Thailand Morning News For April 25

Plea to ease cryptocurrency rules rebuffed
THE Ministry of Finance is holding firm against efforts for a draft bill on the regulation of digital currencies to be watered down, especially with the imposition of a 15 per cent withholding tax on transactions.
— The Nation

Commerce Ministry foresees no adverse impact of Alibaba’s presence in Thailand
The Ministry of Commerce has allayed concerns among Thai online traders after Alibaba kicked off its investment in Thailand, saying the matter will not put a strain on their businesses.
— News Today (video)

US Leaving TPP Spurred Harley’s Plans for Thailand Plant
“We were very optimistic about what the TPP would enable for Harley-Davidson,” said CEO Matt Levatich. “It took seven years for it to come to fruition. We could see the writing on the wall, and we got busy with Plan B.”
— Industry Week

Regime rescues digital TV firms
The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) will allow digital TV operators to transfer their licences to other private companies as part of measures to rescue those that are strapped for cash.
— Bangkok Post

Squeezing the blood out of a durian
With Thai durians selling like hot cakes on Alibaba’s Tmall platform, the regime has every reason to believe its deal to have the e-commerce giant promote Thai products will be a resounding success. But Thai farmers may not necessarily gain as much from this as they expect.
— Bangkok Post

PM Prayut denies claims Alibaba’s plans to monopolize Thai trade
The Prime Minister has brushed aside claims that China’s Alibaba is working on a plan to monopolize trade in Thailand.
— NNT

Asian Development Bank and Thailand: Fact Sheet
ADB stands ready to assist Thailand in adopting the “Thailand 4.0” model, envisioned to create a value-based economy founded on creativity, innovation, and intellect.
— Asian Development Bank

Provincial condo market outpaces Bangkok supply
The condominium market in other provinces outside Bangkok became more interesting after 2011, says Surachet Kongcheep, a property market expert.
— Bangkok Post

Aetna International expands into Thailand
One of the largest providers of international health benefits and services, global health care benefits provider Aetna International has opened its first health clinic in Bangkok, Thailand. Located in the Nichada district, the Aetna Family Clinic marks a big step forward in Aetna International’s ambitions to bring integrated health care services to local communities.
— Healthcare Global

Spectrum auction date set for Aug 4
The telecom regulator’s acting board has set Aug 4 as the date for the 1800-megahertz spectrum auctions, 40 days ahead of the expiration of the Total Access Communication (DTAC) concession.
— Bangkok Post

Former chief justice defends Doi Suthep court buildings
A FORMER chief of the Supreme Court judge panel has posted a Facebook response to the recent statement made by a group of academics in Chiang Mai that slammed the courts for allegedly encroaching on a forest reserve.
— The Nation

PM calls for balanced approach in supporting Thai and foreign businesses
Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has instructed his economic team to strike a balance between their support for foreign and domestic investors, after the government struck a deal with Alibaba Group on e-commerce and the Smart Digital Hub project.
— News Today (video)

Protesters call for the resignation of the Livestock Department chief
Anti-corruption and animal rights activists rallied in front of the Livestock Development Department this morning demanding the removal of the department chief for failure to contain rabies in the country. They’re also alleging lack of transparency in the procurement of the anti-rabies vaccine.
— The Thaiger

CPN claims a first with planned Bt5 bn luxury outlet mall
CENTRAL Pattana (CPN), Thailand’s largest shopping mall developer, yesterday said it would spend Bt5 billion to develop Thailand’s first international luxury outlet mall in a move that it says will reinforce the Kingdom’s position as one of the top shopping destinations in Southeast Asia.
— The Nation

Central Bangkok rental yields: What to expect
With no official data of what central Bangkok property investors can expect to achieve on average, the best source of useful data could well be from Numbeo.com.
— Thailand Property News

Thai court orders immediate issuance of arrest warrant for Andy Hall
Bangkok South Criminal Court today ordered for the immediate issuance of an arrest warrant for Andy Hall with a view to ensuring Hall’s attendance in the court to hear a verdict of the Appeals Court on multiple appeals against his September 2016 criminal conviction.
— Prachatai English

Monks revolt against NOB ‘malfeasance’
A movement calling itself the Chao Phut Phalang Phaendin Group (Group of Buddhists who are the Power of the Land) began officially challenging the National Office of Buddhism (NOB) yesterday for allegedly overstepping its authority in seeking legal action against five senior monks over their alleged roles in a temple fund embezzlement scandal.
— Bangkok Post

KBank and partners to promote omni-channel e-commerce business model for SMEs
Kasikornbank (KBank) has teamed up with the Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA), Google (Thailand) and LINE@ to launch the “K SME Good to Great” programme, which is aimed at promoting the omni-channel business model for SMEs amid flourishing e-commerce.
— The Nation

BTS ad seller VGI buying 23% of Kerry Express
SET-listed VGI Global Media Plc, a provider of media space in the skytrain system, has agreed to purchase a 23% stake in Kerry Express Thailand Ltd in a bid to set up parcel collection points at BTS stations.
— Bangkok Post

Doctors claim paraquat is safe for farm use
PARAQUAT IS safe enough for agricultural use and should not be banned, if safely managed and applied to unwanted plants, medical experts said.
— The Nation

U.S., Thailand Kick-Off Anti-Submarine Exercise Guardian Sea
The U.S. Navy and Royal Thai Navy (RTN) kick off exercise Guardian Sea in the Andaman Sea, April 25. The five-day anti-submarine and maritime domain awareness exercise will involve cooperative evolutions designed to enhance mutual capabilities in anti-submarine warfare while also improving information sharing between the two navies.
— Stars & Stripes

Cabinet approves follow-up initiative to help take care of state welfare card holders
he Cabinet has approved an additional initiative to help take care of all holders of government-issued welfare cards.
— NNT

Robotics production targeted
The Industry Ministry’s robotics cluster has set an ambitious five-year target to produce robotics technology locally by 2023, citing interest from robotics manufacturers.
— Bangkok Post

Five impacts on the new property law
More people are becoming aware of Thailand’s new property rental law, which will come into effect in less than one week, and there are some big changes afoot.
— Thailand Property News

Sugar high in store for KTIS with 26.4% surge in cane
SET-listed Kaset Thai International Sugar Corporation Plc (KTIS) forecasts sugar production to rise this year, expecting to finish its 2017-18 sugar-crushing season in May with 11 million tonnes of sugar cane, a 26.4% rise from the 2016-17 period.
— Bangkok 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).

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 April 25 added by John Le Fevre on April 25, 2018
View all posts by John Le Fevre →

Bio
Latest Posts

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.