BANGKOK, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's industrial output contracted for a second straight month in August, weighed down by slowing exports, a strong baht currency, and falling tourist arrivals, official data showed on Tuesday.
The Southeast Asian country's manufacturing production index decreased 4.19 percent last month compared to a year earlier, accelerating from a revised 3.75 percent decline in July, according to the Ministry of Industry.
The decline was mainly attributed to a significant drop in the output of non-alcoholic beverages, automotive, and petroleum refining products, the ministry's Office of Industrial Economics Director-General Passakorn Chairat said in a statement. ■