All the #Thailand #news you need to know for July 20

Thailand’s Siam Commercial Bank profits slide 6.7 pct on fee cuts
Thailand’s second-largest bank, Siam Commercial Bank Pcl (SCB) , on Thursday reported an 6.7 percent drop in second-quarter net profit due to higher expenses and lower non-interest income.
— Reuters

Govt’s fiscal expansion policy to continue to pursue infrastructure projects
FINANCE MINISTER Apisak Tantivorawong says the government is planning key policy actions in the second half of the year, ranging from fiscal expansion to debt restructuring for farmers, to further boost the economy and the country’s competitiveness.
— The Nation

Tropical storm lashes upper Northeast
The upper Northeastern provinces are being hit by a tropical storm centred in Vietnam raising the water level in the Mekong River to a critical point.
— Bangkok Post

Thai June export growth seen slowing to 9.5 percent year-on-year: poll
Thailand’s customs-cleared annual exports may have risen 9.50 percent in June, a Reuters poll showed, slowing from a 11.44 percent increase in the previous month.
— Reuters

Airports too quiet for state agency owner
STATE-OWNED airports were quieter than expected in the quarter to June, with a decline in the growth of passenger numbers from the corresponding period last year, prompting speculation that the World Cup may have been a factor.
— The Nation

PACC takes action on abuse complaints from foreigners
Around 30 complaints have been submitted to the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) by foreign tourists and business operators claiming they were badly treated by Thai authorities.
— Bangkok Post

Thailand should not rush to raise interest rates: finance minister
Thailand should not rush to increase interest rates as inflation has just returned to the central bank’s target range, and any impact from a trade war is expected to be small, the finance minister said on Thursday.
— Reuters

Defaulters to face the music
The Finance Ministry has given the state-owned Government Savings Bank (GSB) the go-ahead to expedite legal action against teachers who are threatening to stop repaying their loans.
— Bangkok Post

Up to 20,000 fake Thai visas being issued to Burmese
Thai Rath are reporting that an extensive network of fake visas for Thailand is emerging, being issued in Myanmar.
— The Thaiger/ Thai Rath

Drugs in chicken breasts
Some 26 of 62 poultry samples taken from Bangkok markets and stores have tested positive for two antibiotics, according to a survey by the Foundation for Consumers (FFC).
— Bangkok Post

Thai cave boys pray for good luck after first night home
Members of the “Wild Boars” football team rescued from a cave in northern Thailand prayed for good luck at a Buddhist temple on Thursday (Jul 19) morning after spending their first night back home with family.
— Channel NewsAsia (annoying autoplay video popups)

Apirach set to become Army chief in military appointments
ASSISTANT ARMY chief General Apirach Kongsompong is tipped to take over as the new commander-in-chief from incumbent General Chalermchai Sittisart, who retires at the end of September.
— The Nation

Movie rights of Tham Luang rescue become an issue
The Ministry of Culture is mulling an idea of setting up a national ad hoc committee to handle the copyright of the information related to the Tham Luang cave rescue operations in the wake of interest shown by several movie production houses to make films about what has come to be known as one of the world’s most dramatic rescue missions.
— Thai PBS

Injuries at work yield more money
The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) has passed a bill allowing private employees and contracted workers at state agencies to glean more benefits from a compulsory compensation fund in the event of an accident at work.
— Bangkok Post

PM presses technological development and awareness
Thailand’s Prime Minister has pressed for technological development in line with the Thailand 4.0 agenda, stating that all citizens must be knowledgeable in digital technologies to gain the most benefit and so that they may contribute to Thailand’s readiness to weather global changes.
— NNT

Crocodile sighting prompts warning against swimming off Nai Han beach
No-swimming signs were put up on Nai Han beach in Phuket today after a crocodile estimated to be about two metres long was sighted swimming in the sea about 100 metres from the shoreline on Wednesday.
— Thai PBS

Thailand’s top 2 banks beat second quarter forecasts as economy gains traction
The largest lender, Bangkok Bank Pcl, reported a 14.3 percent rise in net profit for the three months through June to 9.2 billion baht ($275 million), beating an estimate of 8.4 billion baht in a Reuters survey of four analysts.
— Reuters

Thai FDA inspects vegetables for consumers’ safety
After a warning from the Pesticide Alert Network about excessive levels of pesticides on vegetables sold in markets, Secretary General of the FDA, dr. Wanchai Sattayawuthipong Tuesday stated that the FDA has been continuously inspecting and monitoring markets on this issue.
— Fresh Plaza

Chinese nationals arrested in Phuket for operating fake call center
Thai and Chinese police have arrested 22 Chinese, two Thais and one Myanmar national in Phuket province for allegedly duping people and committing electronic fraud.
— NNT

Bangkok meet finds ways for 5G business success
POLICY MAKERS and industry players from Asia-Pacific countries have been gathering in Bangkok to discuss ways to maximise the benefits in store with a transition to fifth generation (5G) mobile communications technology.
— The Nation

Foreign tourism eclipses 20 million for first 6 months of 2018
Revenue from tourism up 15%. Tourist numbers up 12%, year-on-year. Could Thailand exceed 40 million tourists for 2018?
— The Thaiger

Marine Dpt probes alleged bribe taking by officials from a Japanese firm
The Marine Department has set up a committee to investigate officials of the department suspected of having received bribes, totaling 20 million baht from a Japanese company to facilitate the transport of equipment for the Khanom power plant project in Surat Thani.
— Thai PBS

Volunteer boy scouts trained to help Hajj pilgrims fly off to Mecca
A group of boy scouts have been trained to help Hajj pilgrims to fly off to Mecca.
— News Today (video)

8.4 million Yaba tablets seized in Thai raid
About 8.4 million Yaba tablets, 121kg of Ice and 25kg of Ketamine were seized from two suspected Thai drug smugglers during an early morning police operation on Thursday (Jul 19).
— Channel NewsAsia (annoying autoplay video popups)

Wild Boars, soldiers in religious ceremony dedicated to ex-SEAL Samarn
Members of the Wild Boars soccer team and their coach this morning attended a traditional blessing ceremony at a local temple in Mae Sai District in Chiang Rai as nine soldiers entered monkhood as a dedication to former SEAL member Samarn Gunan who died while taking part in an operation to rescue the young footballers trapped in Tham Luang cave.
— Thai PBS

Organiser heads to Thailand for Silmo Bangkok
A first-ever Silmo Bangkok saw a record number of 3,750 trade visitors from 42 different countries at the event between June 20-22.
— Optician

Phayao governor leads inspection after fire at Phayao Hospital
Phayao Governor Narongsak Osot-thanakorn has led an inspection of Phayao Hospital after a fire broke out on its fourth floor, which damaged one room and set off an investigation into the cause.
— NNT

How Thailand’s junta is robbing Bangkok of its soul
Thailand’s military government wants to turn the chaotic metropolis of Bangkok into a kind of Singapore: tidy, sterile and easily controllable – and thus, a symbol of its power.
— Southeast Asia Globe

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 July 20 added by John Le Fevre on July 20, 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.