Thailand English-language News for February 12

In Thailand English-language News for February 12, 2018, Newsline presenter Cholaphansa Narula tells us about:

00:47 | Thais across the country have been visiting the royally-initiated winter festival, Oon Ai Rak Klay Kwam Nao, which got underway on February 8 at the Royal Plaza in Bangkok. Those attending are required to dress in Thai traditional dress.

01:51 | Deputy prime minister for legal affairs, Dr Wissanu Krea-ngam, said yesterday that he can not confirm that municipal elections will be held in the middle of this year.

Dr Wissanu said that there are many sections and clauses that need to be revised in the six municipal election related acts, which are currently being reviewed by the Council of State and the Election Commission (EC).

Additionally, Dr Wissanu said that once the laws have been approved by the cabinet and the National Legislative Assembly (NLA), municipal elections will take place within 45 days. He added that due to structural changes in the Provincial Administrative Organisation (PAO) local polls might not be conducted simultaneously.

02:53 | Deputy prime minister Air Chief Marshal Prajin Juntong yesterday travelled to Sakon Nakhon, which was severely damaged by flooding in July and August last year, to check on the well-being of local residents and deliver the government’s regional administrative policies to the province.

03:59 | Spokesman for the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), Lieutenant General Sunsern Kaewkumnerd, said yesterday that the government is continuing with its programme to increase the number of new-generation farmers equipped with knowledge about technology and innovations and making at least Bt180,000 (about US$5,692) a year. This year the government plans to train up to 3,280 farmers, almost 79 per cent more than the 1,836 people trained in 2017.

05:38 | NBT World speaks with Chainarong Vasanasomsithi, deputy director-general of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), on how to prevent fire related accidents during the upcoming Lunar New Year celebrations.

14:24 | Permanent secretary of the Ministry of Interior (MoI), Chatchai Promlert, yesterday presided over the opening of the King Narai festival to commemorate King Narai the Great who ruled the Ayutthaya kingdom during the second half of the 17th century and made Lopburi its second capital.

The festival is being held at the Phra Narai Ratchaniwet palace complex where visitors are able to enjoy folk performances, tour the historic attractions of Lopburi, or shop for locally-made products at the ‘Pracharat’ market until February 18.

16:24 | Minister attached to the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), Kobsak Pootrakool, said yesterday that the drafting of the Financial Institutions for the People act will finish within six months. The bill will boost people’s access to financial loans by establishing community financial institutions across the country. Some 3,500 -7,000 community banks are expected to be created, Mr Pootrakool said.

17:27 | Commerce Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong has warned Thai cassava exporters not to take advantage of Chinese buyers by selling their crop at excessive prices. Following a 7 per cent increase in corn price in mainland China it is expected that China will look to increase its import quota of Thai cassava after Chinese New Year. Mr Sontijirawong warned that price regulation could be imposed if necessary.

Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Trade (DFT) will lead a team of cassava exporters to Turkey and New Zealand this year for business negotiations.

18:32 | Commerce Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong yesterday chaired the opening of a ‘Pracharat Project’ in Kanchanaburi Province designed to help local residents increase their income. The project offers a number of programmes to improve skills such as a quality of life development project, a career counselling service, and an entrepreneurial development initiative.

19:59 | The Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Chiang Mai, the Chiang Mai Chamber of Commerce (CMCC), and the Thai-Chinese Business Association of Chiang Mai (TCBACM) have teamed up to hold a seminar to familiarise local entrepreneurs on China’s One Belt One Road (Obor) initiative, the Lancang-Mekong cooperation strategy, and various Thai-Chinese partnerships.

21:06 | The Indonesian Navy has seized 1.1 tons of the drug methamphetamine that was hidden among sacks of rice onboard the MV Sunrise Glory, a Singapore registered ship intercepted crossing Indonesian waters near Singapore last week. Anti-narcotics officials said that some two tons of the drug are missing and it is believed they are now in Australian territory.

21:51 | Nearly 50 journalists wearing T-shirts emblazoned with ‘journalism is not a crime’ held a peaceful protest in Myanmar calling for the release of two Reuters journalists, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who have been charged with breaching the country’s Official Secrets Act while investigating the mass killing of Rohingya by the Myanmar army.

• 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.