Thailand faces severe drought, rising unemployment
Thailand is struggling with an increasingly severe drought as the second-largest economy in Southeast Asia also continues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
A field in Bang Pla Ma, Thailand's Suphanburi province (Photo: AFP/VNA)
Bangkok (VNA) - Thailandis struggling with an increasingly severe drought as the second-largest economyin Southeast Asia also continues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
Up to 6,255 communes in 24 provinces across the country were reported to be affected by drought at an online meetinghosted by the Office of National Water Resources (ONWR) on April 13, with many facing seriouswater shortages. Dams and reservoirs are 49 percent full but only 26 percent oftheir water is usable.
Deputy Prime Minister PrawitWongsuwon was cited by local media as telling the meeting that the ONWR and relatedagencies must ensure clean water security for every household amid the prolongeddrought, in support of the Government’s call for people to remain at home in orderto curb the spread of COVID-19.
With drought predicted untilJuly, the Deputy PM ordered water wells be drilled to provide water for drought-affectedcommunities, while ensuring water resources for businesses and projects along the Eastern Economic Corridor.
The Royal IrrigationDepartment has identified and provided 15.3 billion cubic meters of water for drought-affectedareas, fulfilling 87 percent of the target set in its Drought ManagementPlan 2019-2020.
Thailand reported 34 more COVID-19 cases andone more fatality on April 14, bringing its total number of infections to 2,613,with fatalities rising to 41.
The number of confirmed new caseswas higher than the 28 recorded on April 13 but substantially lower than the 111reported on April 8. The country announced its highest daily number of infectionson March 22, of 188.
Seven million workers in Thailand have been made redundantto date. The figure may reach 10 million in the time to come if the pandemic continues,according to Kalin Sarasin, Chairman ofthe Thai Chamber of Commerce./.
The National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) of Thailand has been ordered to revise the 20-year national strategy (2018-2037) and the 12th national economic and social development plan (2017-2021) to catch up with changing social and economic trends caused by the global economic slowdown and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha plans to push ahead with a proposal to set up the ASEAN Response Fund (ARF) as part of a six-point declaration to be endorsed by the ten ASEAN leaders as they join hands to fight COVID-19, Bangkok Post reported.
The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES) of Thailand is turning the TOT Public Company’s phone booths into coronavirus test kiosks to ward off infection risks among health care workers and address the shortage of personal protective equipment.
In his article, Oscar Sanchez Serra highlighted President Ho Chi Minh’s founding of the Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper on June 21, 1925, which marked the birth of Vietnam's revolutionary press rooted in a bold and far-sighted vision.
Several ASEAN meetings are scheduled to take place in Port Dickson this September, including the Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) for ASEAN Plus Three (APT), the East Asia Summit (EAS), the 15th ASEAN Maritime Forum, and the 13th Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum.
Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has ordered the urgent implementation of a national policy to crack down on all forms of call centre scams, online fraud, and illegal gambling, which are now considered threats to national security.
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto and EAEU Trade Minister Andrey Slepnev jointly declared the conclusion of FTA talks on the sidelines of the 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2025), according to the statement.
The article stressed that throughout his revolutionary career, the founder of modern Vietnam consistently regarded the revolutionary press as a vital part of the Vietnamese Party’s and nation’s revolutionary struggle.
Pichai said the trade talks with the US are important and need to move forward professionally, without regard for any political changes in Thailand, believing that Thailand has clear principles, guidelines and procedures in place.
The tax adjustment supports the Malaysian Government’s strategy to reduce reliance on foreign food supply chains and to assist domestic farmers, a finance official has said.
The proposed venue is located in the Chatuchak area of Bangkok, featuring eight public sites, including Krungthep Aphiwat Central Terminal and several nearby parks.
Connectivity is expected to improve further with the completion of the fifth Laos–Thailand Friendship Bridge by the end of 2025, facilitating logistics and agricultural exports to Vietnam, Thailand, and China.
Two naval gunboats intercepted a fishing vessel carrying 1.5 tonnes of methamphetamine hydrochloride off the coast of the main island of Luzon just before dawn, in a joint operation with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
In the today context of socio-economic development and growth, the professionalism of Vietnam’s revolutionary journalists continues to rise, guided by exemplary mastery of new information technologies and the modernisation of their founding principles to preserve the enduring values of revolutionary journalism.
Thai Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Vuttikrai Leewiraphan Thailand's formal proposal will be substantial enough for the US to consider further detailed negotiations. He hoped for a tariff rate not exceeding 10% and suggested that the US might extend the negotiation period if an agreement is not reached by the July 8 deadline.
Organised by the Ministry of Culture and the Association of Thai Silk & Culture Promotions, the event honors Her Majesty the Queen on her 47th birthday anniversary and promotes Thai craftsmanship on an international stage.
Prensa Latina's recent article on Vietnam’s assurance of smooth and effective transition to a leaner structure highlighted Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s latest directions on implementing 28 resolutions regarding the decentralisation and delegation of authority.
The lab focuses on four key thematic areas: energy transition and green innovation, sustainable agriculture, circular economy and sustainable cities, and nature-based solutions and biodiversity.
The key content of the document titled "Accelerating Innovative Strategies: Addressing the OOSCY Challenges" will be refined further in a seminar preceding the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur this October.
This follows Telegram’s serious failure to address the content that has been repeatedly reported to them, despite various efforts of negotiation and cooperation made by MCMC, it said.
A field in Bang Pla Ma, Thailand's Suphanburi province (Photo: AFP/VNA) 
