Thailand morning news for August 7

Phetchaburi industries brace for deluge
Industrial and business operators in Phetchaburi have stepped up preventive measures to deal with the possibility of flooding as a large volume of water overflows Kaeng Krachan dam.
— Bangkok Post

Dept readies for purge of plastic waste
The Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) will launch a campaign to ban plastic bags and styrofoam food boxes in all national parks from Aug 12 to reduce rubbish that pollutes the nature reserves and threatens wildlife.
— Bangkok Post

BoT tells banks to tackle cybersecurity
The Bank of Thailand has instructed all banks to make cybersecurity a priority, develop systems to tackle unauthorised access and offer compensation in the event of financial losses from a data breach.
— Bangkok Post

Petchburi preparing for overflow of Kaeng Krachan Dam this week
Citizens in Petchburi province have begun to barricade their homes with sandbags for fear that Kaeng Krachan Dam will overflow this week.
— NNT

Agricultural, agro-industrial exports up 4%
The Director-General of the Trade Policy and Strategy Office, Pimchanok Vonkorpon, said exports of agricultural and agro-industrial products in Thailand rose four percent in the first half of this year.
— NNT

BAAC cuts loan target as state farm aid soars
The state-owned Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) has sharply cut its new-loan target for this financial year to 250 billion baht from 750 billion baht earlier in anticipation of of declining loan demand after the government approved in principle the extension of debt repayment and lower lending rates for small-scale farmers.
–Bangkok Post

Bangkok to deploy more police as traffic worsens
The Royal Thai Police have instructed traffic police across metropolitan Bangkok to help coordinate traffic flow to alleviate heavy traffic jams across the capital caused by the construction of the mass-transit system and heavy rains.
— Bangkok Post

BTS looks at PPP for Skytrain route
SKYTRAIN operator Bangkok Mass Transit System Plc (BTS) plans to bid for the management of the Green Line section of the rail network – now being expanded – under a public-private partnership (PPP) scheme.
— The Nation

Improvements in Phuket boat safety gets Chinese media attention
Thailand’s Tourist Police Bureau recently took Chinese media members to Phuket to see first-hand how improved Phuket tour boat safety measures and shipyard standards are being implemented and enforced.
— TAT News

Government prepares assistance for flood hit farmers
The government is preparing assistance for farmers who have been affected by floods.
— News Today (video)

Thai Union sets aside $44m for future price-fixing settlements
Thai Union Group has set aside $44 million and is in active negotiations to settle lawsuits related to price-fixing in the canned tuna sector by its US arm Tri-Union Seafoods, which owns the Chicken of the Sea (COSI) brand.
— UCN

Govt investigating report of missing rice
The government has launched a probe into an allegation that 940,000 tons of pledged rice is missing following an uproar among social media users calling for responsible officers to be held accountable.
— Pattaya Mail

India, Thailand begin two week-long military exercise, focus on enhancing anti-terror cooperation
Armies of India and Thailand on Monday began a two week-long military exercise with a focus on enhancing anti-terror cooperation between the two sides.
— hindustan times

Minister Kobsak: Social Enterprise Promotion Bill will build sustainability
The government is confident that the draft act on the promotion of social enterprise will build sustainability in Thai communities.
— NNT

Overview of Thailand Draft Personal Data Protection Act
Data protection laws in Asia continue to be introduced and updated. One of the most recent developments in South East Asia is in Thailand. On 22 May 2018, the Thai Cabinet approved in principle a revised draft of Thailand’s first personal data protection act (Draft Act).
— Norton Rose Fulbright (blog)

Mothers urged to breastfeed
The Department of Health has set a goal to increase breastfeeding during the first six months of newborns’ lives to 50% by 2025, from the current 23%, to mark World Breastfeeding Week 2018 from Aug 1-7.
— Bangkok Post

Thailand hosts ASEAN seminar on climate change
Thailand is hosting an ASEAN seminar to exchange information and technology needed to address climate change.
— NNT

Government units sign agreements on human trafficking cases
The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security has signed MOUs with other government units on human trafficking.
— News Today (video)

Junta courts politicians ahead of general elections
With the ban on parties engaging in political activity still in place, a group of pro-junta politicians is forming a political coalition to support the junta leader Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha in the next general elections. The coalition will target the Northeast, the stronghold of the Pheu Thai party.
— Prachatai English

Govt to expand modern farming practices nationwide
The government is expanding its policy to promote modern farming practices, in order to foster self sufficiency and sustainability across the agricultural sector.
— NNT

Thailand makes bid to become LGBT+ tourism hotspot
Already established as a same-sex couple friendly destination, with plenty of gay bars and nightclubs around the country, according to the Lonely Planet, the Southeast Asian country is now making an official bid to welcome more LGBT+ travellers.
— Travel Weekly

Thai government donates 3 million baht to Myanmar flood relief
The Thai government has provided three million baht to Myanmar for flood relief and is to consider further assistance at the upcoming Cabinet meeting.
— NNT

Phuket Lobster Festival 2018 now underway
The third annual Phuket Lobster Festival is now underway and will run until August 31 at over 200 participating restaurants and dining venues across the island.
— The Phuket News

Myanmar, Thailand sign sister city agreement for enhancing cooperation
Myanmar and Thailand have signed a sister city agreement to link the Kayah state’s capital of Loikaw with Thai province of Mae Hong Son for closer cooperation, the official Global New Light of Myanmar reported.
— mizzima

World’s most fashionable royal is from Thailand
Move over Meghan Markle, there’s another hot royal of the style scene – and this one has her very own fashion label.
— Yahoo!7

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 August 7 added by John Le Fevre on August 7, 2018
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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.