Thailand English-language News for November 13

In Thailand English-language News for November 13, 2017, Newsline presenter Cholaphansa Narula tells us about:

00:42 | Thais from across the country continue to visit the royal crematorium at Sanam Luang.

01:50 | Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has asked the public to have more faith in the government. Thailand government spokesperson, Lieutenant General Sansern Kaewkumnerd, said that the economic situation has improved from a growth rate of 0.8 per cent in 2014 to 3.2 per cent in 2016 and 3.7 per cent in the second quarter of 2017, and is expected to reach 3.8 per cent for the full year.

03:34 | Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC) chairman Meechai Ruchupan has brushed aside a rumor that he is forming a political party for the next election. However, he said that if the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) wish to form a party, they can.

Regarding the draft Members of Parliament Act and the draft Members of the Senate Act, Mr Ruchupan said both are currently being revised by their responsible committees and will be presented to the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) no later than November 28.

05:57 | The Ministry of Industry (MI) will inspect factories and mines on a regular basis next year to prevent environmental damage. The MIs 2018 fiscal operating plan involves more frequent inspections of more than 32,000 factories and mines across the country. Factories and mines can expect to be visited monthly next year.

06:46 | The Royal Thai Police (RTP) in cooperation with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) have opened a center to accept second hand winter clothes for distribution among border patrol officers and students in remote provinces. Donated clothing and food products will begin being distributed on November 16.

07:41 | The Public Relations Department (PRD) has held a seminar on the Pracharat Community Radio Network in Kanchanaburi province, aimed at creating a network disseminating information on national reform guidelines, strategies and government policies to grass roots people.

10:58 | Deputy commerce minister Sontirat Sontijirawong and his team have inspected the implementation of the Blue Flag project in Chiang Mai Province. Mr Sontijirawong said that 96 mobile Blue Flag vans are currently being sent to areas where the project is not available yet. Some 12,000 electronic data capture (EDC) machines have already been installed, with an additional 8,000 to be installed before the end of November.

12:04 | The Ministry of Commerce (MoC) has added Nang Loeng Market in Bangkok to its ‘must-visit market campaign’ aimed at strengthening the grassroots economy and highlighting the uniqueness of community products and services. The market is open every day from 10am-2pm with 67 retailers offering a wide array of products. There are 156 ‘must-visit markets’ across Thailand.

12:58 | A decision by the Cabinet to grant tax deductions of up to Bt15,000 (about US$445) on certain goods and services, including food and ‘services’ provided in Karaoke bars, purchased between November 11 and December 3 has seen the number of shoppers in Bueng Kan Province increase.

The incentive is expected to cost the government about Bt2 billion (about $59 million) in lost revenue while generating spending of about Bt10 billion ($296 million).

13:58 | Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have arrived in the Philippines for the Asean Summit. The summit will discuss issues related to North Korea’s ballistic missile tests, South China Sea disputes, cooperation in combating Islamic insurgency, and regional trade pacts.

15:03 | Newsline takes a look at a model robot for laying underground cable and wires in difficult to access areas designed by a group of Thais students who are leaving to compete in the World Robot Olympiad competition in Costa Rica.

18:44 | Newsline takes a look at the South Korea National Library for Children and Young Adults’ (NLCY) bilingual books programme aimed at strengthening networking cooperation with domestic and international libraries.

• 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.