Thailand morning news for August 19

Thailand morning news for August 19
Advertisement
Online English lessons

Thailand morning news

Thailand plans stimulus to spur $6.5-billion economic boost
Thailand plans stimulus spending that the government hopes will spark a $6.5-billion economic boost, as officials try to counter a slowdown caused by the US-China trade war and currency strength.
— Business Mirror

11 die in early morning passenger van collision in Sa Kaew
Eleven people have been killed and four others seriously injured after a chartered van carrying Lao workers collided with an 18 wheel truck in Sa Kaew province, east of Bangkok on the Cambodian border, early today (map below).
— The Thaiger

Baby dugong Mariam is dead
Mariam, the orphaned baby dugong and darling of many netizens in Thailand for her much-publicized four month struggle to survive under the care of veterinarians, died of shock shortly after midnight Friday night.
— Thai PBS News

Most Thais feel it is inappropriate to politicize on the oath issue – poll
The majority of the respondents disagree with the politicization of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s alleged incomplete oath taking, according to Super Poll. Super Poll Research Office director Noppadol Kannikar said.
— Thai PBS News

Thai anti-corruption official accused of hiding millions in assets
A top anti-corruption official in Thailand has been accused of concealing millions of dollars in assets including an upscale London apartment, according to the agency tasked with tackling endemic graft in the kingdom.
— CNA

Department warns of possible floods and landslides for 12 provinces
Officials and emergency responders in 12 provinces have been instructed to be prepared, and put equipment on standby, to cope with possible floods and landslides until August 20 (Tuesday).
— The Thaiger

Thailand seeks ways to boost exports amid US-China trade war
The Ministry of Commerce has held a meeting of the Joint Public and Private Sector Consultative Committee (JPPSCC) to seek measures to stimulate Thai exports which has been affected by the trade dispute between the US and China.
— Vietnamplus

Finance Ministry plans rejig of fuel excise tax
The Finance Ministry wants to revamp the structure of the excise tax on fuels to base it on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to protect the environment.
— Bangkok Post

New tax poised to diminish bond activity
Active bond trading and new debenture issuance are expected before the 15% withholding tax imposed on fixed-income funds takes effect on Tuesday, in order to avoid the latest tax tweak aimed at reducing inequality.
— Bangkok Post

PTT to invest 30bn baht in ECC
The global economic slowdown and trade war have caused fluctuations in energy prices. In response, PTT Public Company Limited has allocated some 30 billion baht, to invest in newer forms of energy in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), while the company’s profit in the first half of 2019 underperformed.
— NBT World (video)

Labor policy helps Thailand stay competitive in ASEAN
Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwon chaired a meeting of executive officials of the Ministry of Labor and instructed them to instigate major development plans for the employment of Thai workers in the ASEAN labor market.
— NBT World (video)

Confusion reigns in TM30 palaver
Long-term foreign residents of the kingdom have spent the weekend scratching their heads in bewilderment over the baffling requirements of the now notorious TM30 form after a recent forum at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand (FCCT) with senior Thai immigration officials present on the panel.
— Bangkok Post

Thai animal traffickers keep getting away with crimes, and authorities ask for U.S. help
When Thailand arrested suspected animal trafficking kingpin Boonchai Bach last year, it was hailed by animal rights groups as a watershed day and a chance to unravel Hydra, the vast Vietnamese trafficking ring he was believed to be part of.
— The Washington Times

Bangkok launches ambulance certification campaign
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration launched a check-up campaign affecting ambulances and emergency medical vehicles, branding certified vehicles with six-pointed stars, ensuring preparedness for 24-hour emergency medical services.
— NBT World (video)

Thailand moves up 13 notches on LPI
Thailand is now ranked the second best country in ASEAN in terms of logistics infrastructure, and 7th in Asia.
— NBT World (video)

PM wants armed forces’ support for Govt
The Prime Minister and Minister of Defence chaired the first Defence Assembly session since his inauguration, urging the armed forces to support the government’s work in realizing policies such as cybersecurity enhancement, drought mitigation, and tourist safety.
— NBT World (video)

PM says he is not afraid to confront the Opposition in parliament
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said today (Friday) that he is not afraid of facing the Opposition in parliament and that he had not attended parliament twice, to respond to the Opposition’s interpellation, because he had other important appointments.
— Thai PBS News

PM assures the public that stimulus budget will be spent effectively
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has given assurance that his government is not overspending by disbursing 310 billion baht as part of an economic stimulus package and that the money will be spent effectively.
— Thai PBS News

Visa waiver proposal under fire
The Foreign Ministry has asked the government to review the economic ministers’ proposal to offer a visa waiver to Chinese and Indian tourists as a part of the government’s economic stimulus package.
— Bangkok Post

