Thailand morning news for September 26

Thailand morning news for September 26
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Thailand morning newsAugust tourist arrivals up 3%
Thailand’s tourism market remains strong, with more than 3.2 million foreigners travelling here in August, rising 3% year-on-year.
— Bangkok Post

Thai police recover body of murdered Scot Alan Hogg & Thai wife Nott Suddaen (video)
The bodies a British man and his wife missing in northern Thailand for the past five days were recovered today after police used earthmoving equipment to excavate part of their garden.
— AEC News Today

Government touts aircraft maintenance center in Chonburi to French investors
The government has confirmed plans to establish an aircraft maintenance center in the country to French investors who have shown an interest in the country’s aviation sector.
— NNT

Marijuana for medicinal use ‘within eight months’
THAILAND’S Governmental Pharmac-eutical Organisation (GPO) has begun researching how to develop medicines from marijuana in acknowledgement of evidence that the outlawed substance has health-enhancing properties. It is also seeking to initiate a legal amendment that would permit cannabis for medicinal use, possibly by May next year.
— The Nation (annoying popups)

Finance minister quells bubble talk
Finance Minister Apisak Tantivorawong has rushed to dispel concerns that there is a local property bubble.
— Bangkok Post

Cabinet budgets B1bn for new technology research institute
The cabinet has approved a new research institute, with the government pledging support of 1 billion baht during 2019-22.
— Bangkok Post

9 Deep South Muslim Men Sentenced for Bomb Plot
A Thai court on Tuesday sentenced nine Muslim men from the Deep South to four to six years in jail after convicting them of conspiring two years ago to launch bomb attacks in Bangkok and a nearby province, while five others walked free.
— Benar News

Social Development Ministry launches nationwide campaign to remove beggars from streets
Thailand’s Ministry of Social Development and Human Security has launched a new campaign to remove beggars from the streets of Thailand.
— NNT

Product list readied for customs legal action
The Customs Department is set to announce a list of imported products that will see tax evasion suspects prosecuted in court, without settlement at the customs official level, says its chief.
— Bangkok Post

Govt ‘has not sold film rights for Tham Luang cave rescue’
THE GOVERNMENT has not granted intellectual rights of the rescue of the Mu Pa (Wild Boar) football team and their coach to any filmmakers despite several reports saying that Universal Pictures has secured deals with the Australian divers and the football team, Lt-General Weerachon Sukondhapati-pak said yesterday.
— The Nation (annoying popups)

Customs Dept deploys big data system to prevent tax evasion
The Thai Customs Department is cooperating with international counterparts to set up a big data system to intensify the monitoring of goods imports and to clampdown on tax evasion.
— NNT

Traffickers jailed over child flower sellers
The Mae Sot Provincial Court has sentenced two men in a human trafficking case to 12 years in jail and ordered them to pay almost 1.3 million baht in compensation to the victims, according to the Human Rights and Development Foundation (HRDF).
— Bangkok Post

Chevron and PTTEP to face off in Thai petroleum auction
Chevron Corp and Thailand’s PTT Exploration and Production Pcl (PTTEP) will compete in the auction of Bongkot and Erawan petroleum concessions in the Gulf of Thailand after bids were submitted on Tuesday, with France’s Total SA sitting it out, the government said in a statement.
— Reuters

PM heeds orders from HM the King as more heavy rains expected nationwide
Thailand’s Prime Minister has urged public caution due to continuing heavy rains at this time and has heeded orders from His Majesty the King to ensure the safety of the Thai people from water crises.
— NNT

Tourism Stakeholders Commit To Plastic Free Future
Leading hotels and tourism groups have signed the “Phuket Pledge” at Phuket Hotels for Islands Sustaining Tourism Forum 2018 (PHIST) establishing a model for the future development of islands throughout Asia that embraces sustainability as a core and sets urgent goals for long-term change.
— The Phuket News

Authorities accelerate installation of CCTVs to ensure public safety
Authorities have accelerated the installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, after receiving requests from many urban communities through the state-funded Thai Niyom Yangyuen (Sustainable Thainess) program.
— NNT

PM gives nod to Cabinet members to work with Palang Pracharath Party
Cabinet ministers are free to work with the Palang Pracharath party so long as it is not against the law, said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Tuesday in reference to reports that a handful of his ministers will join the pro-junta party.
— Thai PBS World

Nod to state units’ investment budget
The Cabinet approved state enterprises’ investment budget and framework totalling Bt2.058 trillion for the fiscal year 2019 at its meeting yesterday, Thosaporn Sirisumphand, director-general of National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB), said after the meeting.
— The Nation

SRT opens second meeting on high-speed rail network linking main airports
The acting Governor of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), Worawut Mala, presided over the opening session of the second meeting on the high-speed train project linking Don Mueang International Airport, Suvarnabhumi Airport, and U-Tapao International Airport, allowing bidders to officially ask the SRT about the project.
— NNT

