All the #Thailand #news you need to know for July 23

Prayut again leads candidates for PM: Nida Poll
Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha is again at pole position in the top 10 candidates for prime minister under the current election law, according to the result of a survey carried out by the National Institute for Development Administration, or Nida Poll.
–– Bangkok Post

Board ‘failing Rohingya’
VETERAN DIPLOMAT and former lawmaker Kobsak Chutikul said yesterday that his resignation from the advisory board on the Rohingya crisis is a cautionary message from a long-time friend of Myanmar since the matter is now at a critical stage.
— The Nation

Thai export growth in first half of 2018 breaks 7-year record
The Ministry of Commerce has reported that export growth skyrocketed during the first half of this year despite trade conflicts in the global arena.
— News Today (video)

A country swept up in the statistics
On the surface, Thailand’s economic growth story of the past few years has been putting jubilant smiles on officials’ faces. But beneath the ostensible delight are hidden structural time bombs in the making, with the clocks ticking relentlessly.
— Bangkok Post

Thailand Takes Steps to Repatriate 5,000 Citizens Working in Saudi Arabia
About 5,000 Thais working in Saudi Arabia are asking for help to come home after Riyadh raised visa fees for foreign migrants, officials said Friday, as authorities prepared to repatriate 629 residents of the Deep South, one of Thailand’s poorest regions.
— Benar News

Cracks appear in consensus on rate
Despite the consensus view anticipating an unchanged policy interest rate throughout 2018, monetary policy tightening by the Bank of Thailand could occur twice in the second half following strong second-quarter economic data, says Standard Chartered Bank Thai.
— Bangkok Post

Thailand, Japan join hands on EECi set-up
Thailand and Mie prefecture, in the Kansai region of Japan’s main Honshu island, have agreed to jointly establish the Mie-Thai agro-industrial cooperation centre at the Eastern Economic Corridor of Innovation (EECi) in Rayong.
— Bangkok Post

Majority objects to teachers not paying debts
More than 75 percent of respondents to an opinion poll disagreed with a threat by a group of teachers to stop paying debts to the state-run Government Savings Bank.
— Thai PBS

PM concerned about flood situation in provinces
PM Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha has been monitoring the situation, particularly in the Northeast, to gauge the well-being and safety of the people and farmland, and other kinds of property that may be damaged.
— Chiang Mai Mail

NACC gets pictures of bribe suspects
The anti-graft agency has obtained pictures of four or five local officials taken by a Japanese company that alleged they demanded a bribe from the firm, which delivered equipment by sea to build a gas-fired…
— Bangkok Post

Myanmar’s Rohingya panel head refutes criticism by outgoing secretary
The chairman of an international panel set up by Myanmar to advise on the Rohingya crisis has rebutted criticism by the body’s former secretary, saying the panel is effective and the government has acted on its recommendations.
— Reuters

A giant leap for social Commerce
Thai consumers have reached a new high in online commerce, thanks to Facebook Messenger’s latest deal with Kasikornbank for a one-stop shopping experience on mobile apps.
— The Nation

Thai cave rescue demonstrates benefits of rapidly deployable Wi-Fi
Disaster preparedness and response have entered a new era, where providing first responders and emergency workers, as well as the public, with internet connectivity has become a critical factor in effective operations, according to Cambium Networks.
— eGov Innovation

BGRIM completes share deal for Vietnam solar power project
B.Grimm Power Plc (BGRIM) has completed a 1.13-billion-baht deal for a majority stake in the company sponsoring a US$420-million scheme to build the largest photovoltaic solar power facility in Southeast Asia.
— Pattaya Mail

Rare finless porpoise found beached in Trat
A young, malnourished, finless porpoise is being cared for at a marine research centre after it beached on Sunday at Ban Ta Nuek in Khlong Yai district of Trat.
— Bangkok Post

Phitsanulok villages reject B2.8m tourism promotion budget
Three villages in this northern province are doing the unthinkable: returning money allocated for tourism promotion to state coffers.
— Bangkok Post

PM invites Thais to take part in royal birthday celebration, Buddhist Lent activities
Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has invited members of the public and Thai citizens around the world to take part in the celebration of His Majesty the King’s birthday on July 28th.
— News Today (video)

Minister of Finance says measures to help in-debt teachers already available
The Ministry of Finance has indicated assistance is available for the 450,000 teachers in need of debt restructuring under the Office of the Welfare Promotion Commission for Teachers and Education Personnel Loan Program.
— News Today (video)

New Worker’s Compensation Act adds privileges and coverage
The new Workmen’s Compensation Act passed by the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) has extended protection to over 10 million workers and added benefits for both employers and employees.
— News Today (video)

Smartcard VAT repayment set for August
Repayment of VAT to the government’s welfare smartcard holders is scheduled to start in August, says Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak.
— Bangkok Post

Vehicle snatchers get creative
The latest police crackdown on vehicle theft by the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) has revealed that a large number of vehicles are being stolen by means other than being broken into.
— Bangkok Post

Government gives green light to production of movie about Tham Luang mission
The recent meeting of members of the committee responsible for films and videos in Thailand has resolved to promote the production of a film telling the story of the Tham Luang search and rescue operation, after five world leading movie studios showed interest in making a screen adaptation of the epic mission.
— News Today (video)

EGATi seeks Myanmar power plants
Egat International Co (EGATi), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) is in talks with local operators to construct small gas-fired power plants in Myanmar.
— Bangkok Post

Floods force 300 villagers in Sangkhla Buri to be evacuated
About 300 people of a village in Sangkhla Buri district of Kanchanaburi were today evacuated to a temporary shelter after floods swept into their village.
— Thai PBS

Crocodile escapes capture on Karon beach
The crocodile, which was believed to be the same one first sighted in the sea off Nai Han beach earlier last week, was spotted at about 3.20 am today beaching near Wongwien Karon in Muang district.
— Thai PBS

Bangkok-area land prices leap
Rising prices for land near future mass transit lines and in neighbouring provinces drove the average land price in Greater Bangkok to a 32.3% year-on-year increase in the second quarter of 2018.
— Bangkok Post

New anti-corruption law now in effect
Thailand’s new anti-corruption law has officially been brought into force.
— NNT

Agriculture Min revising off-season farming strategy
The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives is determined to reduce the area used for rice farming after the monsoon season.
— NNT

NACC waiting for info on Deputy PM Prawit’s watches from manufacturers
The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) denies attempting to delay its investigation into the luxury watches case involving Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan, saying that information it has obtained so far is still insufficient.
— NNT

GHB puts NPAs of THB1 million or less up for auction
The Government Housing Bank has put non-performing assets that are worth up to a million baht up for auction.
— NNT

Most listed banks post higher Q2 profit
Most of the 11 SET-listed banks managed to deliver a higher net profit in the second quarter, though the waiver of online transaction fees dealt a blow to fee and service income.
— Bangkok Post

Major to open new cinema in Laos
SET-listed Major Cineplex Group Plc, the operator of the country’s largest cinema chain, has clinched a deal with TK Group in Laos to open its newest cinema abroad, strengthening its position as a regional cinema chain operator.
— Bangkok Post

Watch video: Blind elephant rolls to British pianist Paul Barton’s classical music in Thailand
All of us have seen animals dancing and singing to music, but a blind elephant swaying to the music is a rare sight. One such incident happened when a blind elephant named Lam Duan was seen swaying to the soft tunes played by British pianist Paul Barton.
— Catchnews

Feature photo Dickson Phua

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 23 added by John Le Fevre on July 23, 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.