Thailand morning news for November 20

Third quarter economic growth slows
Economic growth in the third quarter decelerated to 3.3 per cent, the National Economic and Social Development Board announced on Monday.
— TheNation

Poll shows almost half feel they are not better off after 4 years under junta
Almost half of the respondents to an opinion poll admitted that the Prayut government’s “Return the Happiness to the People” policy has not made them happier as there have not been any changes for the better for their livelihood after four years and six months since the military take-over. office.
— Thai PBS Word

BoI offers incentives to meet Bt300-bn EEC target
THE BOARD of Investment (BoI) maintains its Bt300 billion total investment target in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) by the year-end and is releasing new investment packages to woo investors.
— The Nation

Mazda traces 5-year plan for BoI perks
Japanese carmaker Mazda Motor Corporation has planned to implement its 11.48-billion-baht hybrid electric vehicle (EV) projects over five years after winning Board of Investment (BoI) privileges on Monday.
— Bangkok Post

Corrections Dept bans sales of cigarettes, tobacco products for inmates
Corrections Department Director General Narat Sawettanan confirmed that his agency currently bans the sales of cigarettes and tobacco at all prisons across the country to reduce the number of inmates falling sick or dying from respiratory diseases.
— Pattaya Mail

NESDB: Flat quarter-on-quarter growth as exports cool down
Third-quarter economic growth surprised, with a flat reading from the previous quarter, the weakest since the first quarter of 2014 when the economy shrank 0.4%, as exports and tourism cooled.
— Bangkok Post

Apirat defends EC order amid govt gerrymandering concern
Army chief Apirat Kongsompong has affirmed that the regime’s latest order allowing the Election Commission (EC) to make changes to constituency boundaries until Dec 11 will not affect the proposed Feb…
— Bangkok Post

Security stepped up across the country for Loy Krathong fest
Various provinces have stepped up their security measures in preparation for the upcoming Loy Krathong festival.
— News Today (video)

Applications for patents on cannabis extract rejected
Minister of Commerce Sonthirat Sonthijirawong has instructed the director-general of the Department of Intellectual Property to enforce Section 30 of the patent law, to reject applications for patents for cannabis extract by foreign companies in Thailand.
— NNT

Boost in workers’ skills necessary to propel nation forward: minister
The development strategy encompasses the “fourth industrial reform”, development of the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) and the Thailand 4.0 initiative to pull the country out of the middle-income trap, he told the “Skills and the Future of Work: Strategies for Inclusive Growth in Asia and the Pacific” forum.
— The Nation (annoying popups)

Vietnam, Thailand foster air defence cooperation
Sen. Lieut. Gen. Phan Van Giang, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army and Deputy Minister of National Defence received the Commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Chaiyapruk Didyasarin, in Hanoi on November 16.
— NNT

10 Pheu Thai ex-MPs join Thai Raksachart in a “friendly” mass defection
Pheu Thai party core member Chaturon Chaisang led about ten former Pheu Thai MPs in a “friendly” mass defection from their well-established party to join its offshoot party, Thai Raksachart on Monday.
— Thai PBS World

Massive speed haul seized in weekend crackdown
Authorities in Lampang arrested five people and confiscated 900,000 speed pills and almost 250 kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine worth about 500 million baht in two separate cases over the weekend.
— Bangkok Post

Capsized Phoenix successfully brought to port
The Phoenix, which capsized in Phuket waters earlier this year, claiming the lives of over 40 Chinese tourists, has successfully been brought back to port and is now awaiting inspection by the relevant authorities.
— NNT

Slain elephant shot with military assault rifle
An elephant that was killed near Huay Sai Yai waterfall at the Buntharik-Yod Mon wildlife sanctuary in Ubon Ratchathani was shot by a high-power gun, say officials.
— The Nation (annoying popups)

Thailand to stop all foreign plastic waste imports by 2021 following Malaysia, Vietnam
Thailand will ban all plastic waste imports by 2021, making it the latest country in South east Asia to take policy-level action against a rising influx of foreign plastic scraps, much of which comes from food and beverage packaging.
— Food navigator-asia

Role of 5G put under scrutiny
The next generation of wireless technology, known as 5G, will enable Thai voters to directly exercise their democratic rights through the use of electronic voting systems (iVote), but such a shift will depend on the readiness of all players within the political system, a seminar was told on Monday.
— Bangkok Post

RID begins draining water from Bang Rakam lowlands
The Deputy Director-General of the Royal Irrigation Department (RID), Thaweesak Thanadechopol. presided over the ceremony to commence a water drainage project under the Bang Rakam Model project.
— NNT

New store supporting Thai SMEs to open at Chatuchak Weekend Market
A new department store focusing on small and medium sized Thai producers is soon to open at Chatuchak Weekend Market, capitalizing on the popular area’s status as TripAdvisor’s number one place for shopping in Thailand.
— NNT

Pattaya beaches remain a disgrace despite 429 million baht clean-up
Pattaya News has reported about the state of the beach along the Pattaya foreshore saying hundreds of millions of baht has been spent on adding new sand to the beaches but the area still looks a dirty mess.
— The Thaiger

Thailand working with WEF on Digital ASEAN program
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is partnering with leading technological entities including Google, Microsoft, Cisco and Lazada to launch a Digital ASEAN program, aiming to develop digital skills among some 20 million ASEAN citizens by 2020 with an emphasis on SMEs.
— NNT

MNRE sets pollution control measures for dry season
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) has prepared measures to control air pollution in Bangkok and neighboring provinces from December 2018 to April 2019 to bid to prevent unhealthy accumulation of PM 2.5 particles in the air.
— NNT

Royal Thai Police to host 23rd World Police Band Concert
The Royal Thai Police will host the 23rd World Police Band Concert in Thailand on November 24th and 25th, 2018.
— NNT

Govt urged to control private hospital fees
FRESH EFFORTS to make private hospitals “affordable” have now ramped up, with consumer-protection groups voicing their suspicion that private operators may be too focused on making profits and losing track of the core humanity essential to quality medical care.
— The Nation

PRD to set up information centers for Thailand’s ASEAN chairmanship next year
The Public Relations Department (PRD) plans to set up information centers in all the provinces for Thailand’s ASEAN chairmanship next year.
— NNT

Environment at the core
Sansiri is committed to environmental protection through innovations towards the goal of sustainability, said chief operating officer Uthai Utahisangsuk in an interview with The Nation recently.
— The Nation

With His ‘Smiley Buffalo’ to be Sold Off, Farmer Needs Internet’s Help
As buffaloes Kwan Kao and Toong-nguen were loaded onto a truck Sunday to be sold, Tongkum and the other kwai surrounded the vehicle, mooing in mourning.
— Khaosod English

CP Group, BSR Group pass first qualification stage for SRT’s high-speed airports-linkage rail route
CP Group and BSR Group have both passed State Railway of Thailand’s first qualification stage in the bidding to develop a high-speed rail link between three international airports – Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi and U-tapao – SRT governor Worawut Mala said on Monday.
— The Nation

Chinese-speaking local guides take to the streets
More than 100 Chinese-speaking Thai tour guides have today protested and filed an official complaint to tour companies to stop supporting illegal tour guides. The complaints have become a regular fixture in the PR game between tour guides and the provincial officials.
— The Thaiger

City bus fares tipped for hike
City bus fare hikes are likely to be approved after New Year, Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith has said, as 200 bus operators and staff gathered at the ministry on Monday to call for increases.
— Bangkok Post

Feature photo John Le Fevre

This week’s Thailand morning news feature photo acknowledges acknowledges World Toilet Day November 19

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 November 20 added by John Le Fevre on November 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.