Ex-DSI chief Tarit acquitted in malfeasance case filed by Abhisit and Suthep
The Criminal Court on Tuesday acquitted former director-general of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) Tarit Pengdit and four other police officers from charges of malfeasance filed against them by former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his then deputy, Mr Suthep Thuagsuban.
— Thai PBS World

Police arrest 11 for illegal website
Police have arrested 11 people allegedly linked with running a multi-million-baht online gambling network, seizing at least three million baht worth of assets from the gang.
— Bangkok Post

Three generals step in to solve BACC problem
Three generals from the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) joined the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA)’s advisory team yesterday to help solve the ongoing row between City Hall and the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC).
— The Nation

A&W operator fizzes expansion plan
NPP Food Incorporation Co, the operator of A&W fast food restaurants, plans to almost triple its branches to 100 by 2020.
— Bangkok Post

GHB maintains loan interest rate at 3% for low-income earners buying homes
The Government Housing Bank (GHB) has announced its decision to maintain a loan interest rate at 3% until the end of this year to help more Thais buy their own homes.
— NNT

Minister Kobsak only step away from joining Palang Pracharath Party
Though he hasn’t said it out loud, Prime Minister’s Office Minister Kobsak Phutrakul is leaving no doubts that he is just a step away from throwing his hat into the political ring.
— Thai PBS World

Public van ‘retirement’ dispute rumbles on
Van operators and passengers have blasted the Department of Land Transport’s (DLT) decision to decommission vans older than 10 years saying the policy will be detrimental to public transport.
— Bangkok Post

DLT: No extension to be given to transport vans hitting 10 years of usage
Thailand’s Department of Land Transport (DLT) has stated it cannot extend the use of public transport vans reaching 10 years of utilization this September 30 due to safety concerns and that, from October 1 onward, it will be working with the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) and Transport Company to make up for any shortage in vehicles.
— NNT

Wildlife trafficking ‘kingpin’ claims he was pawn
Chumlong Lemthongthai, a Thai citizen, and his band of gun-toting prostitutes were surely one of the most remarkable of the ‘pseudo-hunting’ gangs behind the ongoing rhino poaching crisis.
— Bangkok Post

PM fires Pattaya City mayor, appoints Sonthaya as his successor
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha today fired the Pattaya City mayor and replaced him with Sonthaya Khunplum, a political advisor to the prime minister and a member of the politically influential Khunplum clan which dominates the eastern provinces.
— Thai PBS World

NCPO sets up new agency to follow up on implementation of government’s projects
The National Council for Peace and Order has set up a new agency to follow up on the implementation of various projects initiated by the government.
— NNT

Wissanu acknowledges Thaksin will walk free in Ratchadapisek land case
Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam admitted this morning that former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra will be spared the two-year jail handed down on him in connection with the Ratchadapisek land scandal 10 years ago after the statute of limitations of the case expires on October 21.
— Thai PBS World

Thailand discourages human rights abuses by publishing list of fishing vessels
Thailand has published a list of all its registered and licensed fishing vessels as well as a watchlist of vessels prohibited from fishing, that have been sunk or damaged, or sold to neighboring countries, with the objective of tackling human rights abuse and illegal fishing.
— UCN

FTI and RMUTK join hands to produce skilled laborers
The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) has partnered with Rajamangala University of Technology Krungthep (RMUTK) to develop personnel and elevate research to enhance the Thai industrial sectors’ competitive edge.
— NNT

Thales and Indonesia’s PT Len sign MoU to expand collaboration in advanced signalling systems for railway projects, and to support PT LEN in its regional expansion.
With a population of 10 million in 2016 expected to grow by 3.7 per cent a year, Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta is facing rapid urbanisation.
— AEC News Today/ PR Newswire (media release)

Sri Ayudhya Capital shares surge on Allianz
SHARES of investment holding company Sri Ayudhya Capital Plc (Ayud) surged by 9.03 per cent yesterday, closing at Bt42.25 per share after Allianz Group made a tender offer for its shares.
— The Nation

CPF eyes 10% yearly rise in chicken sales
SET-listed Charoen Pokphand Foods Plc (CPF), an agro-industrial and food conglomerate, wants to increase total revenue from its chicken business by 10% annually to reach 50 billion baht within three years.
— Bangkok Post

All nine in Phuket suspect shot dead incident charged with attempted murder
However, Gen Teeraphol also pointed that the charge is still pending an investigation into the shooting, which resulted in the death of suspect Chitnupong Kerjan, a 29-year-old resident of Karon, on Phuket’s southwest coast.
— The Phuket News

Phuket cracks down on trawling in shallow water
Provincial fishery officers in Phuket, led an operation on Monday to remove trawling nets, which are an illegal type of fishing gear according to the Emergency Decree on Fisheries in Thalang district.
— 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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