News
- Updates related to COVID-19:
- Deputy spokesperson of the Office of the Attorney General warned people not to post fake news and information on April’s Fool Day, citing that Thailand is under the emergency decree. The violator might face a jail term for no more than 2 years and no more than 40,000 THB fine.–Thai News Agency
- Yesterday’s evening Kom Chad Leuk quoted a source saying that the Bangkok governor was discussing a full lock-down plan with related officials
- Yesterday, Thailand reported 136 new coronavirus cases, raising the total number of infections to 1,524. And reported that 3 more people have died on Monday from COVID-19, bringing the total number of deaths in the country to 10. The three deaths included a 54-year-old Thai man in the southern province of Yala who had recently returned from Malaysia, a 56-year-old Thai woman in Bangkok and a 48-year-old singer from Burirum who performed in different pubs in Bangkok.–all media outlet
- There was a report that the Ministry of Public Heath’s official working in the Government House contacted COVID-19.
- Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu said a total of 2.3 million surgical masks are currently being produced daily and distributed to healthcare personnel and other people needing them for their work. Of the total, 1.3 million masks are being distributed by the Public Health Ministry to healthcare personnel at state-run hospitals nationwide and the other 1 million by the Interior Ministry to the provinces.–all media outlet
- Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu asked TV operators to cancel boxing match broadcasts throughout April to curb the spread of Covid-19. Boxing organisers may argue that no spectators are allowed, but the virus can be transmitted among TV audiences too.–all media outlet
- Four border passes in the South have been reopened to allow Thai workers stranded in Malaysia to return, but authorities warned that those who fail to produce the required documents will be turned away.
- Army chief Apirat proposed the government to come up with a goal to cut public journeys by as much as 90% in order to “flatten the curve” of new coronavirus infections. Compared to March 21, the number of journeys made by the public one week later on Saturday had decreased by 46% after the government began implementing measures to encourage members of the public not to take unnecessary trips.
Politics
- Nation group reported that an agenda, which is on the weekly cabinet meeting, is the proposal by the Royal Thai Navy to sort out landing cruise to accompany the operation of submarine sorted from China.–Kom Chad Leuk, Nation Weekend
- Prachachart ran an article about the emergency decree which PM Prayuth has seized the power from other ministries under coalition parties to be his own. The article quoted Dr Panitarn Wattanayakorn who was the spokesperson in the Abhisit government’s Emergency Administrative Centre in 2010. Dr Panitarn said that normally PM has no need to chair the centre and saying that anyone who is urging PM Prayuth to chair the centre may have vicious intention.–https://www.prachachat.net/politics/news-440334
- Business Today ran an editorial dubbing the government’s emergency decree as an ‘ad hoc coup d’etat’ from coalition parties. The editorial viewed that the emergency decree is not necessary since the government has been effective in administrating all agencies. The editorial regards that the more prolonged the decree, the less faithful people will be towards democratic polity.– https://businesstoday.co/bt-news/30/03/2020/foreword-copy30/
Business
- At the weekly cabinet meeting today, the Labour Minister is aiming to propose that the Social Security Office will amend its regulations to give out social security member who loses income 5,000 per month. This amount of money is the same as the Finance Ministry’s economic stimulus package.–Kom Chad Leuk, Nation Weekend.
- Later today, the director of the budget office is going to inform the cabinet that the central budget set up at 96 billion THB is very close to being depleted and that the government should try to find other sources of budget; or else, there will be no more budget to pour into curbing the effects of COVID-19 and drought.–TNNThailand, Thai Rath, Krungthep Turakij
- Finance Minister said Thailand’s new stimulus package to alleviate the impact of the coronavirus crisis will be worth more than 500 billion baht ($15.3 billion). Earlier, the government has already introduced two packages, the first to inject 400 billion baht into the economy and the second, worth 117 billion baht, to include cash handouts. The minister said the new package will be larger than the two former package combined.–Reuters
- Thai Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA) held a survey of internet usage in Thailand. The survey showed that Gen Y (19-38) was the most active internet users for the sixth year in a row with an average of 10.36 hours a day spent on the internet, followed by Gen Z (below 19) at 10.35 hours, baby boomers (55-73) at 10 hours and Gen X (39-54) at 9.49 hours. And, The survey showed the LGBT segment spent an average of 11.20 hours per day on the internet, more than the 10.25 hours spent by males and 10.17 hours by females in the overall sample population.–Bangkok Post
