Car production plant in Chon Buri province of Thailand. (Photo: bangkokpost.com) Bangkok (VNA) - Automobile production in Thailand rose 6.39% in February from a year earlier to 165,612 units, as a shortage of microchips eased and export increased, the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) reported. Spokesperson for FTI’s automotive industry division Surapong Paisitpattanapong said export climbed 11.42% in February from a year earlier, after January’s 24.28% rise. Domestic sales, however, dropped 3.94% in February from a year earlier, after January’s 5.58% fall, due to an unexpected sharp decrease in truck sales, he said. In January, automobile production rose 4.02% year-on-year. Thailand is a regional vehicle production and export base for some of the world’s top carmakers, including Toyota and Honda./. VNA … [Read more...] about Thailand’s automobile production up 6.39% in Feb
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Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand beef up cooperation
Deputy for Coordination of International Economic Cooperation of the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs Edi Prio Pambudi (left) during the Strategic Planning Meeting IMT-GT in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 21, 2023. (Photo: ANTARA) Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesian Deputy for Coordination of International Economic Cooperation of the Coordinating Economic Affairs Ministry, Edi Prio Pambudi highlighted that the Indonesia - Malaysia - Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT) cooperation should be strengthened to generate broader benefits for each country. Speaking at the IMT-GT Strategic Planning Meeting, Pambudi said IMT-GT cooperation needs to take into account risks and opportunities from global dynamics and megatrends to realise the IMT-GT Vision 2036. In addition, the development of cooperation between academics and business actors was discussed. Pambudi drew attention to several important issues to be considered in the future, including boosting connectivity to … [Read more...] about Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand beef up cooperation
Thailand: Phuket, Isan listed among World’s Greatest Places for 2023
Sunset at Phuket’s famous Windmill Viewpoint.(Photo: The Phuket News) Bangkok (NNT/VNA) - Phuket and the northeastern provinces of Thailand (Isan) have been included on the TIME magazine’s list of “The World’s Greatest Places of 2023”. According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the list, which showcases 50 extraordinary destinations to explore, describes Phuket as one of Thailand ’s most visited places and is known for its famed beaches. Phuket has increased its family appeal with the grand opening of Carnival Magic, a culturally-focused theme park last September. The island province is also drawing more visitors to its uncrowded countryside with an impressive landscape of modern luxury lodges. The TIME list mentions Isan for the region’s diverse and delicious culinary options. It also mentions that those who venture to this off-the-beaten-path region of Thailand teeming with rice fields are rewarded with national parks, temple ruins, and Michelin-recommended … [Read more...] about Thailand: Phuket, Isan listed among World’s Greatest Places for 2023
Thailand improves rank on World Happiness Report 2023
The report, released on March 20 to coincide with the International Day of Happiness, is published by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network. (Photo: pattayamail.com/) Bangkok (NNT/VNA) - Thailand has moved up one spot to rank 60th on the World Happiness Report 2023 , while Finland has maintained its position as the happiest country in the world for the sixth year in a row. The report evaluates 137 countries based on various criteria, including social support, income, expectations of a healthy life, and perceptions of corruption, to assess happiness levels. The report, released on March 20 to coincide with the International Day of Happiness, is published by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Participants from each country rated their level of happiness on a scale of zero to ten, with zero indicating complete dissatisfaction and ten representing complete satisfaction. Thailand scored 5.843, making it the third happiest country in Southeast Asia, … [Read more...] about Thailand improves rank on World Happiness Report 2023
Thailand arrests phone scam gang targeting elderly Americans
Bangkok (VNA) – Thai police on March 22 announced that they had arrested 20 suspects, including five Indians and 15 Thais, for alleged involvement in a phone scam network preying on elderly Americans. According to local police, the scammers were arrested in Chon Buri, Rayong, Roi Et and Surat Thani on March 21, adding that all five of the Indian suspects were men and 11 of the 15 Thais detained were women. The police also seized 162 bank account books, 61 mobile phones, two cars, one pistol, land title deeds and other assets. The investigation dates back to last year, when US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Secret Service agents informed Thai police that Indian cyber criminals and Thai nationals had set up a phone scam network to trick elderly people in US into transferring money to them. The fraudsters, pretending to be US law-enforcement officials, preyed on the fear of their victims by telling them that they were being investigated for alleged money … [Read more...] about Thailand arrests phone scam gang targeting elderly Americans
