PM: Thailand not broke from COVID-19 measures

Paphamon Arayasukawat

 

   

BANGKOK (NNT) - The start of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Thailand has sparked optimism of an economic recovery. The Prime Minister said today that the government has continued to put measures in place to help affected people, while reassuring the general public the country’s financial stability remains good.

 

Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha reassured the general public in a specific PM Podcast on Thailand’s financial stability, citing the latest evaluation from the Big Thee credit rating agencies S&P, Moody’s, and Fitch.

 

According to the Prime Minister the three companies still retain Thailand’s confidence rating due to high international reserves, and good fiscal discipline and stability.

 

By the end of 2020, Thailand’s treasury balance was recorded at 473 billion baht, which is 49.5% higher than the previous fiscal year. The national economy is expected to grow better following the start ofthe COVID-19 vaccine rollout, and economic measures introduced by the government.

 

On the vaccination campaign, the Prime Minister said the first 200,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine from China’s Sinovac Biotech have already been distributed to 13 first priority provinces.

 

Around 3,000 medical workers are among the first to receive this vaccine, with people who have already had their first jab reporting mild reactions.

 

The Prime Minister said the country has already pre-purchased 26 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine, with plans to purchase 35 million more COVID-19 vaccines, in order to vaccinate half the country’s population by the end of this year.

 

On the request from private firms to import COVID-19 vaccines, the Prime Minister said the government and the Ministry of Public Health will allow these imports, given that the vaccines have been approved for emergency usage by the Food and Drugs Administration.

 

So far, four importers have filed for approval of their vaccine with the FDA, namely AstraZeneca, the Government Pharmaceutical Organization, Janssen-Cilag, and Biogenetech.

 

The Prime Minister said more doses of Sinovac’s vaccine are arriving soon in the second and third deliveries, and will be distributed among more groups of people, especially in tourist areas, while stressing there is no preferential treatment for VIPs in the vaccination campaign.

 

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2021-03-08

 

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8 minutes ago, webfact said:

The Prime Minister said the country has already pre-purchased 26 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine, with plans to purchase 35 million more COVID-19 vaccines, in order to vaccinate half the country’s population by the end of this year.

 

That sounds great, a long term plan is in place and we should expect things to return to normal within the next 2 to 3 years.

 

PM: Thailand not broke from COVID-19 measures

A lot of the inhabitants of Thailand are broke from Covid-19 measures, but, surprisingly, the politicians running the country are most certainly not affected. 

"The Finance Ministry's Fiscal Policy Office (FPO) produces a series of reports on the Thai economy. In its October 2020 Fiscal Policy Report, the FPO reported that the Thai economy in the year 2020 is expected to grow at -7.7 percent.Jan 15, 2564 BE" (straight Google search on "thailand gdp growth 2020"

 

If that GDP growth stated above is a minus 7.7 percent and the treasury balance went up by 49.5% is there something wrong with this picture or is it just me? Perhaps they should schedule a pandemic to occur every year to help Thailand display even more stability to fiscal firms that really count - the Big Three credit rating agencies (pun not intended).

 

 

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The Prime Minister said today that the government has continued to put measures in place to help affected people, while reassuring the general public the country’s financial stability remains good.

'The Prime Minister' and 'reassuring the general public' must surely be an oxymoron.

Ahh! those fabled foreign currency reserves have popped up again and still in reserve if a crisis should ever come along other than the current cataclysmic financial disaster he presides and pontificates over ????

tell him he's dreamin 

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha reassured the general public.

What a joke, assured the general public, about what?

About him and his cronies are doing everything they possibly can to make sure they are ok, stuff the rest of the country.

The man doth protest too much, methinks.

My fellow countrymen I and my cabinet assure you we are not broke.  Unemployment has not occurred and our coffers  are filling uo fast because we have made excellent plans. The baht is strong and tourism is filling the nation with people visiting and enjoying your hospitality.  My pocketbook and my partners watch collection thank you.  Without you we could not have accomplished becoming so prosperous. Sums it up for me.  Great speech.

If he’s doing so damn good why can’t he help his people out there Starving

I  have  no idea  if  Thailand is  broke  but since  Iv'e  been here 2005   I see endless   large road construction/ Train construction projects.

