The Bank of Thailand (BoT) yesterday decided to keep its policy interest rate, which has come into effect since early April last year, unchanged at 1.25 percent.

The central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) during its meeting yesterday still saw several risk factors which could hamper the continuation of global economic recovery despite the country’s economy has improved satisfactorily since the last quarter of last year.
Paiboon Kittisrikangwan, the central bank’s assistant governor, on behalf of the MPC’s secretary, said although the global economic outlook has improved and some countries have begun …

Thailand’s national planning agency yesterday announced that the country’s economy grew 5.8 percent in the last quarter of last year, compared with the same period of 2008, after a prolonged contraction during three previous quarters.

According to Dr. Ampon Kittiampon, secretary-general of the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB), the overall economy for the entire 2009 however still contracted 2.3 percent as a result from the contraction of 7.1, 4.9 and 2.7 percent in the first three quarters of the year, when compared with the corresponding periods in 2008.
The NESDB, …

Thailand’s Finance Ministry has forecasted that the country’s economy is likely to contract by three percent for the entire year in 2009 despite a growth of 3-4 percent expected in the fourth quarter.

According to the ministry’s spokesman Ekniti Nitithanprapas, the Thai economy is forecasted to contract between 3.5 and 4.0 percent in the third quarter of this year, when compared with that of the same period last year, and is expected to expand 3-4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2009.
Dr. Ekniti, who is also the director of Macroeconomic Policy …

Thailand’s economy has recovered in the second quarter of this year from a recession during the first quarter, with a positive quarterly growth expected in the last quarter, according to the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB).
Dr.Ampon Kittiampon, secretary-general of the state planning agency NESDB, yesterday said the gross domestic product (GDP) in the April-June quarter contracted by 4.9 percent when compared with the corresponding period last year after it had fallen by 7.1 percent in the first quarter.
During the second quarter, Dr.Ampon said, the country’s seasonally adjusted GDP …

Here is the speech by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva at the opening of the Thailand Competitiveness Conference 2009, entitled “Thailand Competitiveness: Potential and Placement in the World Arena”, held yesterday at Four Seasons Hotel in Bangkok.
 
Your Excellency Alongkorn Polabutr, Deputy Minister of Commerce,
Khun Dusit Nantanakorn, Chairman of the Board of Trade of Thailand,
Prof. (Stephane) Garelli and Ms. (Suzanne) Rosselet, Directorate, IMD’s World Competitiveness Center,
Distinguished Participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
 
(On Thailand As Is - Rankings by the Institute for Management Development, the World Economic Forum and the World Bank)
It is a great …

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday said Thailand is unlikely to encounter an economic deflation, due to the government’s plan to inject 800 billion baht into the country’s economy through its economic stimulus programmes.
Abhisit said he believes that after the government invests such a huge amount of 800- billion-baht budget through various stimulus programmes, domestic consumer prices would be supported as the funds could generate more employment and money would circulate in the system.
Therefore, the premier said, the economic deflation will not occur, adding that the government has opted to borrow …