Sustaining 5% growth a challenge, say economists
THE ECONOMY could grow by 5 per cent this year, but the challenge will be in how to sustain that rate, economists agreed at a roundtable discussion last week.
— The Nation
Thai Police announce all Nigerians in Thailand will be investigated
Police on Friday said they will target ALL Nigerians in Thailand for investigation in a move a top UN human rights official warns could amount to illegal and discriminatory policing.
— The Pattaya News
Pheu Thai rudderless as poll looms
News of Thaksin Shinawatra predicting the Pheu Thai Party will win at the next election might shore up the sagging spirit of supporters.
— Bangkok Post
Queen Sirikit makes merit on birthday
Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, wife of the late King Rama IX, made merit on the occasion of her 86th birthday anniversary on Sunday – Thailand’s Mother’s Day.
— Bangkok Post
Pracha Rat panel forecasts 9.2% export growth
Despite the escalating trade row between the US and China, Thailand’s exports are expected to manage strong growth of 9.2% this year, fetching the country US$258.58 billion, says the Pracha Rat (People’s State) steering committee on exports and outward foreign direct investment.
— Bangkok Post
Thai seafood exporter strives to clean up its act
Thai Union Group, the world’s biggest canned tuna supplier, is making strides toward improving its notorious labor practices in the face of Western pressure.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)
Storms force dam discharge
The Nam Un dam in Sakon Nakhon is now holding 102% of its safe maximum capacity, necessitating continued discharge of water downstream with the dam is expected to take more inflow later this week.
— Bangkok Post
8 large-sized dams now under watch
The Office of National Water Resources is keeping a close watch on eight large-sized dams which are holding water at alarming levels, ONWR secretary-general Somkiat Prajumwong said on Friday.
— Thai PBS
Minimal harm to GDP seen from trade tiff
The tit-for-tat trade dispute between the US and China is forecast to have a net negative effect on Thai economic growth of a mere 0.03 percentage points, says a source at the Finance Ministry with knowledge of the Fiscal Policy Office’s estimates.
— Bangkok Post
NRCT, DNP push forward research sector enhancements
The National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT), and the Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservations (DNP), have signed an agreement to upgrade the country’s research sector towards the Thailand 4.0 model.
— NNT
EECD gets PPP treatment
In a bid to speed up development, the Eastern Economic Corridor of Digital (EECD), one of the flagship developments under the government’s much-touted EEC scheme, will be developed under the public-private partnership (PPP) model.
— Bangkok Post
Commerce Ministry to host CLMVT Forum this month
The Ministry of Commerce will host the CLMVT Forum 2018 on August 17-18 in Bangkok.
— News Today (video)
Seven provinces warned against flashfloods
An ad hoc center for emergency situations has issued warnings of flashfloods in seven provinces across Thailand while keeping an eye on several reservoirs.
— NNT
Expediting e-services
Governments and state enterprises play an important role in providing online public services, but involving the private sector can lead to more and better innovations, says a regional expert on Internet of Things (IoT) applications.
— Bangkok Post
Tetra Pak underlines four trends in grocery
With the online grocery sector in Thailand estimated to grow five-fold by 2030 based on current projections, Tetra Pak Thailand is highlighting four major trends in online grocery in the 11th annual edition of the Tetra Pak Index.
— Bangkok Post
PM meets with Thai diplomats, provincial governors on border development
During a meeting of Thai ambassadors and consuls-general to neighboring countries as well as provincial governors, the Prime Minister asked all to help foster development in border areas and enhance Thailand’s cooperation with its ASEAN neighbors.
— NNT
Chiang Rai to open organic fruit and vegetable centre next year
The largest market for fresh fruit and vegetables in the North is scheduled to open in Chiang Rai next year.
— The Nation
Poll candidates with military background ‘least desirable’
Election candidates with a military background are the least desirable, the results of a public opinion survey showed on Sunday.
— The Nation
EEC investments jump by 122% during this year’s first half
A combined value of investments on the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) project has increased by 122 percent during the first half of 2018.
— NNT
B1.2bn marked for startups
Three state-owned banks in July earmarked a combined 1.2 billion baht for investment in startups, says the Fiscal Policy Office (FPO).
— Bangkok Post
Court Seeks to Move Doi Suthep Homes to Chiang Rai
Activists Saturday slammed court officials for dodging their demands when they said homes built atop a protected northern forestland could be moved to neighboring Chiang Rai.
— Khaosod English
Fire trucks deal heads back to court
A case concerning former Bangkok governor Apirak Kosayodhin’s petition against City Hall’s order for him to pay hefty compensation for alleged malfeasance in connection with the 2004 fire truck and boat procurement saga goes before the Supreme Administrative Court on Thursday.