3 hours ago, ukrules said:

 

That sounds great, a long term plan is in place and we should expect things to return to normal within the next 2 to 3 years.

 

much sooner if they do it, right this time next year Thailand will be back up to 80% and they should malefactor the vaccine so as to have supply's just sign contract  with company's

The tourism crisis is likely to continue until vaccine rolled out which according this report will not be before 2022

earliest

I'm sure the trough dwellers are unaffected! Where ARE those submarines................. for the people?

If the balance is at the level suggested then it really does go to show how little the Government cares for its population, many of whom have had minimal or no income for nearly 12 months.

 

And Prayut seems proud ot this! What a ****

3 hours ago, webfact said:

On the vaccination campaign, the Prime Minister said the first 200,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine from China’s Sinovac Biotech have already been distributed to 13 first priority provinces.

 

Around 3,000 medical workers are among the first to receive this vaccine, with people who have already had their first jab reporting mild reactions.

 

I notice the PM is holding out for the AZ vaccine and won't subject himself to the Chinese Sinovac Bootleg vaccine that has shown side effects on 3.2% of recipients!

Time to start converting some of those massive foreign reserves you claim to have into BAHT - the result will be dilution and the baht will tumble

 

I predicted this over a year ago and I am still 100% confident it will happen, why am I so confident ?

 

not hard to figure out

35 minutes ago, gunderhill said:

I  have  no idea  if  Thailand is  broke  but since  Iv'e  been here 2005   I see endless   large road construction/ Train construction projects.

Ahhh, you have observed the true cash cows of brown envelope and pocket stuffing projects that will go on in perpetuity, sort of like the Italian Mafias attachment to many contracts in the US, such as construction, garbage hauling, unloading/loading at the ports/docks, and of course for those politicians needing to obtain votes.

3 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

PM: Thailand not broke from COVID-19 measures

A lot of the inhabitants of Thailand are broke from Covid-19 measures, but, surprisingly, the politicians running the country are most certainly not affected. 

The Thai Government have done very little to help the population compared to other countries that have spent billions of $$$$$$ helping theirs!

24 minutes ago, madmitch said:

And Prayut seems proud ot this! What a ****

You can say it he is such a Wonderfull and caring man having returned true happiness to the people.  Hows that...????

The country may be financially stable, but the people aren't. They've been crushed by the stop to the tourism trade.

 

With that said, I agree with everything the government has done to keep all of us safe.

 

Let's just hope they don't buckle to pressure and let people in too soon without quarantine. 

 

We need to require vaccine passports of travelers and expats who travel back and forth. Once I get my shots I expect to be able to travel freely to and from the country. That's necessary! The same should go for travelers.

Oh and they need to seal up the borders. BUILD A WALL (and get Myanmar to pay for it, lol)...

About as broke as Elon Musk I imagine

 

51 minutes ago, Dialemco said:

The tourism crisis is likely to continue until vaccine rolled out which according this report will not be before 2022

earliest

The tourism industry will pick up from people in other countries being vaccinated 

3 minutes ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

Im so broke I cant afford to be poor! ????

My bank accounts broke, it wont take any more money, how can I fill it fuller....said the good PM.

4 hours ago, ukrules said:

 

That sounds great, a long term plan is in place and we should expect things to return to normal within the next 2 to 3 years.

 

But Pipats plan is to open up the country to international travelers by June... different hymn sheet perhaps?

Way to many businesses (taxpayers?) have already gone bankrupt and many more will come.

I guess that a bunch of unusually wealthy citizens have just been waiting to grab land and property for little money.

4 hours ago, webfact said:

PM: Thailand not broke from COVID-19 measures

No, it was already on the way before Covid when you and your cronies starting bleeding the coffers dry to fill your troughs.

4 hours ago, webfact said:

high international reserves

Probably the only high international reserves are the ones in Singapore belonging to you, watchman, and others at the trough.

1 hour ago, gunderhill said:

I  have  no idea  if  Thailand is  broke  but since  Iv'e  been here 2005   I see endless   large road construction/ Train construction projects.

Funded by the top 1% of monopoly owning multi-billionaire families or the Chinese.

As for the rest of the population there is a bit of middle ground... maybe 20% but they are heavy borrowers too, largely in debt.

The rest of the population is on the bread-line or below.