Thailand English-language News for December 7

In Thailand English-language News for December 7, 2017, Newsline presenter Sandra Hanutsaha tells us about:

00:38 | Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha will visit Trang Province in southern Thailand tomorrow to inspect damage caused by floods and the ongoing relief operations. More than 19,000 households in eight districts are flooded.

01:56 | Deputy prime minister General Prawit Wongsuwan said yesterday that he welcomes an inquiry into his wearing of what appears to be an expensive Richard Mille wristwatch and an apparent large diamond ring. The watch and ring were not contained in a statement of assets filed by General Wongsuwan on September 4, 2014.

03:08 | The government is speeding up the 2019 budget process, with specific attention being focused on solving the insurgency in Thailand’s south and putting an end to human trafficking.

04:17 | The Cabinet has instructed the Office of Consumer Protection Board (OCPB) to submit a bill governing the establishment of independent consumer agencies before the end of the year. A 32 page draft has been completed and is currently undergoing a public consultation process.

06:25 | The Public Relations Department (PRD) and the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) have teamed up to launch a Bt20 million (about US$613,000) campaign to raise public awareness of the fight against corruption.

07:17 | Newsline lifts a clip from tonight’s episode of Thailand Today in which General Navin Damrigan, deputy secretary general to the prime minister, discusses the programme currently underway to move overhead electricity cables underground, and the push to make Bangkok a Smart City.

11:20 | The Thai National Shipper’s Council (TNSC) has reported that exports in October grew 13.1 per cent year-on-year (Y0Y) to $20 billion. The TNSC expects that export growth for the full year to come in at between 8.5-9 per cent.

12:22 | Kalin Sarasin, president of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC), said yesterday that the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking (JSCCIB) agree with other forecasters that the Thai economy will grow between 3.7 to 4 per cent this year.

However, Mr Sarasin said that the committee is concerned about the rapidly appreciating Thai Baht and has asked the Bank of Thailand (BoT) to better manage the currency’s fluctuations.

13:35 | Amonthep Chawla, head of research at CIMB Thai Bank has forecast that the Thai economy will grow 4.0 per cent in 2018 due to investor confidence in political stability.

15:11 | The Office of Atoms for Peace (OAP) and the Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited (AOT) have signed a memorandum of cooperation on the use of personal radiometers and isotope separators to detect radioactive objects at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Don Mueang International Airport, and Phuket International Airport.

16:20 | The Faculty of Tropical Medicine at Mahidol University is hosting the Joint International Tropical Medicine Meeting (JITMM) 2017. More than 800 researchers are expected to attend the meeting to hear about their latest research on tropical diseases.

19:05 | Newsline takes a look at the use of cold plasma technology developed by Thai researchers in the Thailand health and beauty sector.

22:30 | Chiang Mai Province has hosted a children’s book fair aimed at making Thailand the Southeast Asia copyright trade center of books for children and youths. The event at Chiang Mai International Exhibition and Convention Center is open until December 9.

• and more.

Newsline is a daily Thailand English-language news and current affairs programme produced by the National News Bureau of Thailand (NNBT) under the Thailand Government Public Relations Department (PRD) for *NBT World, the NNBTs 24/7 English language television service delivering Thailand government news and information to the Thai, Asean, and wider Asian communities. AEC News Today publishes Thailand English-language News M-F.