Thailand Morning News For November 15

Immigration Bureau to be more stringent against over stays
The Immigration Bureau has heeded policy to stringently combat over-staying after up to 100,000 foreigners were found to be over-staying their visas and is to coordinate with the Department of Consular Affairs to tighten visa issuance.
— NBT World (video)

Singapore to tie up with Thailand and India for e-payments
Singapore’s move to expand its cross-border financial services could see cheaper and more convenient financial transactions with the two digitally-savvy countries, say analysts.
— Channel NewsAsia

This year records highest number of new condo projects in two decades
More than 268 condominium projects were launched, built or completed this year – the highest number within a year for the past 23 years, according to a survey of condominium market by the Agency for Real Estate Affairs.
— Thai PBS

Politicians slam NCPO plan to bar criticism
DEFIANT politicians from major political parties have opposed a junta proposal to bar any criticism of the regime during the campaign for the next election, saying criticism was a form of freedom of expression protected by the Constitution.
— The Nation

Retail gougers warned
The government has threatened to take legal action against retail shops and department stores who raised their products’ price ahead of the shopping tax break period.
— Bangkok Post

Govt urgently developing national digital ID system
The Ministry of the Digital Economy and Society and the Ministry of Finance have collaborated to urgently develop the national digital ID system to ensure security of online services for the public. The system will be fully operational in June next year.
— NNT

Land windfall tax gets review after hearings
The Fiscal Policy Office (FPO) will consider whether non-performing assets (NPAs) sold by financial institutions at a loss should be subject to a planned land windfall tax in cases where asset prices are inflated by infrastructure development.
— Bangkok Post

DOE provides 31 million baht loans to working-from-home people
The Department of Employment has approved 31 million baht in loans to some 300 groups of people who work from home and expectd some 123 million baht in revenue, said acting Department of Employment (DOE) Director-General Anurak Tossarat.
— NNT

Thaicom launches Loox TV platform
The sole satellite service provider Thaicom yesterday launched Loox TV, an integrated TV content digital platform via mobile application, in a bid to revitalise the TV broadcasting ecosystem in the country.
— Bangkok Post

Consumer spending rises yoy after ‘Shop for the Nation’ scheme rolls out
Consumer spending has risen, after the government’s stimulus measure ‘Shop for the Nation’ went into effect on November 11th.
— NNT

Soldiers detain rubber farmers for planning rally in Bangkok
A group of southern farmer leaders has been detained in military camps after vowing to protest falling rubber prices.
— Prachatai English

Listed developers gear up for final-quarter push
LISTED PROPERTY firms are planning to launch new residential projects in the remainder of 2017 even as their financial results show mixed success for the year so far.
— The Nation

Road safety measures to be rolled out ahead of New Year holidays
Thailand’s Ministry of Transport has sought road safety advice from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) of Japan to help prevent road accidents during the New Year holidays.
— NNT

QR code payment system now approved for five banks
The Bank of Thailand (BOT) has approved five state and commercial banks to use QR code payment system to facilitate customers to use their smartphones to pay instead of carrying cash.
— Thai PBS

1,200 farmers may get loan shark relief
Thai authorities are mulling stringent tax measures to pressure creditors to negotiate with their debtors in over 1,200 farmland-linked debt cases in the Northeast.
— Bangkok Post

Police nab three as KMITL embezzlement ‘tops B1bn’
Three people, including a former King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL) rector, have been arrested for allegedly embezzling almost 700 million baht more than was originally thought rom the university, police said.
— Bangkok Post

Feature photo Orasa Khosanthia
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 November 15 added by John Le Fevre on November 15, 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.