Thai premier Abhisit Vejjajiva, right, is seen chairing the meeting of BOI held at the Government House last Monday. Sitting extreme left is BOI secretary Dr Atchaka Sribunruang.

The number of investment projects applying for Thai government promotion during the first five month of this year has increased 51 percent while the combined investment value gone up 25 percent to 208 billion baht.
According to Dr Atchaka Sibunruang, secretary-general of Thailand’s Board of Investment (BOI), a total of 725 projects, with the combined value of 208 billion baht, has during the …

Thailand’s Ministry of Finance yesterday announced the economic growth of the country for this year is expected to be within the range of 4-5 percent as earlier forecast since December last year.
Dr Naris Chaiyasoot, the director-general of the ministry’s Fiscal Policy Office (FPO), said although the office had revised its estimation for the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth for 2011, it believed the annual GDP would however grow 4-5 percent as targeted earlier, compared with the growth of 7.8 percent last year.
This year’s GDP growth, he said, might be …

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 Bank of Thailand (BoT) yesterday decided to keep the key interest rate unchanged at 1.25 percent during the fourth meeting of its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) this year.
BoT assistant governor Paiboon Kittisrikangwan, who announced the outcome of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting, disclosed that the decision to maintain the policy rate at 1.25 percent was mainly due to the uncertainties related to the impact of sovereign debt problems in Europe and the domestic political situation which are still the key risks to Thailand’s growth outlook.
According a statement of …

Thailand's GDP soars by better-than-expected 12 percent in Q1 ahead of recent riots in the capital city of Bangkok.
Thailand’s economy expanded by 12 percent, the highest in 15 years, during the first quarter of this year as a result from global economic recovery and the improvement in the country’s exports, tourism, and private investment and consumption collectively.
Dr. Ampon Kittiampon, secretary-general of the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB), on Monday said the higher-than-expected growth of 12 percent, compared with that of the same period last year, expanded from 5.9 …

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 …