Thailand morning news for January 11

Thailand morning news for January 11
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Thailand morning newsSecurity detail slain inside Pattani school during classes
Four defence volunteers were shot dead inside a school in Yarang district shortly before noon on Thursday, as the violence shows no sign of easing in the far South.
— Bangkok Post

Election no later than March, Wissanu assures
DEPUTY Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam yesterday said the election will take place no later than March and the Royal Decree will be issued within this month.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

Baht appreciation tipped as capital flows return
The baht’s value is projected to appreciate in the medium to long term because of slower interest-rate normalisation in the US and adverse effects from the US-China trade dispute, says the Federation of Thai Capital Market Organisations (Fetco).
— Bangkok Post

Australian foreign minister in Thailand as Saudi teen seeks asylum
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne was in Bangkok on Thursday (Jan 10) after Canberra said it would consider giving asylum to an 18-year-old Saudi woman who fled to Thailand, saying she feared her family, which she accused of abuse, would kill her.
— Channel NewsAsia

EC: Feb 24 now impossible
Voters who still cherished the hope of casting their ballots on Feb 24 saw the likelihood fade as the Thursday deadline for publication of the royal decree on the general election slipped away.
— Bangkok Post

Cabinet approves three water projects with 24-billion-baht budget
The Cabinet has greenlighted three water projects with a total budget of 24 billion baht as well as road accident prevention measures.
— NBT World (video)

Firms confident about 2019 GDP
Business operators have an optimistic outlook on the country’s GDP in 2019, thanks to the upcoming general election, implementation of the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) and the coronation ceremony for His Majesty the King.
— Bangkok Post

No clarity on fate of Saudi teen, Bahraini footballer after visit by Australian minister
THE FATE of two Australia-bound asylum seekers from the Middle East, who were stopped in Thailand, remained unclear as visiting Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne discussed the two cases with her Thai counterpart yesterday.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

Biothai, FTA Watch to float advice on marijuana
Biodiversity Sustainable Agriculture Food Sovereignty Action Thailand (Biothai) and FTA Watch will put forward a five-point proposal to prevent the patenting of marijuana extracts by large, foreign pharmaceutical…
— Bangkok Post

Investors fret over political haze, group finds, as analysis swapped for guesses
POLITICAL uncertainty is a key concern for investors, said the head of an investment federation who cites a 5.25 per cent plunge in an index that measures sentiment for the next three months.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

Department readies low tax for EVs
The Excise Department is poised to impose a low tax on mild hybrid cars to promote manufacturing of electric vehicles (EVs) in Thailand, says the head of the department.
— Bangkok Post

Prayut prayers ‘spared’ Thailand from Pabuk
Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha on Thursday said Tropical Storm Pabuk’s departure out to sea was partly thanks to him praying for it to go away.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

Thai Interior Affairs ministry confirms memo ‘halting election preparations’ is genuine
A leaked memo on social media, addressed to election officials in every province, to halt election preparations has now been confirmed to be genuine by the interior affairs Minister.
— The Thaiger

IPP bidding for 8,300MW in 2019 pipeline
The Energy Ministry plans to open bidding for independent power producers (IPPs) for a combined capacity of 8,300 megawatts (MW) this year.
— Bangkok Post

Child dies as malaria outbreak hits Maniq tribal people
A child has died and at least five others are bed-ridden following an outbreak of malaria that has hit a group of Maniq or Mani tribal people in the forest in Phatthalung’s Pa Bon district over the past two months.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

Govt rejects PPRP land policy plan
Agriculture Minister Grisada Boonrach on Wednesday shrugged off a land policy proposal floated by canvassing politicians that would allow farmers holding Sor Por Kor land documents to seek commercial gainsfrom their property.
— Bangkok Post

Telenor’s Thailand unit to pay nearly $300 mln in legal disputes
Thailand’s Total Access Communication (DTAC), a subsidiary of Norwegian telecoms firm Telenor, has agreed to pay close to $300 million to settle legal disputes with CAT Telecom Public Co Ltd, Telenor said on Thursday.
— Reuters

Officer suspended for fake re-entry stamps
An immigration officer has been suspended for allegedly allowing foreign travellers to “re-enter” Thailand without them having to actually leave the country.
— Bangkok Post

Australia FM visits Thailand amid Saudi asylum seeker saga
Australia’s foreign minister Marise Payne met her Thai counterpart Thursday, as her country appeared poised to offer to asylum to a young Saudi woman who fled her family to Thailand in a drama relayed in real-time over Twitter.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

PRAYUTH’S DARK NEW BALLAD CONJURES TURBULENT TIMES
The junta leader called on Thais to hold on to hard-earned peace in what’s become a familiar format during his nearly five years in power – a song.
— Khaosod English

New higher bus fares set for Bangkok
The flat-rate fare for privately-operated non-air conditioned buses in greater Bangkok is to rise by Bt1 to Bt10 from January 21.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

