Govt offers free dinner, free visa too
THE GOVERNMENT and the private sector are launching joint campaigns to bring back Chinese tourists during the peak festive season and hope that this will help Thailand reach this year’s tourism targets.
— The Nation
MPI up 4% last month
The manufacturing production index in October was at 112.79, up 4.08% year-on-year and 1.55% from the previous month on automotive, cigarette, sugar, petroleum and air-conditioner production.
— Bangkok Post
Arrivals up 20% in wake of VOA exemption, officials claim
Tourist arrivals to Thailand are reportedly up 20% in the latter half of November in response to the government’s visa-on-arrival (VOA) fee waivers, with India the star market.
— Bangkok Post
Gen Prayut open to political offer, but in no hurry to say yes
It shouldn’t be a surprise if Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has decided which of the political parties he will align himself with. But for the time being, he still wants to keep his cards close to his chest.
— Thai PBS World
Government pushes for Industry 4.0
The Ministry of Industry and the Federation of Thai Industries have collaborated to develop the business and industrial sectors in line with the “Factory 4.0” Strategy.
— News Today (video)
Thai Oct factory output rises 4.1 pct, beats forecast
Thailand’s manufacturing production index (MPI) in October rose 4.08 percent from a year earlier, after falling for the first time in 17 months in September, led by higher production of cars and car engines, petroleum and airconditioners, the Industry Ministry said on Tuesday.
— Reuters
Thailand pledges to sharply reduce tourism-related waste
Thai Tourism and Sport Minister Weerasak Kowsurat on November 27 pledged to cut tourism-related waste by 50 percent by 2020.
— Vietnam+
Chiang Mai official says the hotel sell-off is “because there were too many tourists”
Manager Online is claiming that a senior tourism official in Chiang Mai says the reason people want to sell hotels in the northern city is not because there are so few Chinese tourists now.
— The Thaiger
Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand boosts investment efficiency in Eastern Economic Corridor
Thai government is pushing forward the policy of “Thailand Industry 4.0” with an aim to promote overall economy and boost the efficiency of domestic industrial sectors. One of the roles of Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) in this endeavor is to develop the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) and ensure its competitiveness in the regional level.
— The Nation
Man detained after Songkhla market attack killed 3
SONGKHLA: One of four men suspected in the fatal shooting of two defence volunteers and a deputy village head in Thepha district of this southern province on Sunday has been arrested.
— Bangkok Post
Mercedes mulls Thailand incentives for EV production
Mercedes-Benz Thailand (MBT) is considering applying for Thailand’s Board of Investment (BoI) incentives to produce electric vehicles in the country, the Bangkok Post reports. The deadline for EV incentive application is December 28.
— paultan.org
Deputy police chief, sanctuary head testify in Premchai case
NATIONAL DEPUTY Police Commissioner Pol General Srivara Ransibrahmanakul expressed confidence yesterday of successfully prosecuting corporate chief Premchai Karnasuta and his three associates in the high-profile black-panther poaching case.
–The Nation (annoying popups)
Thailand Halal Assembly 2018 to push country towards becoming a Halal food production hub
The Central Islamic Council of Thailand (CICOT), the Halal Standard Institute of Thailand (HSIT) and the Halal Science Center of Chulalongkorn University have joined push Thailand towards becoming a Halal food production hub among non-Muslim nations.
— News Today (video)
Plane shortage leads to THAI’s 10 percent loss of market share in past 3 months
Thai Airways International has lost 10 percent of its market share in the past three years due to a shortage of aircraft and if it wants to restore the market share it needs to have at least 125 aircraft, said THAI president Sumeth Damrongchaitham.
— Thai PBS World
Govt shifts reform and reconciliation to new agency as elections approach
THE GOVERNMENT has used its special powers to put national reform and reconciliation mechanisms under a new state agency ahead of the general election due early next year.
–The Nation
Big drug dealer killed in Krabi
A man police describe as a ‘Chaai’ drug dealer in Krabi has been killed by Border Patrol Police after he opened fire on police over the weekend.
— The Thaiger
150+ Politicos Defect to New Pro-Junta Party
More than 150 former MPs, senators, ministers and famous figures had joined pro-junta Palang Pracharat Party by the end of Monday.
— Khaosod English
Labour minister in Phuket orders development of Andaman ‘Super Workers’
Minister of of Labour Maj Gen Adul Saengsingkaew in Phuket on an inspection tour today (Nov 27) ordered all relevant offices in the Andaman area under his ministry to co-ordinate to develop a superior-quality workforce he dubbed ‘Super Workers’.
— The Phuket News
Thailand gets first port call from Big Pink
The 14,000 TEU vessel One Columba, operated by Ocean Network Express (ONE), has become the largest vessel to make a port call in Thailand when it loaded 2,269 containers recently at Hutchison Ports’ Terminal D, Laem Chabang Port.
