Thailand Morning News For August 15

Immigration Bureau beefs up numbers at major airports to remedy delays
The Immigration Bureau has stepped up its numbers at Don Muang and Suvarnabhumi Airports to better accommodate the high volume of travelers during long holidays.
— NNT

Govt warned hasty new flood-control measures could fail
SEVERAL government agencies are busy preparing water management projects for the Cabinet to consider during its upcoming mobile meeting.
— The Nation (annoying popups)

Discarding TM6 no solution to airport queue woes
Authorities are wrong to suggest that their revised immigration cards and the plan to exempt Thai nationals from filling them in will address the long queues at overcrowded Thai airports, say industry experts.
— Bangkok Post

Khon Kaen’s rice fields severely damaged by floods
Tens of thousand of rais of rice fields in northeastern Khon Kaen have been damaged by recent floods.
— NNT

Purchase of 100 new locomotives planned
A 19.5-billion-baht project to procure 100 new diesel-electric locomotives will be submitted to the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) board this September.
— Bangkok Post

Govt pushes for biopharmaceutical development
The Ministry of Public Health and the private sector are collaborating to develop biopharmaceutical innovation in a bid to position Thailand as the hub of international medicine.
— NNT

State hand in Thaicom’s next satellite
For the first time, the government will take partial control of the management and operation of a new satellite of Thaicom Plc in an effort to channel the benefits of the space economy to the general public.
— Bangkok Post

No-interest loan offered to flood-affected SMEs
The Office of SME Promotion will assist the flood-affected SMEs by providing 200,000- to one-million-baht loans to each of them. The office’s staff will travel to Sakon Nakhon to receive loan requests from 15-19 August 2017.
— NNT

Ministry mulls Orange Line cost transfer
The Transport Ministry is examining a way to reduce its financial burden in the western Orange Line railway project by allowing 100% private investment in the electric rail route that links the Thailand Cultural Centre and Taling Chan.
— Bangkok Post

Policy rate to remain unchanged, forecasts Kasikorn Research
Kasikorn Research Centre believes that the Monetary Policy Committee will maintain the policy interest rate at 1.50 per cent when it meets on Wednesday, given the country’s economy has shown signs of maintaining growth for the rest of the year.
— The Nation (annoying popups)

Infrastructure ambitions require the financing to match
The 10 members of Asean should keep their promise to make infrastructure investments worth US$700 billion with the Asean-5 (Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia) at the forefront of the drive, say senior bankers at HSBC.
— Bangkok Post

Thai firms target Asean for growth
THAI companies expanded their direct investment in Asean countries in the first quarter of this year, with outflows rising 3.67 per cent to US$30.19 billion from the previous quarter, Bank of Thailand figures show.
— The Nation (annoying popups)

Preparations under way for rainstorms in monsoon season
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered authorities to closely monitor for rainstorms in the upcoming monsoon season and to get prepared in advance in bid to mitigate impacts.
— NNT

Harpoon missiles to be equipped on high-performance frigate
The Harpoon anti-ship missiles to be procured from the US will be equipped on the high-performance frigate HTMS Tachin now under construction in South Korea, the Royal Thai Navy’s spokesman’s office said in a statement.
— Thai PBS

Social Contract calls for rules of law and accurate information
The Social Contract for reconciliation will call for all sides to respect rules of law and promote accurate information which will lead to peace and order.
— NNT

Sukhothai keen to become ASEAN hub for heritage tourism
Sukhothai province is determined to turn itself into an ASEAN heritage tourism hub, as provincial authorities see potential in the city’s ancient places and artifacts.
— NBT World (video)

OTOP fair taking place at IMPACT until Aug 20
An OTOP fair honoring Her Majesty Queen Sirikit of the Ninth Reign is currently being held at IMPACT Muang Thong Thani in Nonthaburi province.
— NBT World (video)

Transforming Banpu
By diversifying investments in CLMV countries (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam) and expanding its renewable energy portfolio, Bangkok-based Banpu Plc aims to completely transform itself from a coal company to an integrated energy provider.
— Bangkok Post

NLA Political Party Act doesn’t revoke ban on political gatherings
The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) says the enforcement of the draft political party law does not lift the ban on unauthorized political activities.
— NBT World (video)

MOST to organize National Science and Technology Fair 2017
The Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) is preparing to host the National Science and Technology Fair 2017, an event that will showcase the various technological advances in the world this year.
— NNT

BMA follows up on Charan Sanit Wong tunnel construction
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration officials have inspected the construction of a tunnel connecting Charan Sanit Wong Road and Kanchanaphisek Road which is expected to ease heavy traffic in nearby areas.
— NBT World (video)

Levees being constructed to prevent Nakhon Si Thammarat Airport from floods
The Director General of Airports Department opened the levee construction project to prevent the Nakhon Si Thammarat Airport from being flooded, after risk assessments showed that Nakhon Si Thammarat Airport was highly prone to floods.
— NBT World (video)

Auditor-General threatens local officials backing ex-PM
Pheu Thai Secretary General says people ‘will give party a chance’ as Yingluck verdict nears.
— The Nation (annoying popups)

Thai SMEs need to grow beyond Kingdom’s borders
E-commerce will be playing a critical role in the growth of the global economy. Cross-border retail volumes, as indicated in DHL Express’ 21st Century Spice Trade report, are expected to increase at an annual average rate of 25% between 2015 and 2020 — twice the rate of domestic e-commerce growth.
— Bangkok Post

BRIEF-Bombardier wins contracts for the first monorails in thailand
Bombardier wins contracts for the first monorails in Thailand
— Reuters

Feature photo John Le Fevre
Find our previous morning news feature photos in the AEC News Today Morning News Feature Photos gallery where you will find a pictorial display of daily life throughout the Asean Economic Community (AEC).

Thailand morning news by AEC News Today is your one stop source for Thailand news on matters of governance and policies affecting Asean business communities. It is published M-F by AEC News Today: Governance, not government; policies not politics.

Thailand Morning News For August 15 added by John Le Fevre on August 15, 2017
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John Le Fevre

Thailand editor at AEC News Today

John is an Australian national with more than 40 years experience as a journalist, photographer, videographer, and copy editor.

He has spent extensive periods of time working in Africa and throughout Southeast Asia, with stints in the Middle East, the USA, and England.

He has covered major world events including Operation Desert Shield/ Storm, the 1991 pillage in Zaire, the 1994 Rwanda genocide, the 1999 East Timor independence unrest, the 2004 Asian tsunami, and the 2009, 2010, and 2014 Bangkok political protests.

In 1995 he was a Walkley Award finalist, the highest awards in Australian journalism, for his coverage of the 1995 Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) Ebola outbreak.

Prior to AEC News Today he was the deputy editor and Thailand and Greater Mekong Sub-region editor for The Establishment Post, predecessor of Asean Today.

In the mid-80s and early 90s he owned JLF Promotions, the largest above and below the line marketing and PR firm servicing the high-technology industry in Australia. It was sold in 1995.