Thailand ramps up relief efforts to devastated Lao communities (HD video)
The Thailand government has rushed rescue teams and medical personnel to devastated communities downstream of an under-construction dam in Lao PDR that reportedly partially collapsed on Monday obliterating communities, leaving hundreds of people missing and displacing more than 6,600.
— AEC News Today (video)
Thailand scores top marks in ‘Best Business Country Rankings’ report
Thailand came in first in the recent ‘Best Countries to Start a Business Rankings’ of the ‘2018 Best Countries Rankings Report’, marking the second consecutive year it took home top honours.
— TAT News
Domestic car sales seen up 12% in 2018: Toyota
Thailand’s total domestic car sales are expected to be 980,000 units this year, up 12% from 2017, and more than previously expected, Toyota Motor Corp’s Thai unit said on Wednesday.
— Bangkok Post
Phuket’s tourism situation ‘back to normal’, says V/Gov
According to a report issued on the National News Bureau of Thailand (NNT) website yesterday, one of Phuket’s vice governors has stated that Phuket’s tourism, particularly involving Chinese tourists, has recovered with extra safety measures currently implemented.
— The Phuket News
Development projects for lower northeastern provinces approved
The government has approved social and economic development projects for provinces in the lower northeastern region during a roving cabinet meeting in Ubon Ratchathani province.
— NNT
Rescuers arrive for 3,000 stranded after Laos dam collapse: media
Rescue teams from China and Thailand headed on Wednesday into a remote part of landlocked Laos, where more than 3,000 people were stranded after a dam collapse sent a deluge of water across a swathe of villages, domestic media said.
— Reuters
Survey: Thais online for over 10 hours every day
The survey was conducted by the Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA) during June 15 to July 18 this year with 10,787 respondents.
— Bangkok Post
EXIM Bank foresees export growth of 7-9% in 2018
Thai exports will likely continue to do well throughout this year, with a growth rate of 7-9 percent, according to the projection by the Export-Import Bank of Thailand (EXIM Bank).
— NNT
Prudential enters Thai mutual fund market with asset manager buy
Prudential Plc said its Asian asset management unit Eastspring had agreed to buy 65 percent of TMB Asset Management (TMBAM) from Thai bank TMB PCL, marking the British insurers entry into the country’s mutual fund market.
— Reuters
Dam fallout likely for Ratch
Analysts are at odds about whether the collapse of a hydropower dam in southeastern Laos will take a toll on earnings at Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding Plc (Ratch), as the company holds a 25% stake in the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy Hydroelectric Power Project.
— Bangkok Post
Limits set on number of SIM cards individuals can buy
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission has decided to impose a cap on the number of SIM cards that each individual subscriber can buy.
— Thai PBS
Pattaya’s reinvention successful – “TAT strongly opposes any form of sex tourism”
Nestled on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about 100km from Bangkok, Pattaya is one of Asia’s most popular tourist attractions, ranking number eight on of the list of top 20 destinations across Asia by international overnight arrivals, according to Mastercard’s Asia Pacific Destinations Index 2017.
— The Thaiger
Thailand’s Siam Cement posts lower quarterly profit, expects stronger H2
Thailand’s largest industrial conglomerate Siam Cement Pcl posted a 6 percent drop in second-quarter profit on Wednesday, hurt by lower contribution from its chemical business and weak seasonal cement demand.
— Reuters
TCEB launches “THAILAND MICE VENUE STANDARDS 2018” campaign
The Thailand Conventions and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has resolved to promote its Thailand MICE Venue Standards (TMVS) concept internationally, to further stimulate the Thai economy.
— NNT
Tourists should have insurance, forum told
Travel insurance should be mandatory for visitors to Thailand to ease the burden on the tourist
— Bangkok Post
Thailand seeing cheaper tuna amid US, China trade fight
Thailand is seeing an increase in tuna raw material imports from China as exports that would normally go to the US are being ‘dumped’ in Thailand amid new US tariffs, the Bangkok Post reported.
–UCN
What it really takes to make 5G a reality in Thailand
5G in Thailand is not yet around the corner. On the one hand, there is talk of spectrum without laying out a clear roadmap as to when and how it will be made available. On the other, telecom operators are trying to outshine one another with isolated trials that they claim set them on a path to being the first to 5G. None of this constitutes a credible 5G strategy.
— The Nation
No irregularities found in Phuket fishing boat checks
Officials from various local government agencies carried out random inspections on fishing boats at Rassada Pier yesterday looking for cases of illegal employment, working conditions and human trafficking in the fishery industry.
— The Phuket News
Thailand joins international aid effort for flooded Laos
INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT from both the private and government sectors is pouring into Laos after the country’s southeastern Attapeu province was hit by a severe flash flood following the collapse of a hydropower saddle dam.
— The Nation
BOI approves seven more Food Innopolis centers
The Board of Investment (BOI) has agreed to add seven more ‘Food Innopolis’ centers to attract more investment and increase the value of the country’s crops through research and development.
— NNT
Fake stamps prompt Thai visa change
The Thai embassy in Myanmar has replaced visa stamps with visa stickers after fake stamps were discovered at immigration checkpoints in Tak and Sa Kaeo recently, according to immigration officials.
— Bangkok Post
Thailand approves electric vehicle investment plans of Nissan, Honda
Thai authorities said on Wednesday they have approved investment plans worth 29.63 billion baht (US$888.2 million), including projects by two Japanese automakers to produce hybrid electric vehicles and batteries.
— Channel NewsAsia
Thailand to send help to Laos after hydropower dam collapse
The Thai Prime Minister has instructed officials to provide assistance to Laos, following the collapse of Xepian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower dam in the southern region.
— NNT
E-commerce on track to reach B3.06tn
The value of Thailand’s e-commerce market is expected to reach 3.06 trillion baht this year, up 8.5% from last year, driven by the continuous growth of social commerce.
— Bangkok Post
Supreme Patriarch urges all temples to pray for Lao victims
The Supreme Patriarch has ordered all temples in the Northeast to gather food and other necessities to be delivered to Buddhism offices in their respective provinces so they can be sent to Laos to help the flood victims.
— Thai PBS
THAI arranges 3rd special chartered flight for Hajj pilgrims
The Thai Airways International (THAI) arranged its third special chartered flight for Muslims heading to Mecca for the Hajj pilgrimage on Wednesday (July 24th).
— NNT
SCG ramps up investments by 20%
SIAM Cement Group (SCG) plans to boost its 2019 investment budget by 20 per cent from this year to Bt60 billion, the group’s vice president-finance and investment and chief financial officer, Chaovalit Ekabut, said yesterday.
— The Nation
Thai rescue team arrives in Laos to help victims of dam collapse
A forward team of about 30 rescuers and life-saving experts of a private relief organization known as “Hook 31 Foundation” in Nakhon Ratchasima or Korat is waiting to cross the border into Laos to help victims of flooding that resulted from the collapse of a hydropower dam in southeastern Attapeu province’s Sanamxay district.
— Thai PBS
Teacher appeals to 30 former students to repay student loans
A teacher has appealed to 30 of her former pupils to repay their student loans since she is their guarantor and now her house and land are to be seized.
— Bangkok Post
Bangkok to stage supercar show
The Emporium and EmQuartier shopping complexes are working with high-end auto importers to stage “The Emporium-The EmQuartier Speed Revolutionaire”, featuring premium luxury cars and supercars worth over Bt250 million.
— The Nation
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 26 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