News
Thailand, Laos target $8 bn in trade
Thailand and Laos are set to boost bilateral trade to US$8 billion (Bt250 billion) in the next three years, driven mainly by closer cooperation under Asean integration and the setting up of special economic zones. According to the Thai Commerce Ministry, Thai-Laotian bilateral trade rose by 14.32 ...
Investors pessimistic about Thai market outlook
Investors expect Thailand’s capital market will decline to bearish levels over the next three months in line with poor sentiment in the economy. The latest investment sentiment survey for the three months ending 31 Oct is at 57.27 points, a 41.7% fall from last month’s level of 98.28 ...
Thai trips expected to rise as visa-free deal with Myanmar comes into effect
Visa-free travel to Thailand for Myanmar passport-holders has come into effect, sparking a spike in visitor numbers, travel agents say. Following an agreement reached last month, Myanmar passport holders can now visit Bangkok or Phuket for a two-week trip without queuing for a visa at the Thai ...
Gaming firm gaining momentum with slot machines
US-listed gaming operator Entertaining Gaming Asia (EGA) has recovered from last year’s losses and recorded a profit during the second quarter of 2015. Along with sales of its gaming products, including poker chips and gaming plaques, the company attributed much of the increase to a boost ...
Flood-hit Myanmar farmers fear loan losses
As floodwaters recede from parts of Myanmar’s Magwe Region, farmers are facing new problems – paying back loans they took out before the growing season. Such loans from the state-run Myanmar Agricultural Development Bank are usually repaid from the proceeds of the crop. But in ...
Krabi EIA on hold for clean tech study
The tripartite panel considering the fate of the coal-fired power plant proposed for Krabi must reach a conclusion before the project’s environment and health impact assessment is considered, says the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (Onep). Raweewan Bhuridej, Onep’s acting secretary-general, yesterday ...
Rubber oversupply causes price slump in Laos
As rubber plantations mature and the trees are ready to be tapped, Lao growers stand to face a substantial loss amid a slump in the rubber price on the world market. A respected Lao researcher says poor assessment of the market prior to planting the trees ...
Myanmar flooding affects one million
Nearly one million people have now been affected by widespread flooding across Myanmar since June, officials say. The government says up to 100 people have died and 1.2 million acres of rice fields have been destroyed. Keep reading ...
Myanmar and the politics of disaster
Myanmar has endured more than its fair share of human-made disasters. Almost everywhere you look there is evidence of the long-term consequences of official mismanagement, civil disorder and economic malaise. Those who suffered through the difficult decades of military rule remember the suffocation that comes with ...
Vietnamese companies favor Laos, US for overseas expansion
Vietnamese companies pledged US$155.4 million for their investment projects in 22 countries and territories around the world in the first half of this year, the Foreign Investment Agency recently reported. The Ministry of Planning and Investment licensed 47 new projects. Keep reading ...
