Thailand morning news for September 24

Thailand morning news for September 24
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Thailand morning newsChinese mainland tourists to Thailand drop 11 percent in August
Chinese mainland tourists to Thailand dropped 11.77 percent in August compared with the same month last year, according to Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports statistics.
— Xinhuanet

Legalized medicinal cannabis proposals
Invoking Article 44 of the interim constitution to legalize medical marijuana is merely an idea raised by the academic sector, says Deputy Prime Minister ACM Prajin Juntong.
— NNT

Thai healthcare gets a global nod of approval
THE PRIME MINISTER yesterday praised the country for “leapfrogging” the global healthcare efficiency rankings, but health activists called for higher funding to ensure sustainability.
— The Nation

Energy reform plan ready for action
Thailand’s energy reform plan is ready for implementation, with an emphasis on deregulating the electricity sector and enhancing competitiveness among private operators.
— Bangkok Post

Mu Space sticks to IoT support plans
Mu Space has affirmed its plan to develop the Internet of Things (IoT) here to support future 5G technology.
— Bangkok Post

Prayuth World Tour Announced for October
Junta chairman Prayuth Chan-ocha is set to visit four nations and attend two prominent summits next month, the government announced Friday.
— Khaosod English

Drug blitz at full moon party
Anti-drug authorities led by the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) have arrived in Surat Thani to begin a crackdown on drugs at the province’s beach holiday destinations.
— Bangkok Post

ANALYSIS: Red-faced junta can’t woo people with borrowed slogans
WHILE THE two military coups that occurred in the past 12 years have tried to eliminate the so-called Thaksin regime from the Thai political landscape, the junta’s latest campaign to promote General Prayut Chan-o-cha’s administration has only brought the influential tycoon back into the political discourse.
— The Nation

Budget amendment tipped to rev up disbursement
The amended Budgetary Procedure Act, which stipulates that the budget of any investment project for which contracts are not signed by the end of the fiscal year will be cancelled automatically, is meant to prompt state agencies to accelerate investment.
— Bangkok Post

Paving the way to digital ID
Although it could be a boon for Thailand’s digital transformation, a draft law allowing government agencies to collect citizens’ digital ID has provoked concerns over data security and personal privacy, suggesting the act may be more of a curse than a blessing.
— Bangkok Post

Search for missing Mae Hong Son flashflood victims continues
Officials are working around the clock searching for four people who are missing in Sop Moei district of Mae Hong Son province after a devastating flashflood and mudslides hit the area.
— Pattaya Mail/ NNT

Govt mulls plan for 1 visa, 5 cities
The plan for a single visa for “Five Chiang Cities” will be proposed to spur tourism among four countries in the Mekong Region and add quality tourists to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces of Thailand.
— Bangkok Post

Land of smiles named “Best Cultural and Heritage Holiday Destination”
Thailand has been voted No.1 “Star Cultural and Heritage Holiday Destination” worldwide by the travel agent readership of the UK trade magazine Travel Bulletin.
— NNT

Bangkok condo surplus viewed as temporary
Condo oversupply exists in some Greater Bangkok locations but will eventually decrease as developers delay new launches in those areas, say analysts and developers.
— Bangkok Post

Premchai’s Black Panther Trial to Begin in November
Court dates have been set for construction mogul Premchai Karnasuta’s trial on charges of poaching, media reports said Saturday.
— Khaosod English

Cross-border zone in North could boost trade links
The government is studying the feasibility of establishing a cross-border economic zone in the Golden Triangle under the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation scheme to expand economic links for Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and China.
— Bangkok Post

Phuket probation officers prepare to use electronic tagging devices
Phuket Probation Office Director Prachya Chaiwaranurak yesterday (Sept 21) led a seminar to educate local government officers and about electronic monitoring for offenders.
— Phuket News

The Thai wives who never said ‘I do’
After tying the knot earlier this year, Somjit and her husband visited the Wang Muang district office in Saraburi to register their marriage only to be told she was already married to a man she had never met.
— Bangkok Post

Pracharat bill ‘a setback for goal of a welfare state’
THE LAW endorsing the government’s welfare-card project will become a major obstacle – not a boost – to the welfare-state goal, a co-founder of the Future Forward Party has warned.
— The Nation

Minister presides over foundation stone-laying ceremony for construction of new passenger terminal of Khon Kaen airport
The Transport Minister, Arkhom Termphitthayaphaisit, on Sunday presided over the foundation stone-laying ceremony for construction of a new passenger terminal of the Khon Kaen international airport.
— NNT