Improved air quality in and around Bangkok
Air quality in and around Bangkok today has improved considerably with only two of 20 areas classified as being polluted beyond safety level.
— Thai PBS World

Surin receives memorial award
Former Secretary General of Asean, Dr Surin Pitsuwan, received the memorable prize of the fourth Asia Cosmopolitan Awards (ACA) this afternoon in recognition of his contribution and leadership in promoting Asean integration and raising the bloc’s profile internationally.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

Thailand limits death toll from Pabuk
Early warning and early action helped ensure that tropical storm Pabuk, which struck the southern region of Thailand last week from 3 to 5 January, passed with limited loss of life.
— ReliefWeb

Manhunt for disguised insurgents who killed four defence volunteers
Pattani attackers arrived wearing army uniforms, seized victims’ Assault rifles.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

Cambodia denies having issued passport to ex-PM Yingluck
CAMBODIA DENIES claims that it issued a passport to former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who reportedly used it to register a company in Hong Kong, according to the Phnom Penh Post yesterday.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

Thai seafood industry buoyed by lifting of EU ‘yellow card’
The European Union’s decision Tuesday to remove Thailand from a list of countries warned over illegal fishing is being met with relief by big Thai seafood companies that had feared being locked out of the huge European market.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)

Private, public sectors keen on new app
Some 49 private and public institutes have entered into an agreement to establish a new social enterprise called Thai Digital Platform Co to provide integrated tourism information about Thailand.
— Bangkok Post

Medical price control plan looms over private hospitals
A CABINET meeting on January 22 will consider a plan to control the prices of medical supplies and services.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

Will Thais ever see another election?
And so, the saga continues. Thailand’s election is probably going to be delayed – again.
— The Asean Post

Thailand to air prowess in technology at Dubai expo
THAILAND’S strides in digital technology will be on show to an international audience when the country takes part in World Expo 2020 in Dubai.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

Australia praises Thai action on Saudi woman
Australia’s foreign minister praised Thailand on Thursday for its handling of a young Saudi woman who fled her family to seek asylum in Australia, but also reminded it of continuing concern about a Bahraini soccer player granted asylum in Australia who remains in Thai detention.
— Bangkok Post

Saudi Arabian Ambassador says marriage refugee case, doesn’t affect relations
A Saudi woman who sought sanctuary in Thailand to avoid an arranged marriage, has been turned over to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), with the Saudi Arabian Embassy announcing it is not seeking her return and the commander of the Thai Immigration Police meeting with the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to clarify the situation.
— NBT World (video)

BoT yet to take action in KTB case
The Bank of Thailand has yet to take action against Kittiphun Anutarasoti, chief executive of CIMB Thai Bank (CIMBT), after Krungthai Bank (KTB) made public the findings of its investigation into loans extended to Energy Earth, which included serious allegations against him.
— Bangkok Post

Asia Rice: India rates rise on higher local prices; Thai-Vietnam output seen surging
Rice export prices in India rose this week due to a rally in local rates, while Thai and Vietnam prices are expected to drop in the coming weeks with fresh supplies hitting the market.
— Reuters

EVEN IF THAILAND VOTES, NO PARLIAMENT AWAITS NEW LAWMAKERS
A massive facility meant to host Thailand’s next parliament in five months appeared far from completion Thursday.
— Khaosod English

Topless protest in Sydney in support of Saudi runaway
Four women held a topless protest in Sydney on Thursday to support runaway Saudi woman Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, as Australia began considering her bid for resettlement as a refugee.
— Bangkok Post

Insurgents shoot four volunteers in Pattani
Insurgents disguised as army troops gunned down four tambon defence volunteers in Pattani’s Yarang district on Thursday at noon and took away their rifles, police said.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

DPM says GAT/PAT date depends on election day
The Deputy Prime Minister for Legal Affairs says that the GAT/PAT examination will for now remain at its accelerated date one week ahead of the tentative general election but may be changed if the poll date is moved.
— NNT

The fate of academic freedom in Thailand
On 11 December 2018 Thai Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha promulgated Head of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) Order No. 22/2561, which ostensibly relaxed restrictions on civilian participation in politics ahead of the elections planned for February 2019.
— East Asia Forum

Prayut must kick out two officials damaging Thailand
Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan has to understand that he must go now – or be kicked out!
— The Nation (very annoying pop-ups)

Thailand takes hatchet to rubber trees in plan to cut output 30%
Thailand, the world’s largest rubber exporter, plans to cut production by a third over the next five years in an attempt to lift prices that are hovering near their lowest level since 2016.
— Malaysian Reserve

His Majesty sends wreath to teacher slain in Songkhla
His Majesty the King has sent a wreath to the funeral of a retired teacher who was slain by insurgents in Songkhla before they took his pickup to use in a bomb attack.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

Port Authority of Thailand to build condos for slum folk
The Port Authority of Thailand (PAT) will spend 7.5 billion baht to build 6,144 condominium units at Soi Trimitr on Rama IV Road for 26 slum communities that encroach on PAT land spanning nearly 200 rai in Klong Toey district.
— Bangkok Post

