The national carrier is flying into turbulence, and its woes are being compounded by a near-standstill in global air travel. The hope is that an extensive restructuring would put the carrier on a stronger footing – and lead to broader reforms of state-owned enterprises in Thailand.
E-commerce is seen as a panacea for the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but it should be seen as one part of a larger and more complex system, involving other elements such as manufacturing and logistics. An ASEAN initiative to address bottlenecks in such systems should be lauded and supported.
Vietnam stands to benefit from MNCs’ efforts to diversify their production base beyond China. How much it will actually benefit, however, depends on how fast it can roll out measures to further improve its infrastructure and business environment.
In the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, the more established multilateral development banks – the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank – are still miles ahead of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. The same applies to non-Covid19 related loans and grants.
The fall of the Kedah state government led by Mukhriz Mahathir will change the country’s political map, and the fortunes of the various players involved.
Malaysia’s next parliamentary sitting was supposed to have seen the tabling of a historic no-confidence motion against the government led by Muhyiddin Yassin. It appears that the premier has dodged the bullet – at least for now.
State governments’ resistance to the federal government’s decision to lift some Covid-19 movement controls is as much as function of the pandemic’s impacts as political affiliation.
A nationwide ceasefire could generate long-term dividends, and even a stable peace.
The ongoing fight against the Covid-19 pandemic in Myanmar means that social distancing measures will continue indefinitely. This means that political distancing in the run-up to upcoming polls might rear its head.
The Thai Prime Minister has extended the country’s state of emergency amid the Covid-19 outbreak. This is more an attempt to consolidate power, rather than a move to buttress the fight against the coronavirus.
Thai Airways: Up in the Air
The national carrier is flying into turbulence, and its woes are being compounded by a near-standstill in global air travel. The hope is that an extensive restructuring would put the carrier on a stronger footing – and lead to broader reforms of state-owned enterprises in Thailand.