— Bangkok Post
Student tech education boosted to prepare 4.0 workforce
Having succeeded in raising Thailand’s ratio of vocational students to 39.7 per cent this year – inching towards the government’s goal of 50 per cent – the Office of Vocational Education Commission (OVEC) head Suthep Chittayawong has vowed to boost it further.
— The Nation
Thailand Research Expo showcasing 636 successful studies
The Thailand Research Expo 2018 is being held at Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld until Monday, showcasing more than 600 useful studies.
— NNT
Rice export success eyed
The government is upbeat about achieving 11 million tonnes of rice shipments this year, predicting exports of as much as 900,000 tonnes a month for the remainder of 2018.
— Bangkok Post
Integration to the fore
Major developers are turning to mixed-use projects for sustainable income amid land supply shortage and changing consumer behaviors
— The Nation
NLA approves enactment of new Copyright Act
The National Legislative Assembly has voted to pass a new version of the Copyright Act.
— NNT
BAY studying digital token deposit service
Bank of Ayudhya, the country’s fifth-largest lender by assets, is considering a deposit account service for digital token trading that would position BAY as a payment gateway for digital asset transactions.
— Bangkok Post
Rice Department developing demand based production plan
The Department of Rice is making sure that the production of Thai rice is in line with market demand while proclaiming its commitment to the large-scale farming campaign.
— News Today (video)
In Thailand, an innovative school provides a safe space – and a foundation for life
In the tiny village of Khetoon, in Thailand’s rural northeast, uproarious laughter rings out. Set amongst emerald green rice fields and patches of vegetables, it’s typical of so many in the region – reliant on agriculture, with low education levels and grinding inter-generational poverty.
— UNFPA
Thailand prepares for ASEAN chairmanship in 2019
The integration story of Southeast Asian nations, widely known as “ASEAN”, began in 1967 and has since brought about significant changes to the Southeast Asian region.
— The Nation
Blue Flag upgrades to “Shohuayhybrid”
The Ministry of Commerce has introduced the “Shohuayhybrid” application to distribute products to local shops nationwide.
— NNT
Defeated, City Hall Again Agrees to Exempt Khaosan
Khaosan vendors were served a heaping bowl of win Friday with word they can resume business as usual after City Hall gave up a push to regulate them.
— Khaosod English
304 stateless people granted Thai nationality in Kanchanaburi
A ceremony was held on Sunday in Thong Pha Phum district of this western border province to present Thai identification cards to a group of 304 new citizens.
— Bangkok Post
Agriculturists encouraged to take extra care for durian
The Krong Pinang District Agricultural Office has encouraged agriculturists to take extra care for durians to make the produce suits the markets’ needs.
— News Today (video)
Seven Years of UNITE Thailand: Freedom to be Free
During the peak of Thailand’s political warfare between the Red and Yellow shirts, I was a graduate student at Teachers College, Columbia University pursuing a Doctorate in Political Science with a specialization in Comparative and International Education.
— Modern Diplomacy
Phuket Opinion: Never look back, never learn
The news that actual safety inspections of Phuket tour boats is finally underway is much welcome. Even better is that action has been taken in banning 10 boats from operating because they were deemed unsafe.
— The Phuket News
Most people have confidence in strength of Thai dams: Nida Poll
A majority of people are confident that all dams in Thailand are solid and strong. believing they were designed properly and built by engineers with expertise in their field, according to an opinion survey carried out by the National Institute for Development Administration, or Nida Poll.
— Bangkok Post
Thailand Trade Expo, Trade Ministry Records Transactions of IDR15.93 Billion
Indonesian products successfully recorded transactions of USD1.10 million or IDR15.93 billion in the subregional promotion event “The 4th Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area and Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (BIMP-EAGA & IMT-GT) 2018 Trade Expo.”
— Netral English
Kiwi tourists urged not to ride elephants in Thailand
Intrepid Travel co-founder Geoff Manchester released shocking footage on Sunday – which happens to be World Elephant Day – to show tourists the dark side of elephant riding in Thailand.
— Newshub
Surat Thani flood stable, needs 2 weeks for drainage
The flood situation in Surat Thani orovince has started to stabilize, while all flood water is expected to be drained out in two weeks.
— NNT
Phu Luang elephant stamps officer to death
A wild elephant in Loei Province invading a farming area to eat the crop spotted a Phu Luang Widlife Sanctuary officer and attacked him yesterday, resulting in the man’s death.
— NNT
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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 August 13 added by John Le Fevre on
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John Le Fevre
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.
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- COVID-19 in Asean: update for July 24 — Asean tops 230,000 cases, nudges 90,000 active – July 24, 2020
- Thailand morning news for July 24 – July 24, 2020