Thailand morning news for July 20, 2020

Poll: vast majority fear second virus wave, support foreign arrival ban A recent opinion poll by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University, or Suan Dusit Poll, showed well over 90% of respondents fear a second wave of Covid-19 and want a complete ban on foreign arrivals in Thailand. —

 

Thousands Join Biggest Anti-Gov’t Rally Since Virus Lockdown Several thousand anti-government protesters rallied in Thailand’s capital on Saturday to call for a new constitution, new elections and an end to repressive laws.

 

— Khaosod English BoT eases Debt Clinic conditions for bad loans The Bank of Thailand has relaxed conditions for the Debt Clinic project to aid borrowers saddled with non-performing loans (NPLs) in response to expectations that retail distressed debt will continue increasing throughout the pandemic.

The Bank of Thailand has relaxed conditions for the Debt Clinic project to aid borrowers saddled with non-performing loans (NPLs) in response to expectations that retail distressed debt will continue increasing throughout the pandemic.

The central bank has adjusted two conditions of the Debt Clinic, its debt restructuring scheme for unsecured loans.

The bank extended the cut-off date from Jan 1 to July 1 to let unsecured bad-debt customers apply for the programme to restructure their NPLs, while offering new loans to borrowers who can pay off a minimum of 50% of overdue loans.

 

— Bangkok Post Soldier killed, 10 injured in Deep South back-to-back bombings Four civilians were among 10 people injured in a bombing in Pattani province, a day after a soldier died in a similar blast.

The bombings are the first to strike Thailand’s restive deep South on consecutive days since Malaysia’s Barisan Revolusi Nasional rebels declared a unilateral ceasefire in early April, although deadly shootings linked to the insurgents have occurred since then. The region is home to a decades-old separatist insurgency which has become a more bloody conflict than the situation on the Gaza Peninsula in the Middle East.

Thailand faces two-year recovery path to pre-pandemic levels Thailand’s economy could take at least two years to return to pre-pandemic output, said World Bank economist Arvind Nair yesterday.

Thailand’s economy is expected to be impacted severely by the COVID-19 pandemic, shrinking by at least 5 percent in 2020 and taking more than two years to return to pre-COVID-19 GDP output levels, according to the World Bank’s latest Thailand Economic Monitor.

An estimated 8.3 million workers will lose employment or income by the COVID-19 crisis, which has put many jobs, in particular those related to tourism and services, at risk.

— ThailandBusinessNews Bangkok residents face 20,000 baht fine if they fail to report visit to Rayong Anyone who lives in Bangkok and fails to report their presence at the hotel or mall where the infected Egyptian soldier stayed and visited last week could face a fine of 20,000 baht, according to the Deputy Governor of Bangkok, Sopon Pisutthiwong.

The Deputy Governor, who is also the Director of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s (BMA) Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said that family members who are aware of their relatives’ visits and do not report it could also face a fine.

— Sawadee Siam Prayut’s bad week to last a lot longer the pandemic.It has been a week the prime minister wants to forget.

It has been a week the prime minister wants to forget. Whatever Prayut Chan-o-cha thought the government had achieved in the fight against
COVID-19 was suddenly in jeopardy and the looming economic and political trouble has been compounded by the departure of his key
ministers overseeing the economy. The worse news is that the misery is set to linger beyond this week, or this month, or probably this year.

 

Source: Thailand morning news for July 20, 2020

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