Special Economic Zone plan for Trat province raises concerns of pollution, loss of coastal livelihoods
Tambon Mai Rut, a sub-district in Thailand’s easternmost province of Trat once housed some 100,000 Cambodians who escaped atrocities at home during the Khmer Rouge era.
— Mekong Commons

Floods hit Bangkok, Chon Buri’s Pattaya and Bang Lamung
Heavy rain on Sunday flooded many roads in Bangkok, including the major arteries of Ratchadaphisek and Ramkhamhaeng. Pictures posted on Twitter showed flooding at Rajamangala National Stadium.
— Bangkok Post

Erawan and Bongkot gas field auction goes forward
The National Energy Reform Committee insists that an auction for the Erawan and Bongkot gas fields will take place.
— Pattaya Mail/ NNT

Safer roads will boost Thai GDP by 22 per cent: World Bank
THAILAND could gain significant long-term economic benefit by making the roads safer and saving its mainly young and capable population from premature death in accidents, the World Bank says.
— The Nation

Sibutramine users to face jail terms under amended rules
Sibutramine, a substance found in some weight-loss products and food supplements, has been reclassified as a Schedule 1 psychotropic substance, with the heaviest penalties for not only producers and sellers but also users, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
— NNT

More seeking southern comfort
Following a mobile cabinet meeting to Chumphon and Ranong last month, various bodies are coming up with ideas to expedite promoting coastal attractions further south on the spectacular western coastline as an extension to the already popular destinations in Phetchaburi’s Cha-am district and Prachuap Khiri Khan’s Hua Hin district.
— Bangkok Post

Recycling Technology Research and Development Center opens
The Ministry of Industry has opened a Recycling Technology Research and Development Center to tackle waste management problems in Thailand.
— Pattaya Mail/ NNT

Thai Union committed to help Thailand deal with sustainable fishing challenges
THAILAND’S progress in promoting human rights in the fishing industry will be addressed in a panel session on modern slavery and human trafficking at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) today in New York.
— The Nation

Senate may tip the balance
The Senate selection process has kicked off now that the Election Commission’s (EC) regulations governing intra-group voting for 50 senators have been published in the Royal Gazette.
— Bangkok Post

Saudi Arabian businessmen to invest in deep South
Thailand’s Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center (SBPAC) has welcomed visiting businesspeople from Saudi Arabia to the southernmost border provinces of Thailand, discussing economic cooperation in the future.
— NNT

Loss-making Thai Airways frets about $3-billion plane purchase
Thailand’s flag carrier Thai Airways, whose business model is under heavy attack from regional discount carriers, is under pressure from the government as 51-per cent owner to invest $3 billion for new airplanes in order to renew its aging fleet and improve its competitiveness.
— Investvine

Prayut top choice for premiership, Pheu Thai still most popular: Nida Poll
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha still tops the list of ideal candidates as the next prime ministet, while Pheu Thai Party remains the most favourite choice, according to a new poll by Nida Poll of National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA).
— Thai PBS World

Ford Motor told to pay Thai customers for transmission woes
A Thai court has ordered Ford Motor Co. to pay 291 customers a total of about US$720,000 in compensation for selling cars equipped with faulty transmissions.
— Chiang Mai Mail/ AP

Pattaya’s hotel performance rebounds as EEC drives positive market sentiment
Thailand’s second largest tourism market, Pattaya has pushed through the glass ceiling from the volatility hangover of the 2014 era, with its hotel sector now showing strong signs of rising stability.
— The Thaiger

Southern education center helping local teachers to become ‘digital savvy’
Thailand’s coordination and administrative center for southern education is providing digital training to more than 3,000 educators in southern cities.
— NNT

Chinese Dissident Couple Granted Bail in Thailand
A Thai appeals court on Friday granted bail to Chinese dissidents Wu Yuhua, who was released, and Yang Chong, who face charges of violating Thai immigration law despite holding United Nations documents describing them as refugees.
— Benar News

Aranyaprathet customs blocks big goods smuggling from Cambodia
Aranyaprathet Customs Office has blocked the smuggling of illegal goods from Cambodia into Sa Kaeo province. Many of the confiscated items included cigarettes and shoe soles.
— NNT

 

Feature photo World Bank 

This week’s Thailand morning news feature photo acknowledges International Day for Universal Access to Information, September 28.

 

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.

 

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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.

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