Business

Govt: Phuket Sandbox going well, marred by fake news Phuket deputy governor Piyapong Chuwong, right, and provincial health chief Dr Kusak Kukiatikoon, left. (Photo: Achadthaya Chuenniran) The Phuket Sandbox scheme aimed at revitalising the economy and tourism and is going well, with tourists continuing to arrive, but its success has been marred by "fake news" on social media of its imminent collapse, a government spokesman said. Thanakorn Wangboonkongchan, secretary to the Prime Minister's Office minister and spokesman for the Centre for Economic Situation Administration (CESA), said false reports were being disseminated on social media that Phuket had been ordered closed because Covid-19 had spread beyond control. Mr Thanakorn said this was not true. The Phuket Sandbox programme was...

In Mekong region, drug trade thrives Confiscated synthetic drugs, including 167 kilogrammes of ketamine as well as other popular recreational drugs, in this file photo from April 7. (Photo: Nutthawat Wicheanbut) An example of a resilient business model in hard times? Indeed, except that this describes how the synthetic drug industry has been expanding in East and Southeast Asia, home to the Mekong region which is the manufacturing and trafficking hub that supplies illicit drugs that reach not just the wider Asia but the globe. Referring to a report on the synthetic drug situation, Inshik Sim, drug programme analyst for Southeast Asia and the Pacific for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), said: "Covid-19 has had very, very limited impact and especially in the Mekong re...

South Africa calls up army reserves in bid to crush looting Reinforcements: Troops stand guard outside the Chris Hani shopping mall in Vosloorus on the outskirts of Johannesburg. JOHANNESBURG - South Africa mustered its army reserves on Thursday in a bid to quell looting that has stoked fears of shortages and dealt a crippling blow to its already battered economy. "All reserve members are to report for duty at first light tomorrow morning 15 July 2021 at their respective units," army chief Lieutenant-General Lawrence Mbatha said in orders issued overnight as the unrest entered its sixth day. Soldiers should "report ready with their necessary equipment," the defence ministry said in a statement. On Wednesday, the government said it would call out around 25,000 troops to tackle the emer...

Booming autos exports help plug gaping tourism hole Employees work at an assembly line in the Toyota manufacturing plant located in Chachoengsao. (Reuters file photo) As tourism-reliant Thailand struggles with a collapse in foreign visitors, the country's auto sector is picking up some of the slack with the value of car exports tipped to surge to a record this year as the global economy reopens. As tourism-reliant Thailand struggles with a collapse in foreign visitors, the country's auto sector is picking up some of the slack with the value of car exports tipped to surge to a record this year as the global economy reopens. The Southeast Asian nation is Asia's second-most popular tourist destination but its famous beaches, street markets and pagodas have been starved of business over th...