Thailand English-language News for April 2

In Thailand English-language News for Mach 30, 2018, Newsline presenter Cholaphansa Narula tells us about:

01:08 | Thailand Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday denied that the Thai Niyom Yang Yuen (‘Sustainable Thai Idealism’), is a political campaign, or meant to gain public support for his administration, or the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).

General Chan-o-cha said the campaign was designed to address existing problems at the grassroots level and improve people’s living standards, with each project managed through cooperation between local governments and residents to improve stability and growth.

02:11 | Deputy prime minister General Prawit Wongsuwan yesterday sought to ease concerns that the decision by the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) to seek a court interpretation of the bill governing the election of members of parliament will delay the election process. He said he is convinced that the election timeline will remain untouched.

Meanwhile, Surachai Liengboonlertchai, first vice president of the NLA said that there is ample time for the court to interpret the problematic sections of the bill, without delaying the general election scheduled for February 2019.

03:21 | Five Thai’s deemed “good citizens” have received golden pins and certificates from Chatchai Promlert, Permanent Secretary for the interior, on the occasion of the 126th anniversary of the ministry.

The awards recognise the heroic actions of ordinary citizens in either saving people in imminent life-threatening danger, or attempting to do so.

04:12 | A seminar on e-cigarettes and similar devices in Bangkok has called on the government to make e-cigarettes and baraku (shisha, hookah) an official alternative for smokers, and for the government to give smokers in Thailand the right to choose less harmful smoking products.

The seminar also discussed the inclusion of e-cigarettes and baraku in the country’s import system to prevent smuggling, and proposals to set up measures to control the purchase and the use of e-cigarettes among young smokers.

05:23 | Newsline discusses the upcoming ‘SingularityU Thailand Summit 2018’ with Dr John Leslie Millar, Head of Exponential Social Enterprise Co., Ltd. The event will be held at the InterContinental Bangkok on June 19 and 20, and will feature discussions on Disruptive thinking, The History and Future of Artificial Intelligence, The Future of Digital Health and medicine, The Future of Energy, Finance of Tomorrow, and Global Grand Challenges.

14:44 | The 46th National Book Fair and 16th Bangkok International Book Fair 2018 are being held at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC), with many promotions on offer until April 8. Chinese fantasy and Thai novels are among the bestsellers.

15:41 | The Meteorological Department has warned the public to be prepared for tropical storms in the Northeast this week.

The weather in the Northern and Central regions will be warmer, but heavy winds and thunder showers are expected over the next 24 hours. Rainfall will be lower in the Northeast, but will increase in the South.

16:35 | The Government Savings Bank (GSB) yesterday gave ‘piggy banks’ to children who deposited Bt500 (about US$15.96) with the bank and Bt500 gifts to babies born on April 1. Additionally, babies who were born on April 1 and named ‘Omsin’ will receive Bt5,000 ($159.68) each when their parents take them to a branch before December this year. The promotion is aimed at encouraging good savings habits in Thai youth and to mark the 105th anniversary of the GBS

17:50 | The Buriramphittayakhom School has honoured nine grade 9 and grade 12 students who achieved outstanding results in mathematics in this year’s Ordinary National Education Test (O-Net) with a score of 100 points. A grade 7 student who received a bronze award at the 15th Hanoi Open Mathematics Competition (HOMC 2018) was also honoured for his achievement.

18:52 | A summit in Hanoi has see Vietnam and China agree to maintaining peace in the South China Sea. China’s Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, and Vietnamese Foreign Minister and deputy prime minister, Pham Binh Minh, both hailed improving bilateral relation between the two countries, which last year saw two-way trade exceeded $100 billion.

• and more

Newsline is a daily Thailand English-language news and current affairs programme produced by the National News Bureau of Thailand (NNBT) under the Thailand Government Public Relations Department (PRD) for *NBT World, the NNBTs 24/7 English language television service delivering Thailand government news and information to the Thai, Asean, and wider Asian communities. AEC News Today publishes Thailand English-language News M-F.