Economy

Students take a class at the Thai Niyom Songkhrao School on Feb. 1: Thailand's education system has long prioritized rote learning and conformity over critical thinking.
Opinion

Thailand's problems begin in the classroom

Anachronistic education system produces poor productivity and restive students

2 December 2021
Hundreds of trucks surrounded Thailand's energy ministry building in mid-November, demanding cheaper diesel. (Photo by Marimi Kishimoto)
Economy

Soaring fuel prices drag on Thai economy, spark protest

Southeast Asian nation fighting to shake off impact of COVID-19 pandemic

26 November 2021
The Grand Palace in Bangkok on Nov. 2. Thailand earlier this month reopened to vaccinated foreign visitors without quarantine requirements, in a bid to restart its important tourism sector.
Economy

Thai Q3 unemployment at 16-year high as COVID squeezes economy

Jobless rate jumped to 2.25% in the quarter, meaning 870,000 workers without work

22 November 2021
Containers are unloaded from ships at Bangkok Port on Oct. 15. The country's GDP has shrunk again as the delta strain of COVID-19 spreads. 
Economy

Thailand's GDP slides back into contraction with 0.3% dip in Q3

Outlook for 2022 looks rosier with anticipated tourist inflow

15 November 2021
The coronavirus pandemic has added further fuel to Southeast Asia's rapidly growing digital economy. (Source photo by AP)
Business trends

ASEAN's digital economy projected to hit $1tn by 2030

Google-led report says retail and finance to fuel growth as internet use surges

10 November 2021
Thailand started welcoming quarantine-free international tourists on Monday.
1 November 2021
A mixologist creates gin based cocktails at a bar in Bangkok, Thailand in January 2017.
Economy

Bangkok to lift ban on alcohol consumption in restaurants on Nov. 1

Kingdom also to scrap night curfew, hurrying to revive economy with tourists

29 October 2021
Police in Vietnam inspect travel documents of commuters during the first day of a lockdown in Hanoi on Sept. 6. The country's economy has been hammered by COVID curbs.
Coronavirus

Asian economies take $1.7tn hit from COVID in 2020

Tourism and other service sectors suffered most

26 October 2021
An arrival gate at  Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok prepares for an inspection ahead of the country's Nov. 1 reopening.
Coronavirus

Thailand to reopen for quarantine-free entry from 46 countries

Bigger-than-expected list needed to stimulate tourism, PM says

22 October 2021
Bangkok's skyline: Thailand maintains a curfew from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., and restaurants are not permitted to serve alcohol.
Coronavirus

Thailand to lift quarantine for vaccinated visitors in November

Reopening starts with 10 nations, Prayuth says, likely including U.S. and China

12 October 2021
A plane carrying foreign tourists arrives in Phuket after the island opened to overseas visitors on July 1.
Economy

Thailand's proposed $15 tax on foreign tourists stirs debate

Industry warns added fee could drive away visitors and hinder recovery

11 October 2021
A port in Bangkok in 2016. Thailand's growth prospect was the lowest in the latest survey.
Economy

Thailand and Indonesia growth dips below forecasts: survey

U.S. monetary policy and Chinese economy pose uncertainties

4 October 2021
A health worker on Sept. 24 administers an AstraZeneca shot to a patient at Bang Sue Grand Station in Bangkok, which is a little more than a month away from welcoming back international travelers.
Coronavirus

Thailand to let more businesses open and shorten curfew hours

Kingdom begins to work the rust out of its long-dormant tourist infrastructure

27 September 2021
The ADB confirms Myanmar's industrial output and employment have fallen since an inconclusive military takeover in February.
Economy

ASEAN's delta battle mows nearly 1% off ADB growth forecast

Myanmar in line to contract 18.4% in 2021 as military rule and COVID take toll

22 September 2021
People outside a shopping mall in Jakarta in August. The Indonesian government that month entered into a debt-financing scheme with the central bank to keep the economy afloat.
Economy

ASEAN finances eroded by pandemic, stoking risk of currency slump

Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia resort to drastic measures to fund COVID relief

22 September 2021
A Toyota plant in Japan's Aichi Prefecture. The automaker has announced a 3% cut in production for this fiscal year.
Automobiles

Japan automakers slash production plans by over 1 million units

Resurgent pandemic in Southeast Asia wreaks havoc on chip supplies

12 September 2021
The southern Thai resort island of Phuket welcomed 29,654 vaccinated travelers with no quarantine over a period of 10 weeks after reopening on July 1.
Economy

Thai tourism reopening hits roadblock due to slow vaccine rollout

October or November? Government sends mixed messages on resuming travel to Bangkok

10 September 2021
The resort city of Pattaya. Chinese are betting on Thai properties ahead of recovery from the pandemic, while prices are low.
Property

Chinese bet on properties in Thailand ahead of COVID recovery

Hotels and land in Phuket and Pattaya at discounted prices lure investors

9 September 2021
Ranong Province is a candidate site for the proposed Thai land bridge. (Photo courtesy of Tourism Authority of Thailand)
Economy

Thailand pushes dream of 'land bridge' to boost economy

Backers say it would cut shipping time by 2 days, but project faces backlash

5 September 2021
A Thai prisoner cultivates fah talai jone. (Photo courtesy of Thailand's Ministry of Justice.)
Pharmaceuticals

Thai demand for medicinal herb surges as natural COVID treatment

Government grants fah talai jone stamp of approval in bid to boost rural support

2 September 2021
Among easing measures for September, Thailand plans to allow the reopening of restaurants and shopping malls, such as that in Siam Square, Bangkok. 
Coronavirus

Thailand to partially ease business lockdowns from September

Restaurants and shopping malls to reopen despite ongoing delta epidemic

27 August 2021
A couple pass a closed bar in Pattaya, Chonburi Province, on April 3. The reopening of the popular beach town will be delayed due to a low vaccination rate.
Economy

Thailand's slow tourism recovery keeps unemployment rate elevated

Pattaya, Chiangmai to postpone September reopening due to insufficient vaccines

25 August 2021
Chinese visitors flock to Thailand's Grand Palace in 2019. (Photo by Kosaku Mimura)
Coronavirus

Thailand residency visa program hit as COVID spooks Chinese

Social unrest and Beijing travel curbs weigh on kingdom's cash cow

23 August 2021
Business has stalled for Thailand's famous tuk-tuks.
Asia Insight

Thailand's COVID crisis exposes the reality of '2% unemployment'

Official figure masks increasing woes that could add to premier's headaches

17 August 2021
A view of the port of Bangkok: The global economic recovery was a welcome boost to Thailand’s exports in the April-June quarter. 
Economy

Thailand GDP expands 7.5% on year in Q2, but outlook is grim

COVID delta strain forces Prayuth government to lower forecast

16 August 2021