Headlines summary as of 15 February 2022

News

Sources : Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA)

Covid-19 related news/ Change regulation

• The government has set the new maximum lump sum payments for the treatment of Covid-19 patients with no or mild symptoms, which will take effect on 1 March. The payment rate are as follows;
  • The payment was set at 6,000 baht per case for treatment lasting 1-6 days while  12,000 baht for a treatment period of seven days and longer.
  • If meals were excluded, payment would be 4,000 and 8,000 baht respectively.
  • he rates would apply to green-coded Covid-19 patients who do home or  community isolation, or are admitted to hospitels and hospitals, including field hospitals Bangkokpost  Krungthepturakij
• Bang Sue Covid-vaccine center kicked off the first day for children aged 5 years old or above to receive Pfizer vaccine.  ManagerOnline  InnNews
• The Ministry of Public Heath stated that  the new Omicron variant,  bloc, BA.2 has covered  Thailand 18.5 % . The Ministry is currently reviewing whether the symptom will be as serious as the Omicron Mathichon
• Domestic travel sentiment remains weak amid a five-digit surge in daily cases and higher commodity prices, despite incentives like the We Travel Together hotel subsidy scheme and local events aimed at generating more trips

Politics

• Today ,the cabinet is set to hold a meeting that could look into the contentious issue of the ‘extension of the Green line’ that saw 7 ministers under the Bhumjai Thai party boycott the Cabinet meeting last week.
• The boycott by Bhumjai Thai party last week triggered the domino effect of news that has seen the political pundits calling the start of the end of the 2014 coup leader – Prayut Chan-o-cha’s government
• Bhumjai Thai party had said that they did not agree with the planned extension of the ‘Green line’ to BTS Group Holdings Plc (BTS), and therefore they boycotted the Cabinet meeting.
• Anutin Charnvirakul, leader of the coalition’s Bhumjai Thai Party, has pledged the party’s continued support for the Prayut administration, emphasizing he will do his best to maintain the government stability Bangkokpost
• Former Prime Minister, Yingluck Shinawatra announced that within this month she will start to come out on ‘Facebook Live’ and remembers how people loved her and offered her roses during the Valentines while she was in Thailand and with the people. Read her status here

Economic News:

Akara Mine

• Some 70 representatives from the Civic Group for Reform of Resources and Gold dressed in traditional Thai warrior costume presented the ‘Gold Mineral and Mining Control Draft Act’ to the parliament’s Anti-Corruption Committee.  Group members urged for the draft act to be quickly considered by the parliament and swiftly enforced as a law.  The Group agreed with PM Prayut’s closure of Akara Mine as it was done in the best interest of the people, which also prevented large amounts of gold from being mined and exported outside the country.  The draft act stipulated that gold is a national asset, for which the mining activities must be done by the government and the gold treated as national asset to ensure the country’s economic stability.  Source:  INN News  MCOT

Others

• Ministry of Commerce (MoC) plans to convene a meeting with stakeholders to review Thailand’s negotiation framework for ASEAN+1 in February-March.  ASEAN+1 was enforced since 2009 and needed to be modernised to enable Thailand to effectively participate in FTA upgrade negotiations and join newer, more ambitious FTAs in the future.  The ASEAN+1 upgrade will include topics of current interests, such as those that are being discussed as part of AANZFTA upgrade negotiations including consumer protection, MSMEs, sustainable trade and development.  Once the ASEAN + 1 negotiation framework is finalised, MoC will present it for the cabinet’s consideration.  Sources:  Matichon  Thansettakij
• Finance Ministry (MoF) is expected to propose cutting the excise tax on diesel to the cabinet in a move to ease the impact on the cost of transport.  Excise Department collects diesel excise tax of 5.99 baht per litre — totalling 12 billion Baht monthly or 144 billion Baht annually.  The proposed cut will decrease diesel tax collection to 3 Baht per litre and will incur a loss of 70 billion Baht in state revenue annually.  MoF is particularly concerned about the impact of the tax cut on state revenue, as the diesel excise tax is one of the main contributors to the state coffer. Source:  Bangkok Post Krungthep Turakij newspaper, 15 February 2022
• Domestic travel sentiment remains weak amid a 10,000+ surge in COVID-19 daily cases and higher commodity prices, despite incentives like the We Travel Together hotel subsidy scheme and local events, according to the Thai Hotels Association’s northern chapter.  Response to the new phase of the scheme was significantly weaker compared to the previous phases, with only 300,000 room nights utilised nationwide during the first week of the campaign.  Source: Bangkok Post
• Krungsri Group’s subsidiary Krungsri Finnovate has announced a joint venture investment plan with Japan’s MUFG Innovation Partners (MUIP) for 2022-23, aiming to establish 3 new unicorns in the portfolio.  Source:  Bangkok Post