The Bank of Thailand (BoT) yesterday decided to raise its 15-month-long key policy rate of 1.25 percent by 0.25 percent, due to the country’s economic recovery and the central bank’s confidence in continuous economic growth.
In April last year, the BoT’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) had cut the one-day repurchase rate from 1.50 to 1.25 percent when the global financial crisis, which hit its peak in September and October 2008, still affected Thai economy significantly through the contraction of the country’s exports.
The 1.25-percent policy rate was then put on hold during …

The newly formed New Politics Party (NPSP) yesterday picked Sondhi Limthongkul, a core leader of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), as its first leader during the general meeting in Bangkok.

Media mogul Sondhi, the founder of Manager Media Group, received a total of 1,741 votes in the non-contested election to lead the NPSP which has been formed in early June this year by PAD leaders and members.
According to the party’s bylaws, Sondhi later hand-picked Somsak Kosaisuk as his deputy, Suriyasai Katasila as the party’s secretary-general and ten other persons, including …