Head of Statistics Indonesia, Margo Yuwono, addresses a press conference in Jakarta on April 1, 2022. (Photo: ANTARA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Indonesia’s inflation in March 2022reached 0.66 percent month-to-month, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS).
“It is the highest inflation since May 2019. At the time,the figure was 0.68 percent," BPS head Margo Yuwono was cited by Indonesia's Antara News Agency as informing at a recent pressconference on April 1.
The main contributors to inflation in March 2022 were redchili, household fuel, gold jewelry, and cooking oil, he said.
The head of BPS further informed that the limited stock ofred chili and the revocation of the Regulation of the Minister of Trade Number6 of 2022 concerning the Determination of the Highest Retail Price of PalmCooking Oil triggered the inflation in March 2022.
Meanwhile, the Bank of Thailand (BoT) skyrocketed itsinflation rate forecast for this year to 4.9 percent from 1.7 percent becauseof energy and food price surges attributed to supply shock from theRussia-Ukraine war.
Headline inflation is projected to be 4.9 percent in 2022,higher than the central bank's inflation targeting range of 1-3 percent.
The bank assesses the headline inflation rate will tally 1.7 percent next year, a slight increase from an earlier estimate of 1.4 percent,said Piti Disyatat, Secretary of the central bank's Monetary Policy Committee(MPC).
The BoT also cut its 2022 GDP growth forecast from 3.4percent to 3.2 percent and slashed the 2023 projection from 4.7 percent to 4.4percent.
The MPC meeting on March 30 decided to maintain the policyrate at the existing level of 0.5 percent.
Inflation will exceed 5 percent in the second and thirdquarters this year, driven mainly by rising energy prices and the pass-throughof food prices, Piti said.
However, inflation is projected to drop and return to thetarget range in 2023, owing in part to the assessment that the rise in energyprices will not persist, said the MPC.
The central bank maintained its outlook for foreign arrivalsthis year at 5.6 million, with Russian and Ukrainian visitors expected to total400,000./.
Vietnam's CPI has increased by 1 percent in February and 1.42 percent against the same period last year, according to the General Statistics Office of Vietnam (GSO).
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Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira has outlined a six-point strategy to promote innovation, support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and push for Thailand's removal from the US Trade Representative (USTR)’s special 301 Watch List regarding intellectual property rights protection among trading partners.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Israel Ly Duc Trung emphasised ASEAN’s central role in regional mechanisms such as the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the East Asia Summit (EAS), highlighting its significant contribution to promoting peace, stability, and prosperity in Southeast Asia.
The consumer index of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC), fell to 51.7 in July from 52.7 in the previous month. The sluggish economy and the trade war, as well as high living costs, continue to undermine confidence, the university said.
Deputy Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly Istvan Jakab expressed his hope for further deepening Hungary’s ties with ASEAN countries and called for their support for Hungary’s accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.
The 30-storey tower crumbled seconds after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit neighbouring Myanmar on March 28. The partially built high-rise, meant to house the State Audit Office (SAO), was the only building in Thailand to collapse, killing 89 people on the site, mostly construction workers.
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Head of Statistics Indonesia, Margo Yuwono, addresses a press conference in Jakarta on April 1, 2022. (Photo: ANTARA) 