Thailand tightens fruit quality management
Illustrative image (Photo: Bangkokpost) Bangkok (VNA) - The Thai Ministry of Commerce’s Internal Trade Department (ITD) is implementing 22 measures to manage fruit supply for this year's harvest, with production estimated to grow by 3% to 6.78 million tonnes. Director-general of the department Wattanasak Sur-iam said the higher output is attributed to cooler weather late last year and early this year. The department remains concerned about the quality of fruit and held discussions with the Agriculture Department about introducing stringent measures to control the quality of exports, especially durian, he said. The ITD also wants to register at least 120,000 orchards for Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) standards this year. Wattanasak said the 22 measures are focused on four areas, covering plans for production, domestic marketing, foreign marketing, and legal issues. The Ministry of Commerce and the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry also plan to coordinate with … [Read more...] about Thailand tightens fruit quality management
Election campaigns may create 3.5 billion USD for Thai economy
A street in Bangkok capital of Thailand. (Photo: AP) Bangkok (VNA) - Election campaigns are forecast to generate up to 120 billion THB (3.5 billion USD) for the economy of Thailand, said the Centre for Economic and Business Forecasting at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce . The centre’s director Thanawat Polvichai said political parties are going into full gear with campaigning for votes after the election date was set for May 14 by the Election Commission. The 120 billion THB generated while campaigning will push Thailand ’s GDP up by 4% in the second quarter, he said, adding that the Thai economy is expected to grow by 3-4% this year. However, rising production costs and inflation can affect the business sector’s profits and liquidity though the economy is believed to pick up in the second half of this year, according to Thanawat./. VNA … [Read more...] about Election campaigns may create 3.5 billion USD for Thai economy
Vietnam calls for stronger ASEAN – E.U. relations
Vietnamese Ambassador to Belgium Nguyen Van Thao, who is also head of Vietnam's Delegation to the E.U., made the statement at a workshop to review the relations between ASEAN and E.U. over the last four decades in Brussels on March 21. Speaking on behalf of ASEAN at the discussion on trade cooperation, Thao highlighted the great potential for the two sides to further step up trade cooperation, which he said is a driver of the ASEAN - E.U. relations. According to the diplomat, the two sides are now the third largest trade partners of each other. They have mutual complementarity in key export products, and at the same time have the needs and policies to diversify supply chains. The E.U. is also the second biggest foreign investor in ASEAN with more than 380 billion EUR invested in ASEAN as of 2021. He proposed that the two sides should set up a free trade agreement (FTA) on the basis of bilateral FTAs that the E.U. has signed with ASEAN member nations, including Vietnam. The … [Read more...] about Vietnam calls for stronger ASEAN – E.U. relations
Phu Quoc, ideal tourist destination with special visa exemption
Superior visa policy Foreigners can enter Vietnam by air or sea, stay in a transit area and transfer to Phu Quoc to get this visa exemption. This is the only place that meets the conditions required for visa waiver: It has an international airport, has a definite geographical boundary, is separate from the mainland and so having foreigners does not jeopardize Vietnam's defense, security, social order, or safety. Hon Thom, the world's longest cable car, is on the south of Phu Quoc. Photo by Anh Duong Transportation to the place is convenient by air, sea and land, and visitors can enter and exit through three international border gates: Phu Quoc International Airport Border Gate, Ha Tien International Border Gate and Duong Dong Port International Border Gate in Phu Quoc. There are many daily flights to Phu Quoc from India, Korea, Thailand, and Malaysia... Tourists can easily travel by taxi and bus. People who have bought tickets to Sun World Phu Quoc will get … [Read more...] about Phu Quoc, ideal tourist destination with special visa exemption
Foreign experts urge Vietnam to relax visa policies, improve tourism services
Martin Koerner, chairman of EuroCham Vietnam's Tourism and Hospitality Sector Committee, told at a tourism conference Wednesday that Vietnam's visa policy remains complicated and restrictive compared to regional neighbors such as Thailand and Singapore. Thailand already extended its tourist visas to a maximum stay of 45 days for over 50 countries while Vietnam currently exempts only citizens of 25 countries from requiring visas with maximum stays of 15 days. EuroCham has proposed the government expand visa exemptions for more countries, including all European countries, the United States, Australia and New Zealand and prolong the duration of visa-free stays to 30 days. "However, we have seen slow progress in achieving this," Koerner said. "The country needs to implement a tourism development strategy quickly to compete with its regional competitors." Nuno F. Ribeiro, a Portuguese lecturer in hospitality and tourism at RMIT University, also proposed Vietnam waive visas for more … [Read more...] about Foreign experts urge Vietnam to relax visa policies, improve tourism services