— freightweek
7, 10 baht insurance against accidents offered to holidaymakers
The Office of Insurance Commission and 16 insurance companies have collaborated to launch insurance products for the coming New Year Festival to prevent people from risks while traveling.
— News Today (video)
Pro-junta party ‘has an edge’
THE PRO-JUNTA Palang Pracharat Party could win the next election but the post-poll coalition government it would lead would be unstable, according to experts.
–The Nation
Deadline to join political parties and run for Parliament reached
The deadline for joining a political party with the intention to run for a seat in Parliament was reached yesterday (November 26) as there is now only 90 days until the general election on February 24, 2019.
— News Today (video)
Election has already been won, so what now?
No one should have any doubts about Prayut Chan-o-cha’s future political path. Reading between the lines of his statements, it’s now plain that the function of the coming election is to legitimise and extend the general’s stay in power.
— The Nation (annoying popups)
Thai startup receives $20 million in funding
Thai workplace collaboration platform Eko has landed $20 million in a series B round led by Sinar Mas Digital Ventures (SMDV), the venture capital unit of Indonesian conglomerate Sinar Mas Group. RedBeat Ventures, AirAsia’s digital investment arm, also participated, along with East Ventures, Gobi Partners and several existing investors.
— investvine
‘Ghost’ students a new nightmare for Obec
The Office of Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) has ordered random checks on state-run schools after another 10 in the Northeast were found to have exaggerated their student enrolment numbers.
— Bangkok Post
Thailand has huge mobile potential
Mobile is the future, and this is especially the case in ASEAN member states. As a matter of fact, e-commerce logistics management platform, Parcel Perform, recently noted that emerging markets like Myanmar and Thailand are seeing rapid growth in mobile marketing.
— The Asean Post
Cabinet green light for housing for low-income people
The Cabinet has approved 12 housing projects for middle- and low-income people. The projects’ investment totals 2.6 billion baht.
— News Today (video)
BTS sees income double this year, expects strong five-year increases
BTS Group Holdings Plc (BTS) expects its income to surge 200 per cent for the fiscal year 2018/2019 starting April 2018 thanks to strong business expansion, amid projections that the number of passengers would rise 4-5 per cent from the previous year.
— The Nation
Vietnam’s blockchain start-up linanetwork commits to thai market
According to the latest statistics published by International Data Corporation (IDC), the global blockchain spending will continue its growth hitting 11.7 billion USD in 2022; Japan and Canada are the fastest growth.
— Bangkok Post
Phuket light-rail budget jumps B594mn, to B40bn
The estimated budget required for building the Phuket Light Rail system has jumped by more than B500 million, according to announcement issued by the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP).
— The Phuket News
Bangchak plans bio-refinery for EEC
Bangchak Corporation Plc (BCP) plans to invest Bt4 to Bt5 billion to set up a bio-refinery on expectation that details would be finalised in early next year.
— The Nation
400,000 baht Hua Hin shark net comes loose again
Talknewsonline is reporting that the shark net installed along Sai Noi Beach in Hua Hin has come loose for the second time and floated ashore.
— The Thaiger
Two parties rule out any PPRP pact
November 28, 2018 at 4:00 am
The Democrat and Thai Raksa Chart parties announced Tuesday they would not join hands with the pro-regime Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP).
— Bangkok Post
Too many motorbikes on sidewalks to handle, police say
Police have admitted they cannot prevent motorcyclists using city footpaths as roads, after a young student was knocked down by a sidewalk-hogging motorbike on Monday.
— Bangkok Post
Tycoon granted court absence
The Thong Pha Phum Provincial Court on Tuesday approved a request by construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta to remain absent while prosecution witnesses testified in the infamous black panther poaching case.
— Bangkok Post
E-commerce and cybersecurity a focus of
E-COMMERCE and cybersecurity, together with Internet governance and data privacy, will be key topics among Asean member states after Thailand assumes the bloc chair in 2019, says Air Chief Marshall Prajin Juntong, deputy prime minister and minister of justice.
— The Nation
BRN guerrillas cause peace brokers to sweat
The Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) guerrillas, believed to be a core movement behind the unrest in the deep South, are refusing to participating in the latest round of peace talks, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said yesterday.
— Bangkok Post
Friendship with ‘smiley’ buffalo takes heart-breaking turn
THE 34-year-old Chai Nat farmer Surat Paewkate – who made headlines for his unusual friendship with a five-year-old buffalo called Thong Kham – was separated from his four-legged best friend yesterday when police took the animal away over allegations that Surat had used this “friendship” to get money from others. Surat had been hired to take care of the buffalo.
— The Nation
Feature photo John Le Fevre
This week’s Thailand morning news feature photo acknowledges International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, December 2
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 28 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.
Latest posts by John Le Fevre (see all)
- COVID-19 in Asean: update for July 26 — 16 mln case barrier breached, Vietnam records community transmission – July 26, 2020
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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