Jakarta (VNA) – The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) has called for the adoption of the ASEAN Quick Response (QR) Code by all ASEAN countries at the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (BAC) meeting. The transactions carried out via ASEAN QR Code will use local currencies, KADIN Chaiman Arsjad Rasjid said after chairing the ASEAN-BAC meeting in Magelang district, Central Java of Indonesia, on March 22. He said that if a transaction is conducted in Indonesia, it will use the rupiah. Likewise, if it is conducted in Thailand, it will use the Thai baht, and so on, he explained. The QR code adoption will also reduce the cost of transactions, thus it can be the key for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and bigger business players in ASEAN to collaborate, he said. The ASEAN QR Code is one of the comprehensive legacy programs promoted by KADIN as a solution to strengthen digital transformation in ASEAN, which is one of the five ASEAN-BAC priority … [Read more...] about Indonesia hastens ASEAN’s adoption of regional QR Code
Thai baht to singapore dollar
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
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
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
Thailand’s automobile production up 6.39% in Feb
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
Vietnamese women extradited after 8-year evasion of international wanted notice
A Vietnamese woman has been extradited from Indonesia by Interpol for an investigation into a fraud case dating back to 2015, local police said on Wednesday. Nguyen Thi Anh Nga, a 36-year-old from Dong Thap Province in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta region, has been wanted internationally since 2015 after fraudulently appropriating over VND3 billion (US$127,591) from various individuals. Nga then fled Vietnam to work in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Cambodia. Police in Indonesia arrested Nga on March 7. After discussing with their Indonesian counterparts, Interpol Vietnam brought Nga to Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City and handed her over to Dong Thap police officers for an investigation into the case. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A Vietnamese woman has been extradited from Indonesia by Interpol for an investigation into a fraud case dating back to 2015, local police said on Wednesday. … [Read more...] about Vietnamese women extradited after 8-year evasion of international wanted notice
Vietnamese boxer outplays Spanish competitor to advance to world championship semifinals
Vietnamese boxer Nguyen Thi Tam trounced Spanish rival Laura Fuertes Fernandez 5-0 in the women’s 50kg quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals of the 2023 IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in India on Wednesday. From the beginning of Wednesday’s match, Tam showed her dominance over Fernandez. Tam did not allow her opponent to approach while launching single and continuous attacks. With abundant physical strength and good stature, Tam confused the European No. 9 and took the lead in the showdown. In the first two rounds, Tam scored with straight punches and accurate hooks into Fernandez’s face, abdomen, and ribs to claim the absolute victory. In the third round, Fernandez tried to regain the balance but ended up being squeezed out by the Vietnamese boxer. At one point, Fernandez even failed to keep her composure and had an unsportsmanlike conduct against Tam, for which she was given a warning. In the end, Tam won 5-0 with the absolute points of 30 in all five … [Read more...] about Vietnamese boxer outplays Spanish competitor to advance to world championship semifinals