Thailand faces weak Q1 after exports fall in March

Bangkok

THAI exports fell for a third month in March, suggesting South-east Asia's second-largest economy will post a quarterly contraction in the first three months of the year as a key engine of growth fails to fire up.

The military took power in a coup in May last year to end months of street protests but has struggled to revive the economy which grew only 0.7 per cent last year. The worse-than-expected trade data comes as a fresh poll shows massive dissatisfaction with the junta's economic performance.