The government insisted it would deal with a series of bomb explosions on Friday to maintain investor confidence, while the private sector has high expectations that relevant authorities can control the situation.
Finance Minister Uttama Savanayana said the issue would rattle investor confidence, but state agencies responsible for security would be able to handle the situation.
He said the explosions had not caused the stock market to wobble, attributing the bourse's correction to global economic volatility.
Lavaron Sangsnit, director-general of the Fiscal Policy Office, said it was too early to estimate the impact on the economy from the series of blasts yesterday.
The explosions were meant to fan fears but have not affected the economy, he said. The Thai economy is solid, as Moody's Investors Service recently raised Thailand's credit rating outlook to positive from stable, Mr Lavaron noted.
Buddhipongse Punnakanta, the digital economy and society minister, said the ministry would deal strictly with people with bad intentions who post false information online.
"We urge the public to carefully check online content about the blasts before sharing it," he said. "People should not panic. Please follow up and verify the content before sharing."
Mr Buddhipongse said he was aware of exaggerated accounts about the explosions being shared online.
Siriwat Dipho, chief of the Deputy Technology Crime Suppression Division, said attempts had been made to create fake news online and 21 people were found to have committed the infraction.
Offenders would face prosecution in line with the Computer Crime Act, he said.
Industry Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit said the ministry would ask manufacturing plants to step up security measures to cope with worse-case scenarios after the bomb blasts in Bangkok.
"Refineries and chemical plants should implement high-security measures," he said.
The Industrial Works Department and the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand have been instructed to keep industrial operators nationwide informed and updated on the situation in a bid to prepare security measures and protect local communities near operations.
Kriangkrai Tiennukul, vice-chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), said the agency condemns criminals who create a bad situation in Bangkok.
The FTI expects the government to be able to control the situation and bring peace to Bangkok because otherwise it could have an impact on investors' confidence.
"Most people and investors are fearful because the Thai economy is driven by the tourism sector and foreign direct investment," he said. "The government has to speed up control of the situation and arrest the criminals to allay overall fear."
Kalin Sarasin, chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, said the government needs to deal with the explosions urgently because safety and security are very important to build up the country's confidence.
"I think the government has some clues about the latest bomb blasts and the group of persons behind them," he said.
Kromchet Vipanpong, chief executive of property developer Asset Wise Co, remains confident about the current situation after bombs were found many places in Bangkok yesterday morning and a few on Thursday.
"We believe the government can handle this," he said. "But if there are more bombs, it would be worse for overall sentiment."
Nattakit Tangpoonsinthana, executive vice-president for marketing of Central Pattana Plc, said the company has increased its safety measures at Central shopping complexes in Bangkok and areas in the South, as well as tourist destinations such as Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Pattaya.
"We have prepared a special team to handle all aspects and are more strict with vehicles entering our complexes," he said. "We also give information about action plans and security procedures to tenants to cope with the situation."
