Thailand Morning News For July 20

Thailand Morning News For July 20
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Thailand morning newsThai general, provincial politicians held guilty in major trafficking trial
An army general, two provincial politicians and police officers were among the 46 people held guilty on Wednesday by a judge in Thailand’s biggest human trafficking trial, from a total of 103 defendants, with judgments expected to run late into the day.
— Channel NewsAsia

KBank introduces world’s first blockchain-based letter of guarantee service
Kasikornbank (KBank) has developed its Letter of Guarantee (L/G) service in the L/G market worth Bt1.35 trillion with the introduction of the world’s first blockchain-based L/Gs.
— The Nation

Police in Red Bull scion case face probe
The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has formed a panel to probe police officers who allegedly assisted Red Bull scion Vorayuth Yoovidhya in evading charges in connection with the hit-and-run case in which a policeman died five years ago.
— Bangkok Post

Free education budget not spent: study
AS MUCH AS 20 per cent of the state budget of Bt40 billion for the government’s free-education initiative remains unspent at schools, a study has revealed.
— The Nation

Uber petitions NLA for law amendment on ridesharing service
Uber Thailand today (July 19) petitioned the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) for the amendment of the existing motor vehicle law which it said is obsolete and does not correspond with technology change and government’s 4.0 strategy.
— Thai PBS

FTI: Car exports to disappoint for 2nd year
Vehicle exports are likely to drop for a second straight year after growth figures remained in negative territory for 12 months in a row, says the Federation of Thai Industries.
— Bangkok Post

Entrepreneurs, investors and financial institutions interested in developing Buriram to become best city of Thailand
Buriram Governor Anusorn Kaewkangwan, Buriram Deputy Governor, government office heads, Federation of Thai industries, Thai Chamber of Commerce and representatives from the tourism sector welcomed executives, investors and financial institutions coming to hear the guidelines for the development of Buriram in accordance with the 20-year strategic plan for the “Buriram to the Best City of Thailand” project.
— NNT

New bridge rapped as ‘a waste of money’
City Hall’s controversial 1.7-billion-baht pedestrian bridge proposal linking Tha Phra Chan and Wang Lang was an old trick to waste taxpayers’ money, a former senior City Hall official says.
— Bangkok Post

Phuket under pressure as tourism growth exposes flaws in hotel sector
According to a new report released today by hospitality consulting group C9 Hotelworks, millions of travellers who visit Phuket each year could be staying in unlicensed – and effectively illegal – hotels. The report also states that less than a quarter of the hotels in Phuket (429 out of 1,724) are currently licensed.
— Phuket Gazette

SCG launches innovation centre to enhance R&D collaboration
SCG has furthered its vision to become a leader in sustainable innovations in Asean by launching a centre for research and development (R&D) collaboration with government, private and education sectors worldwide.
— The Nation

Revenue chief warns of prison term for using fake tax refund forms
Beginning September 1 this year, the Revenue Department will begin to enforce stricter measure to deal with fraudulent tax return.
— Thai PBS

Transport Minister says phase 1 of high speed rail line to begin construction in October
The Minister of Transport has confirmed that work on the Bangkok-Nong Khai high speed rail system will begin in October, once the government secures the cooperation of China in September.
— NNT

Shootings Escalate in Trigger-Happy Thailand
On the afternoon of July 11, 2017, six or seven gunmen dressed in military outfits arrived at the home of a village chief in the subdistrict of Ban Klang, in Thailand’s Krabi province.
— Chiang Rai Times

NLA vice president: EC’s tentative election date close to roadmap
The Election Commission’s timeline setting the tentative date for the next general election for Aug 19, 2018 is close to the timeline set in the government’s roadmap, Surachai Liangboonlertchai, the first deputy president of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA), said on Wednesday (July 19).
— Thai PBS

Govt and private units sign MOU to ensure transparency in new mega projects
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) on maintaining transparency has recently been signed by governmental units and private organizations for two new multi-billion baht projects.
— NNT

Lawyer takes aim at DSI over PDRC case
A lawyer yesterday threatened to take legal action against the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) accusing the agency of dragging its feet in a criminal case against 58 members of the defunct People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC).
— Bangkok Post

PM calls for reform of crucial matters in education system
Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has called for the education reform committee to focus on reforms of crucial structural issues and has asked all sides to cooperate in mobilizing reform policies.
— NNT

PM says all Thais must be held accountable if reconciliation fails
All Thais of different political shades and groups must be held collectively accountable if the government’s attempt to work out a national reconciliation blueprint fails, said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha on Tuesday (July 18).
— Thai PBS

Academics to be summoned by military for resisting junta
The Deputy Governor of Chiang Mai has threatened three academics who allegedly put up banners against the junta that they will be summoned by the military.
— Prachatai English

Thailand, Cambodia join hands in dealing with illegal alien issue
A discussion has been held between the Thai and Cambodian governments regarding ways to tackle problems related to illegal migrant workers.
— NNT

An IPO in Thailand sparks push for regional energy development
A regional development bank said it spent more than $50 million on shares in a Thai power company in order to help develop renewable energy in Southeast Asia.
— UPI

CIMBT net profit surges eight-fold
CIMB Thai Bank (CIMBT), a unit of Malaysia’s CIMB Group Holding Bhd, posted an almost eight-fold increase in its second-quarter net profit due largely to lower loan-loss provisions, and increases in net interest and non-interest income.
— Bangkok Post

Operators eagerly seek loans for labor skill development
The Ministry of Labor is receiving positive feedback for its interest-free loan program aimed to support entrepreneurs in enhancing the skills of workers.
— NBT World (video)

Purple Line missing link finally ready
The Tao Pun and Bang Sue stations are finally ready to be connected on Aug 11 as authorities are certain the development will end the year-long unpopularity of the Purple Line.
— Bangkok Post

Shark fin demand rises in Thailand
The report “shark fin demand in Thailand ” conducted by WildAid and Rapid Asia has indicated that the demand for shark fins has increased rapidly, posing a threat to shark populations worldwide.
— NBT World (video)

Academics call for government to respect people’s right of expression
The Thai Academic Network for Civil Rights has issued a statement calling for the government to respect the people’s right to freedom of expression and return power to the people.
— Thai PBS

PM praises Thai students for winning 32 medals from international math contest
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha praised Thai students who have won 32 medals from 2017 World Mathematics Invitational.
— NNT

Thai-Malaysian armies attend LWG Meeting
Thai-Malaysian Armies attended the first Thai-Malaysian Land Working Group (LWG) in 2017, to tackle security issues along the Thai-Malaysian border.
— NNT

 

Feature photo remideligeon
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.

 

 

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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.

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