Tourism arrivals in Thailand up 7.5% so far this year
The Ministry of Tourism and Sports has announced the tourism figures for January-November 2018, providing an accurate indication of what the country can expect for year’s end numbers.
— The Thaiger
Thai border and cross border trade rises in value
The Department of Foreign Trade has reported a 5.81% increase in the value of border and cross border trade and expects that it will reach 1.6 trillion baht in 2019.
— NBT World (video)
SME bank to offer Bt40 bn in soft loans to freelance workers
The Small and Medium Enterprise Development Bank of Thailand (SME Bank) will support freelance workers with Bt10-billion in soft loans for taxi drivers and another Bt30-billion for borrowers of the Student Loan Fund (SLF) who want to work independently.
— The Nation (annoying pop-ups)
Chinese tourists raise swine fever risk
Strict inspections of processed pork products from overseas will be kept in place in a bid to stave off an outbreak of African swine fever, especially from China, after several samples of sausages confiscated from Chinese tourists entering Thailand were found to have a viral strain of African swine flu.
— Bangkok Post
Ruling in Premchai’s wildlife poaching trial set for March
The Thong Pha Phum court said on Wednesday it will rule on Italian-Thai Development president Premchai Karnasuta’s black-leopard poaching case in the morning of March 19, 2019.
— Bangkok Post
Anti-graft body skips date in Prawit watch case probe
UNCERTAINTY over the fate of Deputy Premier General Prawit Wongsuwan continued yesterday after the country’s anti-graft watchdog failed to deliver its report on the probe into Prawit’s collection of luxury wristwatches.
— The Nation (annoying pop-ups)
AoT expects 3.1mn travellers for the holidays
Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) estimates that 3.1 million passengers will use its six international airports during the year-end holiday, with airlines set to operate a total of 18,300 flights.
— The Phuket News
Record sentences in record-breaking court verdict on Bt1 bn KMITL embezzlement case
A FORMER bank manager and a university finance chief were each sentenced to more than 190 years in prison yesterday in a Bt1-billion embezzlement and money-laundering case involving King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL).
— The Nation (annoying pop-ups)
Partnership bill may still not pass NLA
OPINIONS are divided on the Life Partnership Bill, which is holding back some rights for same-sex couples, as the bill enters the final phase before becoming law.
— The Nation (annoying pop-ups)
Heroes who shook the nation
The year 2018 was a year in which many heroes emerged. One incident engraved in our memory is of the volunteers who searched for and rescued the Wild Boars football team trapped in a cave in Chiang Rai in June.
— Bangkok Post
Price controls may be placed on soaring medical costs
The Commerce Ministry is considering putting medicine and medical treatment on the list of controlled goods and services amid concerns over the high cost of private medical care.
— Bangkok Post
Long jail terms in KMIT funds theft case, ex-rector acquitted
Sentences of 4-50 years in jail have been handed down to 11 people for the embezzlement of hundreds of millions of baht from King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL).
— Bangkok Post
Police to deploy 70,000 security personnel nationwide during NY holidays
The Royal Thai Police is deploying 70,000 officers and other personnel nationwide to maintain safety and security during the year-end holidays, as four major celebration venues get underway in the capital.
— NBT World (video)
Thailand appoints first female capital market regulator chief
Thailand named Ruenvadee Suwanmongkol as secretary general of the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), appointing a woman to run the market regulator for the first time.
— The Straits Times
Battle of the bulge: Thailand strives to bring monk obesity crisis under control
Every morning at dawn, the food is dished out to Thailand’s monks in abundance: donations of sticky rice, cakes, noodles, sweet pudding, dumplings, shop-bought snacks and Thai desserts coated with condensed milk and coconut cream.
— The Guardian
Army lieutenant charged with B1m bank robbery
An army lieutenant has confessed to robbing a Krungthai Bank branch in Muang district of one million baht, saying he needed money to pay off his debts.
— Bangkok Post
From Thailand, a call to empower mothers, babies during first 1,000 days
Governments and stakeholders should efficiently implement the Maternal and Child Health Handbook to provide proper care for mothers and their babies during the first 1,000 days of life and achieve UN-backed public health goals, advocates said.
— ABS-CBN News
New Teachers in Thailand Will Now Be Required to Pass a Test to Get Their Teaching License
Commencing in the next academic year, students who enroll in teacher training courses will no longer automatically get teaching licenses from the Teachers’ Council of Thailand (TCT), but will instead have to pass a test set by its Professional Standards Committee.
— Chiang Rai Times
Drivers Involved in Road Accidents During Thailand’s New Year Must Undergo Mandatory Blood Alcohol Tests
All motorists and motorcyclists involved in road accidents during the New Year’s festival from December 27 to January 2 will be subjected to blood tests at hospitals for alcohol as Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha today ordered all government agencies to ensure safety for the people during the upcoming celebrations
— Chiang Rai Times
Expat retirees in Thailand may be forced into compulsory private health insurance
Expats on retirement visas in Thailand may be forced to either leave or purchase expensive private health insurance.
— Emigrate.co.uk
Department of National Parks encourages coexistence with wildlife
The Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation has organized activities for this year’s National Wildlife Protection Day.
— NBT World (video)
PM’s office ‘solved’ 89.9% of complaints
The Office of the Prime Minister says it has received more than 140,000 complaints during the 2018 fiscal year with most surrounding traffic issues, such as parking nuisances and traffic jams, gambling dens and loan sharks.
— The Nation (annoying pop-ups)
Tsunami remembrance ceremony held on Patong Beach
Residents, tourists and provincial dignitaries gathered on Wednesday morning at Patong Beach for a remembrance ceremony commemorating 14 years since the deadly tsunami that struck on the morning of December 26, 2004.
— The Nation (annoying pop-ups)
Ex-Mitsubihsi Power bosses admit to bribing Thai official
Former executives of Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Inc have admitted in a trial on Tuesday to accusations that they bribed a Thai public servant over a power plant project in a case under Japan’s first plea bargain deal, according to Kyodo news agency.
— The Nation (annoying pop-ups)
Feature photo John Le Fevre
This week’s Thailand morning news feature photo acknowledges the volunteers and paid professionals who participated in the rescue of the Wild Boar football team in July
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 December 27 added by Mark Roy on
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A a professional photographer since the days of film, he holds a Bachelor of Arts in Photomedia and a Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism.
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