Prayut lifts state of emergency : Protesters won’t drop lawsuit against PM. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday lifted the state of serious emergency and other related orders in Bangkok, one week after they were imposed to tackle anti-government protests. Bangkok Post
Job woes add to swelling debt load : Falling income hits repayment ability. A rising under-employment rate driven by the Covid-19 crisis will further aggravate the country’s swelling household debt and borrowers’ debtservicing struggles, says the Bank of Thailand chief. Bangkok Post
Shipment contraction thins again : Exports are showing signs of recovery, with September’s reading continuing the narrowing trend of recent months. The Commerce Ministry reported yesterday that customs-cleared exports fell 3.9% year-on-year in September, fetching $19.62 billion, while imports declined 9.1% to $17.39 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $2.23 billion. Bangkok Post
China STVs exempt from ban : The Chinese government’s ban on outbound tour groups will not affect those who apply for a special tourism visa (STV), says a key official. China decided to prolong the suspension of outbound and inbound tours this winter to prevent the spread of Covid-19 after authorities imposed travel restrictions since January. Bangkok Post
SFIs urged to assist ailing borrowers : Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith has ordered specialised financial institutions (SFIs) to assist borrowers after the first phase of debt relief measures ended yesterday. The minister is also vying to adjust soft loan conditions to assist struggling small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Bangkok Post
GSB setting aside B10bn for repurchase loan market : Government Savings Bank (GSB) is set to allocate 10 billion baht worth of capital to expand into the repurchase loan market to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with liquidity shortages. Bangkok Post
Cabinet okays reopening to tourists, yacht crews : The cabinet yesterday approved in principle a guideline to reopen the country for foreign tourists and crews of foreign yachts under a special tourist visa (STV) scheme, which was recently approved by the cabinet to restart the pandemic-battered tourism industry. Bangkok Post
10m register for purchase co-payment : The half-half co-payment scheme has registered 10 million people, with total accumulative spending tallied at 1.3 billion baht. Bangkok Post
Airlines: Tourism authority governor urges government to revise airfare subsidy terms under domestic travel stimulus (We travel together) to help upcountry hotels & resorts as travelers reluctant to apply for 40% refund aft paid full fare ticket.
Thailand’s initial public offerings (IPO) remain active despite the pandemic and the country’s poor economy. Year-to-date, the IPO market capitalisation amounted to 477 billion baht, a record. However, the offering size of 149 billion baht is still below the top mark set in 2013 when the value topped 197 billion. (Bangkok Post)