Department of International Trade Promotion holds open house on modern trade practices
The Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP) has organized an open house event at the New Economy Academy in Bangkok for businesses to learn about e-commerce and modern trade practices.
— NBT World (video)

Four Thai civil defence volunteers gunned down at school in southern Thailand
Four Thai civil defence volunteers were gunned down Thursday at a school in the kingdom’s south with students just metres away, as bloodshed greets the 15th year of an insurgency in the Malay-Muslim border zone.
— Times Now

Pheu Thai claims persecution, denied rally ground in Phayao
Pheu Thai executives cried “political persecution” on Thursday after the provincial administration suddenly refused to allow the party use of a sports stadium for a campaign rally.
— Bangkok Post

Thai project offers hope for endangered Indochinese tigers
AS ON of the last refuges of Indochinese tigers, Thailand is working to protect the endangered big cats from poachers.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

Ford Thailand retail sales increase 18%
Ford Thailand announced in a press release on Thursday that its overall retail sales in 2018 increased 18 per cent year-on-year to an all-time full year record of 66,064 vehicles.
— The Nation (very annoying pop-ups)

City Hall to introduce proper motorcycle taxi stops on street pavements
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has come up with an idea to carve out spaces on pedestrian’s footpaths to accommodate motorcycle taxi stands so that they would not trespass roads.
— Thai PBS World

“We are very concerned,” says Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs about detained footballer
Senator Marise Payne, the Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs, said at the press conference this afternoon that Australia is concerned about Thai authority’s detention and possible extradition of Hakeem al-Araibi and that Australia is working with relevant authorities on both the case of Mr al-Araibi and of Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun.
— Prachatai English

Indie Film ‘The Cave’ Wraps in Thailand, Beating Hollywood Studios to Rescue Story
Thai-Irish director Tom Waller’s ‘The Cave’ is the first feature about last summer’s sensational Thai cave rescue mission, scooping announced projects from Universal Pictures and ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ director Jon M. Chu.
— The Hollywood Reporter

Jam-packed Thailand Yacht Show & RendezVous opens at Royal Phuket Marina
The fourth Thailand Yacht Show & RendezVous opened its doors today for yachting enthusiasts and lifestyle-seekers from around the region.
— The Thaiger

Immigration police track down officer involved in re-entry stamp scam
An immigration officer has been suspended without pay for allegedly permitting foreign travellers to do a re-entry without them having to actually leave the country.
— The Thaiger

Natural Resources Min improving water management
The Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment is amending laws and regulations to enhance the country’s water management system.
— NNT

Thailand to closely work with Bangladesh: Thai PM
Prime Minister of Thailand General Prayut Chan-o-cha (Ret) has said his government is determined to work closely with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for the mutual benefits of the two countries and peoples.
— United News of Bangladesh

Teacher retirement delay on cards
The Education Ministry is mulling whether to shift the mandatory retirement date of retiring state-run schoolteachers from the end of September to March to give more time for schools to find teachers.
— Bangkok Post

PPP to pledge privatising ALRO farmlands in campaign
PRIVATISATION OF agricultural public lands held under the Agricultural Land Reform Office (ALRO) is being advanced as an election promise by Phalang Pracharat party, despite objections from the Prime Minister and land rights activists.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

Eastern elephants to be collared for tracking
Elephants in Thailand’s eastern forests are to be collared to help in efforts to segregate them from human communities.
— NBT World (video)

Thai wife shoots cheating husband and mistress in Lampang
A Thai wife, armed with a 9mm gun, lay in wait for her husband and his mistress to arrive at the woman’s second hand clothes shop in Lampang last night.
— The Thaiger

MONKEY MASSACRE? MACAQUES DROP DEAD FROM ‘POISONED WATERMELON’
Dying monkeys fell from trees foaming at the mouth in Rayong province and police are looking Thursday for who might have poisoned them.
— Khaosod English

Family fears missing girl lured away through social media
A worried family has asked the Crime Suppression Division to find a missing 14-year-old girl who excels in school and has been missing for 15 days.
— Bangkok Post

Pracharat Must-Visit Market EXPO 2019 held at CentralWorld
The Ministry of Commerce is organizing Pracharat Must-Visit Market EXPO 2019 from January 9th to 13th, 2019, in front of CentralWorld, Bangkok.
— NNT

Klong Toey gentrification underway
The Ministry of Transport has launched a redevelopment scheme for Bangkok’s Klong Toey community.
— NBT World (video)

Phuket Immigration task force busts wedding photographers from China
A team of seven from China working as wedding photographers have been arrested at Kata Noi Beach and the tourist-popular Kathu Temple for illegally working in Thailand.
— The Phuket News

 

Feature photo Craig McNicol

This week’s Thailand morning news feature photo depicts the effects of Tropical Storm Pabuk on the Pier at Makathanee Resort on Koh Mak

 

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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