Volunteer activities to clean Toei Ngam Beach
The Royal Thai Navy and the Central Juvenile and Family Court have jointly organized volunteer activities, such as growing coral reefs, picking up garbage and cleaning Toei Ngam Beach.
— NBT World (video)

Education Ministry holds supervisory profession seminar
The Ministry of Education held a seminar on the development of the supervisory profession and delivered policy guidelines to the Thailand Education Supervisor Association. The seminar was attended by some 400 participants.
— NBT World (video)

Thailand, Myanmar strengthen ties in food culture
The Thai commercial attaché to Myanmar together with the Thai Restaurant Association have led a group of Thai restaurant entrepreneurs to participate in the Food and Beverage Expo in Yangon, Myanmar.
— NBT World (video)

The National Science and Technology Fair 2019
The National Science and Technology Fair 2019 is the biggest fair of the year in science and technology.
— NBT World (video)

Prayut to visit drought-hit Surin, Buri Ram tomorrow
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will on Monday visit Surin and Buri Ram provinces in the Lower Northeast which have been severely hit by drought, said government spokeswoman Narumon Pinyosinwat on Sunday.
— Bangkok Post

Nakhon Nayok, 11 other provinces on water runoff alert
Nakhon Nayok and 11 other provinces have been put on the water runoff and landslide alert list by the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department until Tuesday.
— Bangkok Post

Mekong water level rising steadily
Water in the Mekong river in this northeastern border province is rising steadily by about 60-70 centimetres per day, pushing up the water level to about 7 metres, or about 6m below the spill-over point on the river bank, local media reported.
— Bangkok Post

Bangkok bombings top public’s concerns: Poll
The people are most concerned about the recent bombings in Bangkok, while most are not confident the government will survive the ongoing political crisis, according to the result of an opinion survey by the Suan Dusit Rajabhat University, or Suan Dusit Poll.
— Bangkok Post

Thai farmers reluctant to scale down use of ‘toxic’ herbicides
Thai farmers say they oppose the proposed bans on herbicides paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos. The Thai government plans to phase out three chemical weed killers, widely used by Thai farmers, by the end of this year.
— The Thaiger

Ministry grills Thai Airways over B156bn aircraft purchase
The Transport Ministry wants the loss-ridden Thai Airways International Plc (THAI) to provide clear details of all aspects of its 156 billion-baht plan to buy or lease 38 new aircraft, to ensure the airline will not suffer any further losses.
— Bangkok Post

Jurin floats rice price insurance
Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit has proposed price insurance for five types of rice, to help farmers deal with the lower price of crops.
— Bangkok Post

Rice prices likely be set at B10,000 to B14,000
Paddy prices may be guaranteed at 10,000 to 14,000 baht a tonne for rice farmers initially, according to the commerce minister.
— Bangkok Post

Activist opposes B330bn Exxon project in EEC
An activist has opposed a coastal land reclamation plan near Laem Chabang port to accommodate Exxon Mobil Corp’s 330-billion-baht ethylene cracker project.
— Bangkok Post

BAM gears up for major IPO
The Bank of Thailand will own less than half of Bangkok Commercial Asset Management (BAM) if the country’s biggest distressed asset manager sells all 1.77 billion shares in its long-anticipated initial public offering.
— Bangkok Post

Thailand Still Hub of Global Sex Trafficking Rings: UN
Thailand continues to be a major center of global sex trafficking rings that extend to countries as far flung as Japan, Morocco and Germany, a UN report released last month says.
— Khaosod English

Prolonged protests may affect exports of Thai Hom Mali rice to Hong Kong
Worried Thai rice exporters are closely monitoring the situation in Hong Kong, fearing that the protests by pro-democracy demonstrators will affect exports of Hom Mali fragrant rice to the city if the protests are prolonged.
— Thai PBS News

Thai spikers rally to beat Taiwanese in Asian opener
Thailand survived an early scare to defeat Taiwan 3-1 (20-25, 25-13, 25-22, 25-20) in their opening Pool C match of the 2019 Asian Women’s Volleyball Championship in Seoul on Sunday.
— Bangkok Post

Digital TV still struggles despite fewer channels
Digital TV operators will continue their financial struggles despite the closure of some channels due to stiff competition, the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIC) has predicted.
— Bangkok Post

Transport minister orders probe into fatal road tragedy in Sa Kaew province
Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob has ordered an investigation into a fatal road accident, which occurred early Sunday morning on Highway 317 in Thailand’s eastern province of Sa Kaew.
— Thai PBS News

Government to provide more health benefits for Gold Card holders
The government has not cut the budget for the Gold Card universal health program, but has increased health benefits for card holders as well as injected an additional 6.5 billion baht into the National Health Security Fund.
— Thai PBS News

