Thailand Morning News For July 7

Thailand Morning News For July 7
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Thailand morning newsBt700-bn EEC projects get the nod
PROJECTS SIMILAR to the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) will be built in other regions of the country as part of government attempts to get Thailand out of the “middle-income trap”, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday.
— The Nation

High-speed train project clears EIA
The National Environment Board (NEB) has approved the first phase of the high-speed train project from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.
— Bangkok Post

Policy interest rate maintained at 1 5% a year
The Monetary Policy Committee has agreed to maintain the policy interest rate at 1.50% a year to help the Thai economy to expand continuously. The Thai economy has a tendency to grow further from export growth as well as economic contributions from tourism and private consumption.
— NBT World (video)

Prawit grounds airport scheme
A private-sector plan to build a new airport on a 2,000-rai plot of forest reserve land in Phangnga province cannot proceed without proper public hearings, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said Thursday.
— Bangkok Post

Customs expects to make 500 million baht from car auction
Customs Department is expected to earn at least 500 million from the auction of 300 cars and motorcycles, including several luxury models, which was staged on Thursday at the department.
— Thai PBS

Thailand auctions seized supercars after stolen foreign vehicles removed
Thai customs officials sold off hundreds of seized luxury vehicles on Thursday, including dozens of supercars – although many lots were removed last minute after it emerged they were stolen from abroad.
— Channel NewsAsia

E-payment deal defies tax plan
Competition in the e-payment market continues to surge, despite the threat of a tax on e-commerce business.
— Bangkok Post

Improved exports, budget disbursement to spur growth
PUBLIC and private organisations have revised up their estimates of this year’s economic growth as the Thai export recovery continues amid higher-than-targeted budget disbursement.
— The Nation

700,000 to miss out on state help
More than 700,000 of the 14.1 million Thais who registered for the government’s subsidy and welfare scheme this year have been disqualified during an initial check of information they provided, the Fiscal Policy Office’s (FPO) chief says.
— Bangkok Post

Thailand: “We export most of our longan to China”
In recent years, the knowledge and consumption of longan has been increasing in the US, some countries in Europe, the United Arab Emirates and, especially, China.
— Fresh Plaza

Social Development Ministry prepares anti-human trafficking plan for 2H17
The Social Development and Human Security Ministry has been preparing its anti-human trafficking plan for the second half of this year.
— NNT

Little sympathy for teachers’ English test gripes
STUDENTS’ quality will never exceed the quality of teachers, so experts say. If so, what will Thailand do if so many teacher applicants protest about English-test requirements?
— The Nation

Concern grows over military influence in police reform
The appointment of a 36-member police reform committee by the military-installed government is drawing widespread criticism with growing concern that it will be influenced by the military as it is chaired by a former commander of the armed forces.
— Thai PBS

NIA joins True on project to spur startups in ‘innovation
THE National Innovation Agency (NIA) is working with True Corporation to create what they will say will be startup ecosystems in the Bangkok districts of Punnawithi and Patumwan, and in Phuket.
— The Nation

Thailand leads the pack for Asia’s abused tourist elephants: Report
Twice as many elephants work in Thailand’s tourism industry as the rest of Asia combined, with the vast majority kept in “severely inadequate conditions”, a new report revealed Thursday (Jul 6).
— Channel NewsAsia

Customs Department to clampdown on import tax collection after 10 billion baht shortfall
The Customs Department has ordered stringent reporting of imported goods after identifying a 10 billion baht drop in tax collection over the first 6 months of this year.
— NBT World (video)

Startups ‘need tailored help alongside cash’
CAPITAL markets can play a driving force for startups but to propel the small companies’ growth they need customised regulations and assistance that reaches beyond financial access, say exchange executives from Thailand, Japan and South Korea.
— The Nation

Most elephants used in tourism industry in Asia are in poor conditions: WAP report
Most of the over 2,900 captive elephants in Asian tourism industry are kept in poor or unacceptable conditions, animal rights body World Animal Protection said in a report on Thursday.
— Thai PBS

Industry Min speeds up upgrade of SMEs in Northeast
The Ministry of Industry is expediting the development of small and medium-sized enterprises in northeastern provinces in preparation for economic expansion along the East-West Economic Corridor.
— NNT

Thai Siam Commercial halts $3b insurance unit sale as talks fail
Thailand’s Siam Commercial Bank has halted the sale of its insurance unit, expected to fetch $3 billion, as talks with potential bidder Hong Kong insurer FWD Group failed on valuation disagreements, three people familiar with the matter said.
— Deal Street Asia

Export controls to combat terrorism
THE Commerce Ministry is setting up a system to monitor exports of dual-use items (DUI) as the government prepares to enforce a law to regulate trade in such items in compliance with international efforts against terrorism.
— The Nation

Cambodian workers traveling back to home country
Illegal Cambodian workers have continuously returned to Cambodia. In Sa Kaeo, more than 5,000 illegal migrant workers have been sent back.
— NBT World (video)

Govt affirms commitment to foreign labor management & human trafficking crackdown
Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan has affirmed that the recent emergency decree on foreign workers was not motivated by the upcoming visit of EU officials to follow up on Thailand’s human trafficking policy.
— NNT

Fewer parties expected to contest election: Election Commission
Election Commission (EC) officials conceded today that the new organic law regulating political parties would result in a significant decrease in the number of parties capable of operating, while strengthening their institutionalisation and improving public participation.
— The Nation

Omise acquires DTAC’s e-money service provider Paysbuy
Omise, a Bangkok-based online payment platform with a focus on Southeast Asia, on Thursday announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Paysbuy, a Thai e-money service provider, from Total Access Communications Pcl (DTAC) for an undisclosed sum.
— Deal Street Asia

PWA and Dept of Groundwater Resources work together to tackle water shortages
The Provincial Waterworks Authority (PWA) and the Department of Groundwater Resources have signed an MoU to exchange information on the development of groundwater technology. The objective of the MoU is to address the problem of water shortages.
— NNT

BT80 BN MARKET CAP TARGETED FOR TWO FIRMS IN SHARE SALE
Two companies planning to sell shares on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) will have a combined market capitalisation of up to Bt80 billion after the deals are completed in the second half of this year, SET’s senior executive vice president and head of the issuer marketing division, Santi Kiranand, said yesterday.
— The Nation

Phuket Gov chairs opening ceremony of tourism fair
The opening ceremony of the ‘Andaman Hotelier and Tourism Fair 2017’, the biggest hotel fair in the south, was held at Homeworks yesterday afternoon.
— Phuket Gazette

BAM introduces leniency program for residential loan clients
Bangkok Commercial Asset Management PLC (BAM) has unveiled a program to help small time debtors more easily reclaim housing.
— NNT

 

Feature photo Axel Drainville
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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