Thailand morning news for December 26

Thailand morning news for December 26
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Thailand morning news

Thai court to decide on dissolution of opposition party in January
Thailand’s Constitutional Court said on Wednesday (Dec 25) that it would rule on the dissolution of the opposition Future Forward Party on Jan 21 following a complaint that its actions were seditious and that it plans to overthrow the constitutional monarchy.
— CNA

Thailand’s November foreign tourist arrivals up 5.92% year-on-year
Tourist arrivals in Thailand rose 5.92 per cent in November from a year earlier, after increasing 12.51 per cent in the previous month, the tourism ministry said in a statement on Wednesday (Dec 25).
— CNA

Thai Nov factory output falls 8.27% y/y, worse than forecast
Thailand’s manufacturing production index (MPI) dropped 8.27% in November from a year earlier, hit by lower production of cars and car engines, petroleum, rubber products and steel, the industry ministry said on Wednesday.
— Reuters

New Year gifts galore from the Government
The Government has rolled out a series of New Year’s gifts for the people, ranging from toll exemptions, free parking at several main airports and free entrance to free national park entry, a freeze on electricity charges for up to four months and a freeze on diesel prices until January 10th.
— Thai PBS News

Thailand charges two soldiers in killing of Muslim civilians
Thailand has charged two soldiers with murder in the shooting of three Muslim men foraging on a mountain in the south, police said Wednesday (Dec 25), a rare push for justice that one rights group called unprecedented.
— CNA

Worst drought in 40 years means tough times for Thais
The lowest rainfall ever recorded in Thailand was in 1979. Now, Thailand’s Meteorological Department is forecasting an even worse drought and dry season saying it will last until May 2020.
— The Thaiger

Thanathorn says he is not concerned that his party may be dissolved
Future Forward party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit said today (Wednesday) that he is not worried about the prospect of his party being disbanded by the Constitutional Court “because the Future Forward party is about the journey and the people.”
— Thai PBS News

Riverside Assembly boycotts 1st public hearing on Chao Phraya promenade project
The Riverside Assembly, an organization of 35 groups opposing the Chao Phraya riverside promenade project, boycotted a public hearing held yesterday (Tuesday) at the second City Hall office by Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, promoter of the controversial scheme.
— Thai PBS News

11-month cross-border trade dips 3%
Cross-border trade dropped in the first 11 months in line with sluggish exports, the global economic slowdown, the strong baht and the US-China trade war.
— Bangkok Post

Migrants win case for overdue pay
The provincial labour office is conducting an inquiry after more than 40 Myanmar migrant workers at a banana plantation complained they had not received their wages for months.
— Bangkok Post

Energy Ministry introduces outline for dynamic growth
The Energy Ministry has announced 10 urgent action plans for 2020 to support living expenses for Thais, maintain the country’s energy security and become a regional leader in the sector.
— Bangkok Post

Uttama seeks two economic panels
Finance Minister Uttama Savanayana is set to push for the formation of two committees tasked with handling economic stability and government policies to drive the economy.
— Bangkok Post

By-election wins put Thai ruling coalition on firmer ground
Thailand’s wobbly coalition government could stay in power longer than initially expected and complete its full four-year term, which would be a rare achievement in the country, analysts said.
— The Straits Times (paywall)

Thailand set to intensify ban on e-waste imports
Thailand’s Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa on Wednesday told the media that the country would intensify the ban on e-waste and plastic garbage smuggled from abroad.
— Xinhuanet

Thai pro-democracy party may face dissolution over cases
The second-largest opposition party in Thailand led by millionaire Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit might face two separate trials in court that could lead to the party’s dissolution.
— International Business Times

HM King expresses public safety care for New Year holidays
His Majesty the King has expressed his concern over the safety of motorists during the New Year holiday period.
— Newsline (video)

Health insurance extended
In a move to help the government cope with Thailand’s ageing society, the cabinet on Tuesday approved a proposal to let freelance workers up to 65 years of age register under the social security system.
— Bangkok Post

