 February 2022
The Bank of Thailand has kept interest rates steady as it considers boosting economic growth to be more important than targeting inflation for now. 
Economy

Thai central bank prioritizes growth over taming inflation for now

Bank of Thailand keeps base rate at 0.5%, hopes for tourism and exports to help

9 February 2022
There is plenty of interest in cryptocurrencies in Thailand -- a cafe in the northeast's Nakhon Ratchasima has dozens of screens to view movements and latest prices.
Cryptocurrencies

Thailand follows ASEAN peers applying cryptocurrency controls

Big corporates, trading platforms restricted as BoT limits crypto payments

3 February 2022
Thailand is hoping that its beach resorts, such as Cha-Am in Phetchaburi province pictured here, will pick up trade after it relaxes border controls.
Economy

Thailand resumes quarantine-free tourism

Country hopes to boost tourism-reliant economy after omicron proves less fatal

1 February 2022
Elderly people in Asia are turning to tech in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. (Nikkei montage/AP/Reuters/Ken Kobayashi)
Economy

'Digital seniors' emerge in Asia amid pandemic, Euromonitor says

Research indicates one in 10 elderly Asians has a VR headset

23 January 2022
From February, Thailand's quarantine-free entry program is open to all vaccinated visitors, a move that will likely boost its tourist-dependent economy.
Coronavirus

Thailand to resume no-quarantine entry from February

Low omicron risk gives nation hope to restart tourism via vaccinated visitors

20 January 2022
A worker in March 2021 at one of the first farms to be given permission by the Thai government to grow marijuana and sell products to medical facilities. The country looks set to loosen its cannabis rules again.
Economy

Thailand takes step toward decriminalizing marijuana

Looser rules could help key tourism sector rebuild after pandemic

20 January 2022
Relations between Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and Chinese President Xi Jinping are under the spotlight as the success of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative rests on Thai sector. (Source photos by Xinhua/Kyodo, Getty Images and Akira Kodaka) 
Economy

China's pan-Asian railway sputters to a halt in Thailand

Bangkok's indifference to Beijing's plan creates gap in Belt and Road network

16 January 2022
A butcher carries pieces of pork meat at a Bangkok market as Thai authorities said on Tuesday that African swine fever had been detected in a surface swab sample collected at a slaughterhouse.
Politics

Thailand detects first official case of African swine fever

Some residents suspect a cover-up; supply disruption set to keep pork price elevated

11 January 2022
A health worker sprays disinfectant on a travel agency in Bangkok.
Coronavirus

Thailand extends suspension of quarantine-free entry

Government also will ban alcohol at eateries after 9 p.m. due to COVID uptick

7 January 2022
The Bank of Thailand's latest growth projection comes the same day that the government rolled back quarantine-free tourism, which is sure to affect the economy.
Economy

Thai central bank revises down GDP forecast for 2022

Bank of Thailand flags omicron as key risk to be monitored

22 December 2021
Thailand is considering legalizing casino gambling, despite public concerns that it may lead to family problems, indebtedness and crime. 
Economy

Thailand sizes up odds of casinos boosting tourism

Imitating Singapore's success could violate Buddhist precepts

22 December 2021
Arrivals at Thailand's primary gateway, Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport, are met by staff dressed in full protective suits with sanitizing equipment.
Coronavirus

Omicron makes Thailand cancel quarantine-free inbound travel

Decision dims tourism recovery hopes in ASEAN's second largest economy

21 December 2021
A file photo of a port in Bangkok. Thailand detected its first omicron case in December but it has not suspended its border reopening policy for tourists, prompting economists to revise upward the kingdom's economic growth forecast.
Economy

Philippines, Thailand poised for faster growth in 2022: survey

Economists upgrade ASEAN GDP forecast but lockdowns weigh on Malaysia

20 December 2021
Workers cut chicken in a food factory in Thailand.
Economy

Thai food exports fall short due to migrant labor shortage

Businesses lack half-million workers, many from Myanmar, pushed out amid COVID

14 December 2021
Southeast Asian central banks are forecasting subdued inflation. (Source photos by AP and Akira Kodaka)
Economy

Subdued inflation in ASEAN countries augurs central bank inaction

Indonesia and Thailand experience weak price rises amid slow recovery from COVID

9 December 2021