Thailand Morning News For December 7

USFDA quarantines 11 items of food products and medicines from Thailand
The US Food and Drugs Administration has decided to quarantine 11 items of food products and medicines from Thailand after finding out that they are of substandard qualities that do not meet the set standards due to the presence of Salmonella bacteria, gastrointestinal infectious bacteria, excessive lead residue and wrong labelling.
— Thai PBS

Strong baht sparks fears
The private sector has voiced concerns about the stronger baht, which recently hit a 31-month high, saying it could hurt exports and tourism as well as the overall Thai economy.
— Bangkok Post

Nakhon Sri Thammarat airport closes
Nakhon Sri Thammarat airport closes on Thursday and Friday as floods hit the province.
— Bangkok Post

Southern flood situation continues to be cause for concern
The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) has dispensed 200 boats to its office in Songkhla province to assist citizens still being impacted by persistent flooding.
— NBT World (video)

Government strives to further raise Thailand’s ease of doing business ranking
The government is calling on all units to eliminate legal restrictions and promote the use of digital platforms in order to further elevate the country’s ranking in the ease of doing business.
— NBT World (video)

Government mulls non-tariff EV import rules
The government is looking towards non-tariff barrier measures, particularly battery standards, to prevent an anticipated flood of electric vehicle (EV) imports from China in light of the Asean-China free trade agreement.
— Bangkok Post

Thailand lags in fintech development in Asia
Thailand ranks seventh out of 10 Asian countries in terms of regulatory advancement and financial attractiveness on a Taiwanese consulting firm’s FinTech Competitiveness Index.
— Bangkok Post

Thai Airways increases fuel surcharge on 59 routes
Thai Airways International has announced the adjustment of fuel surcharges on an average 137-200% higher on 59 international routes.
— Thai PBS

Gulf Energy leaps 27.8% in SET debut
SET-listed Gulf Energy Development Plc, one of Thailand’s largest power producers, yesterday recorded a 27.8% rise from the opening price on its first trading day, with the issuing size worth 24billion baht, the largest in 11 years.
— Bangkok Post

Chinese link with CP on EEC fund
CHINESE conglomerate HNA Group plans to link up with CT Bright, an investment unit of Charoen Pokphand Group (CP Group), to set up a fund for investment in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC).
— The Nation

Five individuals chosen by committee to serve as new Election Commissioners
Thailand’s Election Commission selection committee has decided on five tentative choices for the election panel, with Takorn Tantasit and Pracha Terat already passing the vetting process.
— NNT

Activists urge ban on ‘hazardous’ farm chemicals
Thai Pesticide Alert Network (Thai-PAN) will today submit a petition to the Ministry of Industry, asking it to ban the herbicide paraquat and the pesticide chlorpyrifos, while restricting the use of glyphosate.
— Bangkok Post

KBank to open Chinese headquarters in Shenzhen
Kasikornbank (KBank) has been approved to set up their Chinese headquarters in Shenzhen, opening trade opportunities for Thai businesses.
— NBT World (video)

PM to visit Trang as flooding continues
Thailand’s Prime Minister has scheduled a visit to Trang province this December 8 to follow up on the flood situation which is impacting 8 provinces of the southern region.
— NNT

How stable is post-cremation Thailand?
In the lead-up to the cremation of deceased Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, authorities rounded up 42 suspects at check points around the royal ceremony attended by new King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun and other royal family members.
— Asia Times

Thailand waits for US decision on preferential duties under GSP
Thailand is currently awaiting the outcome of the United States’ revisions to its Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). The GSP governs import duties for developing countries, including Thailand.
— NBT World (video)

Leading economist forecasts no political repercussion on economy in 2018
The Thai economy is unlikely to be affected by the political situation in the country next year, according to an economist.
— NNT

Sino-Thai high-speed railway project gets go-ahead
Bangkok has given the green light to Thailand’s first high-speed railway, spearheaded by China, an on-again-off-again project that was once hailed as the crowning project of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.
— Asia Times

Thai court jails man for 27 years over Bangkok hospital bomb
A Thai court sentenced a 62-year-old man to 27 years in prison on Wednesday for planting a bomb at a Bangkok hospital that wounded 21 people.
— Reuters

Hells Angels members busted in Pattaya
Police on Wednesday arrested and charged four foreigners – believed to be members of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang – with several criminal offences, and plan to deport and blacklist them from the country.
— Bangkok Post

7-7-7 campaign to reduce death toll during New Year
The Transport Ministry will launch a 7-7-7 campaign for the safety of people travelling during the 2018 New Year, Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said on Wednesday (Dec 6).
— Thai PBS

Locals gather en masse to call for help on Phuket land claims
More than 100 local residents from the Pracha Samakkee Community massed at the Phuket Provincial Hall this morning (Dec 6) to call for help after 77 of the residents, who were said to have lived on the land where the community stands for over 10 years, were expelled by ‘capitalists’ they say have reclaimed the land.
— The Phuket News

Well-off elderly invited to donate their allowance to elderly fund
The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security is inviting senior citizens entitled to the government’s financial support to donate their allowances to the elderly fund to help 3.6 million elderly people with low-income.
— NNT

Street stalls win praise but no Michelin stars
Street food stalls have appeared in the first edition of Bangkok’s Michelin Guide, lifting Thailand’s competitiveness in gastronomy.
— Bangkok Post

TAT,Gurunavi to develop tourism, restaurant-guide app
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has cooperated with Gurunavi, a restaurant-search website and mobile application, to promote food cultures and tourist attractions in Thailand and Japan.
— NNT

Feature photo unknown/ via Siriporn Puangpan

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 December 7 added by John Le Fevre on December 7, 2017
View all posts by John Le Fevre →

Bio
Latest Posts

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.