Temperature to drop during New Year holidays
The government has urged members of the public — especially in the upper part of the Thailand — to brace for swinging climates during the first couple of days next month.
— Newsline (video)

Hacked security footage from cramped Thai prison posted on Youtube
The security camera system at Lang Suan prison in the southern province of Chumphon has been hacked and footage showing inmates living in overcrowded conditions posted on Youtube.
— Bangkok Post

Laos, Thailand strengthen cooperation on border security
Laos and Thailand will coordinate efforts more closely to strengthen border security and together address possible problems between the two countries, and within Asean.
— Eleven

Look Back 2019: Thai polls seeking stability throw up surprises instead
Armed with what it thought was a watertight new Constitution, Thailand’s five-year-old military government held a general election in March.
— The Straits Times

Cabinet approves New Year’s gifts to people from various agencies
The Cabinet this week approved New Year’s gifts to members of the public from various agencies.
— Newsline (video)

Chamber of Commerce expects 137bn baht cashflow in New Year holidays
The University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce’s Center for Economic and Business Forecasting (CEBF) has estimated that this year’s New Year holidays will generate a record-breaking cash circulation of more than 137 billion baht.
— Newsline (video)

NACC holds anti corruption seminar
The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has organized an annual seminar for state enterprises to share anti-corruption knowledge and experience.
— Newsline (video)

Thai Bankers’ Association studies methods to outsource white-label ATMs
The Thai Bankers’ Association (TBA) plans to allow a third party to manage white-label ATM operations, a pool ATM service run by non-bank firms instead of individual banks, to cut the banking system’s operating costs.
— Bangkok Post

Thailand to auction four spectrum bands for 5G services in February 2020
Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has approved the auction of four spectrum bands for provision of 5G services on the local market.
— Telecompaper

Expat job seekers warned Bangkok may be moved elsewhere
If you’re considering taking a job in Bangkok, you should factor in the Thai government’s wish to solve its dangerous air pollution by moving Thailand’s capital to another location.
— Emigrate.co.uk

Thailand Street Food Festival 2020 planned at major tourist destinations
Thailand Street Food Festival 2020 has been planned at several major tourist destinations throughout the country.
— Xinhuanet

Govt gifts are of little worth
Like previous governments before it, the Prayut Chan-o-cha government has come up with a raft of “seasonal gifts” to make people happy during the festive period, starting this week.
— Bangkok Post

NESDC told to focus on expediting infrastructure
The government’s planning unit, the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), has been ordered to speed up prioritising state infrastructure projects, notably those that enhance Thailand’s competitiveness and need quick approval from the government.
— Bangkok Post

Women ‘inferior’ in politics
Young women in politics are still looked down upon as being inexperienced, while their ability to perform roles is often questioned, a forum was told on Wednesday.
— Bangkok Post

Landmine clearance to finish ‘by 2023’: Pornpipat
Thailand has affirmed its commitment to become a landmine-free country by 2023, two years ahead of the 2025 deadline agreed in 2014 under the 1997 Ottawa Treaty.
— Bangkok Post

Theerathon move made permanent
Thailand defender Theerathon Bunmathan has completed a move to Japanese champions Yokohama F Marinos from Thai League 1 side Muang Thong United, both clubs announced yesterday.
— Bangkok Post

What 2019 brought to Thailand’s strongest industry
Life reviews the highlights of the tourism sector during the past 12 months.
— Bangkok Post

Rescue Worker Thwarts Suicide by Dressing Like Homeless Man
A Chiang Mai rescue worker impersonating a homeless man has saved the life of a young student attempting to commit suicide from a pedestrian bridge.
— Chiang Rai Times

Chinese gang sold WeChat accounts on black market
Police on Tuesday arrested three Chinese men who used Thailand as a base to set up bogus accounts on WeChat, China’s most popular messaging app, and sold them on the black market.
— Bangkok Post

Thai Retailers Association bearish on sector’s 2020 prospects
The retail market is expected to stay bearish in the year to come thanks largely to lower expected employment and production capacity, drought, the minimum wage hike and a prolonged economic slowdown.
— Bangkok Post