Everything I know about the TM30 form after attending chamber of commerce meetings and speaking at the FCCT
The hottest topic for expats over the last few months is the controversial TM30 form. This is basically a form
— Richard Barrow in Thailand

PTT to invest 30bn baht in ECC
The global economic slowdown and trade war have caused fluctuations in energy prices. In response, PTT Public Company Limited has allocated some 30 billion baht, to invest in newer forms of energy in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), while the company’s profit in 2019’s first half was reduced by higher oil prices.
— Pattaya Mail

Phuket villager braves the surf to rescue tangled turtle
A local villager in Phuket’s north has risked his own life to retrieve a young sea turtle caught up in fishermen’s netting.
— The Thaiger

Hat Yai seeks shot in medical tourism arm
If you mention medical tourism in Thailand, attention immediately shifts to Bangkok. However, calls are being echoed for the development of a medical tourism hub to be based in the commercial district of Hat Yai in Songkhla province in order to tap into the growing demand for services.
— Bangkok Post

Mae Sa and Tad Mork waterfalls in Chiang Mai closed
Mae Sa waterfall Doi Suthep-Pui National Park officials in the north of Thailand have closed the Mae Sa and Tad Mork waterfalls after heavy rainfall have caused high water flows and slippery paths “that may endanger tourists”.
— The Thaiger

HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn visits Ubon Ratchathani.
Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn has conducted an activity in Ubon Ratchathani.
— Pattaya Mail

Opinion: TM30 Alienating Law-Abiding Aliens
Imagine yourself an expat in a country dubbing itself as amazing but every time you travel from one province to another for longer than 24 hours you must report to police within 48 hours of arrival in the new place because you are an alien.
— Khaosod English

Food of the future? Five-star edible insects served up as Thailand gets creative with bug business
With concerns being raised about the environmental impact of relying on traditional meats as a source of protein, attention is being turned to alternatives such as insects – with Thailand one of the countries leading the push towards bringing them into the culinary mainstream.
— CNA

Beef noodle soup that’s been simmering for 40 years delivers a taste of old Thailand
At this beef noodle shop in Bangkok, you can order a bowl of soup that is more than 40 years old.
— CNA

2 in 5 Thais Accept Begpackers, Survey Says
Despite widespread online outrage against tourists busking on the streets of Asia, a survey has found that nearly half of Thais have a sabai sabai impression of begpackers.
— Khaosod English

Thai Junta Critic: Prison ‘Like Hell on Earth’
Prison proves if you are a fighter,” says Siraphop Kornaroot. The 55-year-old Thai poet and author should know, having spent the past five years in a Bangkok jail without having been convicted of a crime. Released on bail in June, he still faces up to 45 years behind bars if found guilty at his long-running trial, currently taking place in a closed military court.
— VOA

Thailand’s lost baby dugong Marium dies from shock, eating plastic
An eight-month-old dugong, nurtured by marine experts after being found lost near a beach in southern Thailand, has died from what biologists believe was a combination of shock and ingestion of plastic waste.
— ABC News

Thailand chikungunya case tally nears 6,000
In an update on the chikungunya situation in Thailand, the Ministry of Health reports that since the beginning of the year through August 4, 5,996 cases from 44 provinces have been reported, an increase of some 1,500 in about one month.
— Outbreak News Today

 

Feature photo NNT/ Siam Actu 

This week’s Thailand morning news feature photo focuses on World Humanitarian Day August 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).

 

 

About Thailand morning news.

Thailand morning news roundup is the most comprehensive hand-curated selection of Thailand English language news headlines published. Each weekday we scour hundreds of local and international news sites and websites to find the most recent Thailand English language news today.

We filter our the dull, the boring, the repetitive, and the click-bait and package all of the Thailand daily news that you need to know to start your day into an easy to read, time saving format of Thailand news headlines and first paragraphs before 7.15am Bangkok time.

We clearly identify the source of all the Thailand news headlines, whether it is behind a paywall, a media release, or whether the news site uses annoying pop-up advertising or auto-play video, in case those things annoy you too. If a website uses particularly invasive pop-up adverts, we’ll tell you.

This enables you to make an informed choice of whether you want to learn more by clicking directly through to the original Thailand news article, or keep on reading the remaining Thailand daily news headlines.

Click here to get your Thailand English language news today by email before 8am Bangkok time daily. Remember to watch out for the confirmation email from us to confirm your subscription. Check your trash folder if you do not see it.

For more immediate updates download the AEC News Today Mobile App from the Apple or Google stores, or follow us on Twitter.

 

#Independentmedia

Governance, not government; policies not politics.

 

The following two tabs change content below.

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.

Support independent media by sharing using these tools. Do not steal our content

Make a comment

Your email address will not be published.