Round up of Thailand news with AJW

Today is May 1, 2012 - It is a holiday in Thailand

Wage hike theory flawed.

•Comment: The government's minimum wage policy could have a drastic impact on the economy and workers alike, Thailand Development Research Institute economists have warned.

Yongyuth Chalamwong, a labour expert at the TDRI, said hiking minimum wages to 300 baht nationwide from January will be "a massive aftershock" as the wage rise affects businesses operating across the country.

Those workers will face a loss of purchasing power and income if their wages are frozen and not adjusted further to cope with inflation, he said.

The government has said that once daily minimum wages are raised to 300 baht nationwide, no further increase will be made until after the launch of the Asean Economic Community in 2015. The researchers estimate that real wages, after adjusting for inflation, will actually be just 293 baht per day for workers in Bangkok and 289 baht for Phuket.

The Labor Ministry will monitor the cost of living over the next three months to determine if any additional adjustment is needed to the minimum daily wage. From April 1, workers on Phuket and in Bangkok plus 5 other provinces earn at least 300 baht a day but prices have also jumped. Up to 130,000 small and medium sized enterprises could be forced out of business, according to a survey.
[Bkk Post & Nation]

TODAY

Temp 38°C
€uro = 40.70 THB
US$ = 30.73 THB
UK£ = 49.88 THB
CHF = 33.88 THB
AUD = 32.01 THB

SET Index
1,229 (+1.38%)

TODAY'S WEATHER SUMMARY

38°C ☀☁
VERY HOT

A round up of Thailand's news:

[Bangkok Post]

•World: Suu Kyi backs down, to take oath tomorrow as UN chief calls for end to sanctions. Malaysians accuse police of brutality. US quiet on Chinese dissident.

•Bangkok: Corruption in the mortgage scheme is killing Thai rice industry. Thailand tells tablet makers to start shipping or cancel the contract.

•Household users of liquefied petroleum gas were told yesterday to prepare to pay more following the government's decision to move forward a plan to float prices to the fourth quarter.

•The Chinese company chosen to supply 1 million tablet computers to the Thai government has been given a week to sign the contract or lose the deal.

•The government's high benchmark prices under the rice mortgage scheme have resulted in widespread corruption by participating mills, potentially devastating Thailand's reputation as a quality rice exporter, industry executives say. Colluding rice mills are reportedly taking the cheaper Pathum Thani and Phitsanulok varieties and mixing them with more expensive Hom Mali rice stored on behalf of the government, then passing off the rice as 100% Hom Mali.

Other news:

•Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Monday he would soon return to Cuba for another round of radiation treatment in his ongoing battle with cancer, which resurfaced earlier this year.

•Manchester City seized control of the Premier League title on Monday after Vincent Kompany's first-half header powered them to a 1-0 win over bitter rivals Manchester United. United manager Sir Alex Ferguson accused Roberto Mancini of attempting to influence officials after a furious touchline bust-up with the Manchester City boss. Ferguson and Mancini had to be separated during an explosive finger-jabbing confrontation in the 76th minute of a highly charged encounter at Eastlands which saw City take control of the title race with a 1-0 victory.

•Buddy hotel owner killed in high speed car crash. Thaifah Chayaworaprapa, 54, was found dead inside his crashed Porsche. Police are investigating the cause of the crash. They said a speed dial on the Porsche after the crash in Laksi district on the Don Muang tollway showed the car was driving at 280km/h. Three cars were involved and two men, including Thaifah and a son of a former minister, were killed and another was seriously injured.

•Malaysia will introduce its first minimum wage to benefit an estimated 3.2 million workers, joining neighbors Thailand and Vietnam in strengthening support for low-income households as elections approach in SE Asia's third-largest economy.
[Bloomberg]

•Airlines: No-frills airline AirAsia, which is now flying to Sydney, has taken a different approach to offering fliers a seat with no passenger next to them. The airline "empty seat option" is available. Passengers enter their flight details into the website and pay a "nominal" empty seat price.
[Sydney MH]

•The kidnapping of a Dutch boy in Malaysia has triggered a media campaign by his parents and the Prime Minister appealing for his safe return, as police continue their investigation. Twelve-year-old Nayati Moodliar was snatched by two men.
[afp]

•Bali Animal Health Officials have again recorded a new outbreak of Bird Flu among Bali's poultry populations.
[Bali Discovery]

•Phuket: A false rumour that Phuket island was going to sink, drastically diminished crowds at the weekend's Phuket Pride march. Organisors said,''We hoped we'd get 20,000 watching the parade, but it was more like 7000-10,000 because of the stupid rumour."
[Phuket Wan]

•Funny: If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you!