Thailand English-language News for March 23

In Thailand English-language News for Mach 23, 2018, Newsline presenter Sandra Hanutsaha tells us about:

00:48 | Volunteers from the royally-initiated ‘We Love to Do Good Deeds’ programme have gathered to improve the condition of canals and more than 3,800 metres (about 12,500 ft) of roadsides in the Lak Si district of Bangkok. The group of volunteers will continue their work until April 5.

02:04 | Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha has told residents of Nong Bua Lamphu Province in northeastern Thailand that the government is pushing forward infrastructure development projects and promoting changes in conventional farming there to help raise household income in the area. He said the government was allocating funds for provincial projects, while also promoting equality and opportunities to help solve poverty.

He said local authorities will be working to take care of farmers during the dry season by constructing more groundwater wells and establish tap water systems in all villages by 2019.

04:05 | Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha has asked all Thais to be extremely careful on their road trips during the annual Songkran Festival holidays between April 12 and 16, calling on those using public transport to report poorly maintained vehicles or drivers thought to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs to authorities immediately.

Mr Chan-o-cha said starting this year the government will concentrate less on the number of road casualties during long holidays, but more on the average number for the entire year. A heavier focus will be placed on the change in the accident rate in each province compared with that of last year as well as the causes of accidents.

06:05 | The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) has passed a Bt150 billion ($4.8 bln) supplementary budget bill for the 2018 fiscal year ending in October.

Some 67 per cent will meet additional expenses of state agencies and state enterprises, while Bt49.6 billion ($153.6 mln) will be allocated to repaying Treasury reserve

07:36 | During a meeting with deputy prime minister and Defence Minister, General Prawit Wongsuwan, Steeve Trent, executive director of the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), praised the government for its campaign against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, saying Thailand’s efforts will play a key role in the crackdown on IUU fishing in Southeast Asia.

09:12 | The Department of Fisheries (DoF) has ramped up measures to prevent the importing, exporting, transferring, and raising of invasive cichlids in a bid to save native fish populations and the aquaculture industry.

Section 65 of the 2015 Fisheries Act has been invoked after reports and complaints that illegally imported cichlids have impacted fish farms in the provinces of Samut Songkhram, Samut Prakan, Phetchaburi, Prachaup Khiri Khan, Chumphon and Kanchanaburi.

Cichlids quickly adapt to natural and man-made waters with many finding their way into canals, rivers, and fish farms where they prey on wild and farmed fish species. Fines of up to Bt2 million ($64,000) and/ or up to two years jail apply to those breaking the law.

11:10 | The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES) has teamed up with the private sector to develop the Stop Bullying chatline in an attempt to protect young Thais from cyberbullying.

15:36 | The Sa Kaeo special economic zone (SEZ) in eastern Thailand has set aside almost a half hectare (about 51,000 sqft) of space for the sale of community produced products with the aim of turning the industrial estate into a new tourism destination, particularly for Cambodians who frequently enter Thailand for business, shopping, and trading reasons in the area.

17:05 | Kasetsart University (KU) Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH) is offering free rabies vaccinations and pet sterilisations to help curb stray populations and promote proper pet care. Pet sterilisation services are available on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:30 am to 2:00 pm and on Fridays from 8:30 am to 11:00 am through until September 28th, 2018. The hospital is also dispatching mobile teams to areas with high stray dog and cat populations to perform vaccinations.

18:20 | Newsline takes a look at Huai Tueng Thao reservoir in Mae Rim, about 25 minutes drive north-west of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand.

21:19 | The Thailand Government Public Relations Department (PRD) and Guangxi’s General Administration of Press, Publications, Radio, Film, and Television (GAPPRFT) have agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation between both agencies on news, radio, and television production, extending an agreement first initiated in January 2007.

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.