Credit Bureau for All

Recently, the government launched a new programme to eradicate underground debt, at the same time encouraging borrowers with underground debt to refinance their obligations. Would-be participants were invited to register at the Government Savings Bank from December 1st until 30th, 2009, at which time the Chief Control Department will filter the debt types and distribute each debtor to a government bank determined to be responsible for them. Six government banks will participate in the programme; the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC), the Government Saving Bank, the SME Bank, the Islamic Bank of Thailand, the Krung Thai Bank and the Government Housing Bank.

Maintaining the welfare of Thailand’s aged

Thailand’s senior citizenry will likely double in number by 2571 BE, as will the dependency rate of elders to working age citizens, so that society’s care burden for its elderly will fall on the nation’s working population sooner than before.

Thai - Brazilian cooperation can help Thailand’s economy

Brazil, a great South American nation is now known as a BRIC country, one of the four emerging economic super powers, and expected to become a powerful and influential country in the world. There is huge potential in Brazil for future prosperity as it is a large country having abundant resources and a large population of nearly 300 million in possession of advanced technology and a variety of available expertise. It is therefore time for Thailand to get to know and foster a strong relationship with Brazil.

Capital from China is coming to Thailand

In July 2009, after Thai and Chinese businessmen met for a large-scale meeting in Pattaya, the Minister of Industry estimated 53 business conclusions, with networking arrangements amounting to 211,000 million baht and 9 memorandums of understanding (MOU); most significantly between Saha Farms Co., Ltd and New Hope Group, with a 7,000 million baht chicken farming investment with Saha Farms Co., Ltd., increasing their production capacity in processed export chicken from 500,000 to 1,000,000 chickens per day.

Rice-pledging, price support or?

A rice farmers’ support programme has featured in Thai newspaper headlines for many days now, and has become a controversial issue. While the government plans shifting to a price support programme, farmer rice price demonstrators demand that the government maintain a rice-pledging programme, along with a quota increase.

Thai government bonds and their impact on the Thai economy

The Thai government has only recently issued its first lot of savings bonds worth Bt 80,000 million, aimed for sale to senior citizens, with a second lot aimed for sale to general savers. The bonds have a maturity period of five years with a yield rate of 3% in the first two years, 4% in the third year and 5% in the fourth and fifth years. The value of the third lot of bonds, destined for sale to institute buyers, has not yet been concluded, though Thailand’s finance minister has revealed its yield rate to be less than those of lots one and two.

The innovation of IPR protection

According to US Special Report 301, 2008, Thailand is still on the Priority Watch List (PWL). To justify this, the US government explains that Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) protection by the Thai government is still weak. This situation pushed the Ministry of Commerce to show their “integrity and effort” by having nearly 100 officers rush to block the entrance and exit of Patphong Road to suppress piracy commerce. This action culminated in a fight between officers and pirated goods merchants in Patphong Road.