What’s behind Thailand’s Q1 pickup?
Thai policymakers are becoming increasingly worried about the strength of the bhat, as it threatens to undermine the recovery in the country’s all-important external sector.
– Focus Economics
Private sector wants say in new excise tax
The Thai private sector wants to play a part in drafting the organic laws of the new excise tax law, citing concerns about its practicality once in place.
– Bangkok Post
38 firms look at key project
SOME 38 companies have picked up the bidding package for the Hua Hin-Prachuap Khiri Khan double-track railway project, while the State Railway of Thailand has extended the preparation period from 30 days to 45 days to allow them to more time to make detailed proposals and find partners.
– The Nation
TOT picks DTAC as partner for 4G-2.3GHz broadband service
TOT has selected Total Access Communication (DTAC) as partner to develop its fourth-generation wireless broadband service on the state telecom agency’s 2.3-gigahertz spectrum.
– The Nation
Price hikes help shine a spotlight on resale condos
With the average selling price of units in new condominium projects rising sharply, investing in resale units can be attractive as they are 26-44% cheaper, says property consultant Plus Property.
– Bangkok Post
Secretary-general of EEC panel confident Section 44 will help spur investment
Secretary-General of the Eastern Economic Corridor Policy Committee Khanit Saengsuphan has expressed confidence that the enforcement of Section 44 to expedite projects in the EEC will help attract the private sector to invest in the EEC more.
– NNT
Laos, Thailand agree on master plan
THAILAND AND Laos have agreed to draw up a a five-year master plan to double the value of bilateral trade and investment to US$10 billion (Bt344 billion) by 2021.
– The Nation
CFR readies B1bn for supermarkets
Central Food Retail Co (CFR), the operator of Tops Supermarket, will allocate more than 1 billion baht to expand its business this year, introducing its Tops Plaza format and boosting its Superkoom ssupermarkets ten-fold to 200 branches.
– Bangkok Post
Thailand to showcase its ‘Bioenergy-for-all’ concept
Thailand’s Energy Ministry will show the country’s potential as “the land of energy crops” at Astana Expo 2017, an international exposition themed on ‘future energy’ held in Kazakhstan’s capital.
– Bioenergy Insight
Laos, Thailand boost trade, investment cooperation
High ranking Lao and Thai officials met in Vientiane yesterday to discuss increased cooperation across different sectors in order to promote trade and investment between both nations.
– Vientiane Times
High defence spending at expense of welfare hit
Since the coup in 2014, the budget allocated to the Defence Ministry has increased substantially. For the fiscal 2015 national budget, the first fully controlled by the junta, the Defence Ministry budget jumped to Bt192.9 billion from Bt184.7 billion the year before.
– The Nation
Free speech takes a hit ahead of the Thai vote
Junta’s strong-armed efforts to reign in social tensions could backfire
– Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)
Customs Department cracking down on import tax evasion
The Customs Department is keeping an eye on illicit businesses circumventing taxation such as travelers that return with goods for commercial purposes and shipping companies with fraudulent manifests while also considering cooperation with companies such as Alibaba, EBay and Amazon to combat non-regulated e-commerce.
– NNT
Nok Air sees silver lining
Thai Airways International’s refusal to subscribe to new shares of Nok Air could jeopardise THAI’s fight for control over the loss-ridden budget carrier.
– Bangkok Post
Varian selected to provide first proton therapy system in Thailand
Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR), today announced it has been selected through its distributor, Business Alignment, to supply and install a Varian ProBeam® Compact single-room proton therapy system in the oncology center at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand.
– Healthcare Business/ PRNewswire
Fishermen file appeal in Thailand trafficking
Cambodian plaintiffs in a Thai trafficking case lodged an appeal against a provincial court’s judgment dismissing all charges against the suspects accused of tricking them into slave-like working conditions.
– The Phnom Penh Post
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).
Introducing The AEC News Today Mobile App
In an era of hectic schedules where time is precious, the AEC News Today mobile app enables you to stay up to date with the latest Asean news on governance and policy issues affecting the Asean Community while you are on the move and whenever you have a few minutes to spare.
See full details, including our AEC News Today Mobile App Privacy Statement here: Stay up to Date With The AEC News Today Mobile App.
Download the AEC News Today mobile app from Google play or the App stores by clicking the icons below.
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.
John Le Fevre
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.
Latest posts by John Le Fevre (see all)
- COVID-19 in Asean: update for July 26 — 16 mln case barrier breached, Vietnam records community transmission – July 26, 2020
- COVID-19 in Asean: update for July 25 — new high for daily infections, 16 mln infection barrier to break today – July 25, 2020
- COVID-19 in Asean: update for July 24 — Asean tops 230,000 cases, nudges 90,000 active – July 24, 2020
- Thailand morning news for July 24 – July 24, 2020