Thailand Morning News For July 27

PM concerned with heavy rains from Sonca depression
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha has expressed concern over heavy rains in northern and northeastern provinces and ordered authorities concerned to be on the alert to rush aid to people affected by flash flood or mud slide.
— Thai PBS

Dam gates to be opened amid heavy rains
WITH TROPICAL depression Sonca looming and heavy rainfall expected, the Royal Irrigation Department has ordered water released from 11 major dams in the North, Northeast and Central region. There is a possibility of flooding in Ang Thong and Ayutthaya.
— The Nation

Defense Ministry starts preparations for possible floods
The Defense Ministry has begun preparations to handle any floods and related disasters to ensure timely assistance.
— NNT

Central bank cuts credit card loan rate to 18% from 20%
The Bank of Thailand on Wednesday announced a cut of credit card interest rate from a maximum of 20 percent to 18 percent and tightening control on credit card and unsecured personal loans effective as of September 1.
— Thai PBS

Probe targets 70 state officials
The Interior Ministry will set up a committee to investigate 70 government officials who have been suspended on suspicion of alleged abuse of power or corruption after the latest list of suspect officeholders was released on Tuesday.
— Bangkok Post

‘No more inclusion in money-laundering blacklist’
THAILAND’S anti-money-laundering efforts have paid off and the country is confident it will no longer be included in any blacklist.
— The Nation

Yingluck tweets ‘foul’, says accounts seized
Embattled former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra claimed Wednesday the government froze her bank accounts, shortly after Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha vowed her assets would not be seized until a court ruling was delivered on her rice scheme case.
— Bangkok Post

NACC to announce Yingluck ‘compensation’ fate in September
The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) expects to wrap up its probe into alleged dereliction of duty by 34 former cabinet members in the Yingluck Shinawatra administration, including the ex-premier herself, by September.
— Bangkok Post

Thailand hotel investment nears Bt11 billion in first half
Direct investment in Thailand’s hotel sector reached Bt10.7 billion in the first half of 2017, according to JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group.
— The Nation

1.8 billion baht set aside to promote use of rubber
The cabinet on Tuesday (July 25) decided to allocate 1.8 billion baht from the Central Fund to promote the use of rubber by various government bodies.
— Thai PBS

Toyota to produce local EVs
Leading Japanese carmaker Toyota Motor Corporation is set to be the first Board of Investment (BoI) applicant for privileges to make electric vehicles (EVs) locally.
— Bangkok Post

Government says Section 44 invoked to facilitate migrant workers
The government has explained that the use of Section 44 to postpone the imposition of four sections of the Royal Decree on the Management of Migrant Workers is to give more time to migrant workers to comply with the law.
— NBT World (video)

SCG finalises Bt188 bn Vietnam JV
THE SIAM Cement Group (SCG) yesterday said it has finalised plans to build a Bt188-billion petrochemical complex in Vietnam in a joint venture with Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam).
— The Nation

Korat to get elevated train when track built
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has bowed to calls to redesign a section of the dual-track railway in Nakhon Ratchasima, saying Wednesday it will build an elevated 15-kilometre track to avoid causing traffic problems in downtown Muang district.
— Bangkok Post

Prosecutor indicts Isaan anti-mine activists
The prosecutor has charged seven anti-mine activists in Isaan with breaking the public assembly law and intimidating public officials.
— Prachatai English

Mahidol professor wins 2017 Outstanding Scientist award
Mahidol astrophysicist has won the 2017 Outstanding Scientist award from the Foundation for the Promotion of Science and Technology under Royal Patronage.
— NNT

Court accepts charges against lawyer facing 50 years in jail for lèse majesté
The Criminal court has accepted charges against a human rights lawyer facing five decades in prison for royal defamation and sedition.
— Prachatai English

All 300,000 CCTVs to be overhauled
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered an overhaul of 300,000 security cameras across the country to boost surveillance efficiency.
— Bangkok Post

Chiang Rai’s Doi Tung Development Project Creates Pottery for Ikea Stores in Europe
Craftsmen are hard at work in a factory at the foot of Doi Tung mountain in Chiang Rai, northern Thailand, part of Asia’s so-called Golden Triangle where opium used to be the main trade.
— Chiang Rai Times

“Lamyai” is the most popular slang among youth today
The most popular slang of Thai youth today is “lamyai” which means disturbing and it was voted by 39 percent of the 3,306 respondents polled by the Culture Ministry in cooperation with Suan Dusit Poll.
— Thai PBS

France to cut visa time for Thais to 48 hours
France will cut visa delivery time to 48 hours for Thais and citizens of seven other countries in a bid to boost tourism, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said on Wednesday.
— Bangkok Post

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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 July 27 added by John Le Fevre on July 27, 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.