Thailand eases curbs on capital outflows to rein in baht

Bangkok

THAILAND'S central bank on Thursday relaxed curbs on capital outflows, a move aimed at weakening a strong baht that has hurt exports, a key driver of the economy the military government has been struggling to revive after a coup last May.

Thailand will allow Thais to freely purchase foreign currencies for deposit up to a limit of US$5 million, raising it from US$500,000, the Bank of Thailand said in a statement.