How Thailand hopes sports fans can change the face of its tourism industry
On the drive to Bangkok from the city’s Suvarnabhumi airport, it is not long before you are met with the sight of Alexander Albon’s face plastered across a giant advertising hoarding.
— The Telegraph

Student praised for bravery over serial killer arrest
Military officials and senior police officers have praised a university student for bravery and being a good role model after he spotted a serial killer, took photos and video and sent them to police, leading to the arrest of Somkid Pumpuan on a Surin-Bangkok train.
— Bangkok Post

Exat to call bids for new route
The Expressway Authority of Thailand plans to call tenders next year for the construction of a new east-west expressway, stretching 11.3 kilometres from Kasetsart intersection to Bangkok’s eastern ring road.
— Bangkok Post

Welcome the New Year with Amazing Thailand Countdown 2020 Events
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is organising its annual ‘Amazing Thailand Countdown 2020’, one of the biggest events TAT stages in various destinations across the country, to bid farewell to 2019 and welcome 2020 with Thai style and panache.
— Pattaya Mail

This landmark LGBTQ exhibit in Bangkok shows how far artistic expression have come in queer art
In the seventies, I attended my first Gay and (some) Lesbian themed exhibit at the Leslie Lohman Gallery in New York City.
— ABS-CBN News

A Krabi palm plantation returned as a community forest. Protesters want more.
A private company’s concession to grow oil palms in Krabi has come to an end. So local authorities have opened it to locals as a “Community forest”.
— The Thaiger

Central Thailand student bully could face attempted murder charge
“A survey by the Mental Health Department has shown that about 40% of Thai students are bullied at school, making Thailand number two in the world for the problem after Japan.”
— The Thaiger

Revenue Department to enforce e-payment law threshold
Financial institutions are required to report transactions of customer accounts that hit the e-payment law’s threshold by the end of March 2020, says the Revenue Department.
— Bangkok Post

Government trying to tame strong baht, but bank says it will remain strong in 2020
The prominent rise of the Thai baht in over the past year has had wide implications and effects, and PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says that state agencies have met often to come up with ways to tame the strong currency.
— The Thaiger

Dark shadows of disaster linger over Thai fishing village 15 years after Boxing Day tsunami
“There was no wind on that day. Everything was so still. The fish didn’t take the bait,” begins Songkram Pha-opas.
— CNA

“It could have been me”: talking human rights with the Swedish ambassador
Staffan Herrström, Sweden’s ambassador to Thailand, Lao PDR, and Myanmar, talks about the Swedish perspective on human rights before a crowd of students, activists, academics and local community members attending the 10th Isaan Human Rights Festival at Ubon Ratchathani University.
— Isaan Record

Samut Sakhon temple Abbot accused of sexual abuse of up to 19 temple novices
The acting abbot at a temple in Samut Sakhon has been arrested following allegations that he held captive and sexually abused a list of young novice monks.
— The Thaiger

The Toy Doctor
The toy doctor, Yoo Won-Il, brings broken toys back to life. He doesn’t do it for money, because the joy on the faces of children when they see their toys moving again is priceless.
— Thai PBS News

Go easy on the antibiotics, warn Thai medical experts
Antibiotic resistance is a significant threat to the health of Thais, according to leading medical experts who are urging people to cut down their use of antibiotics.
— The Thaiger

Plearn Wan ‘retro’ shopping village to close its doors in Hua Hin
Yesterday, December 24, the founder and owner of Plearn Wan Company, operator of Plearn Wan shopping village in Hua Hin and Plearn Wan Panich shopping experiences at multiple locations around Thailand, Phattra Sahawat, posted that the Hua Hin shopping village will close down on January 31, 2020.
— The Thaiger

 

Feature photo Beach Lover Club Thailand

This week’s Thailand morning news feature photo focuses on the anniversary of the 2004 Asean tsunami, December 26.

 

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.

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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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