Showing 1 - 10 of 10
Oil shock risks wider chain reaction
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 16/04/2026
» There is no such thing as a free lunch. When global oil prices rise sharply, as they are doing now, someone must bear the cost. Some countries choose to absorb it through government support, as in Japan, while others pass the burden on to consumers, as in Thailand. Neither approach is inherently right or wrong; each carries different economic consequences. Policymakers must decide which set of outcomes is more acceptable and act accordingly.
Risk of crisis growing more acute
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 05/03/2026
» This article is a follow-up to my previous piece titled "Fiscal deficit will trigger 2026 crisis". In that article, I argued Thailand's heavy dependence on external liquidity, combined with the government's need for 860 billion baht annually to finance its deficits, would lead to a severe liquidity shortage and, ultimately, a financial crisis.
2026 will be a year of debt struggles
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 08/01/2026
» Forget GDP growth. Forget tourist arrivals. Forget export figures. In 2026, Thailand's overriding economic challenge will not be growth but debt repayment.
Will Thailand's economy cheat death?
News, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 23/01/2025
» 'He and the other survivors have briefly cheated death, but will not be able to evade their fate for very long." A movie buff will know this comes from Final Destination and the "he" in the quote refers to Alex Browing, the movie's main character.
Digital wallet scheme hits another snag
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 13/06/2024
» The new financing problem of the 10,000-baht cash handout, commonly known as the Digital Wallet Scheme (DW), has not made much noise in the media. This may be because the government wants this to be a non-issue, but in reality, it is a serious one that could wreck the entire scheme.
Debt crisis looms as politicians fiddle
News, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 29/06/2023
» While politicians are fighting for power to rule this country, the economy may unknowingly be entering a debt crisis. There was a piece of news a couple of weeks ago which passed without much notice amid sizzling political stories. It was news of the automobile loan default problem.
World faces prospect of financial tumult
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 23/03/2023
» Today, I was supposed to present the third article, Managing Household Debt, in the series "Changing Thailand". In fact, I have finished drafting a payment reduction model which could reduce monthly debt payments by 4.6 times without the hair-cutting debt principal or requiring government financial support. But I will delay that article for now.
BMA sorely needs financial advisers
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 22/09/2022
» On Sept 7, 2022, the Central Administrative Court ordered the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA) and its wholly owned subsidiary Krungthep Thanakom (KT) to pay Bangkok Mass Transit System Public Company (BTS) back overdue Operating and Maintenance (O&M) fees on extensions 1 and 2 of the Green Line (Sky Train) in the amount of 11.75 billion baht within 180 days.
Spectre of 2023 global recession looms
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 19/05/2022
» In economics, there is no such thing as a surprise. Major economic events like rising inflation, interest rate hikes, currency depreciation, even economic recession can be detected as far as a year ahead.
The creaking burden of infrastructure
News, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 11/04/2019
» In my opinion, Thailand has invested too much on the wrong types of infrastructure, namely the rail mass transit system and high-speed train system. These systems, despite their usefulness, are far from being cost-effective and certainly are not affordable. The financial burden of having these systems not only involves the cost of building infrastructure, but the operating expenses as well.