Sperm Whale found on Krabi beach had digested plastic bottles
A sperm whale was washed up near Koh Lanta, in Krabi province yesterday. It was 12 metres in length and was estimated to weigh 11 tonnes.
— The Thaiger
Consumer confidence at 21-month low
The consumer confidence index fell for the fourth straight month to 76.4 in June, from 77.7 in May, the lowest in 21 months, on concerns including political stability, according to the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce.
— Bangkok Post
‘Watch Yourself,’ House Speaker Warns MP Who Urged Justice for Ja New
A house speaker caused an uproar on Wednesday when he warned of a similar fate for a politician who demanded justice for an activist assaulted by masked men last week.
— Khaosod English
Mom Oui calls for patient leaders
Former deputy prime minister MR Pridiyathorn Devakula called on those in power on Thursday to be open to diverse opinions to avoid a repeat of violent confrontations as seen in the past.
— Bangkok Post
Villagers in Laos and Thailand Suffer as China Opens the Floodgates on Mekong River Dams
Villagers living near the Mekong River in Thailand and Laos are finding it difficult to cope with sudden releases of water from dams upstream in China.
— RFA
Line-up fails to win fans
Political analysts are saying the latest version of the cabinet line-up leaves a lot to be desired as some ministers-to-be are known to have sketchy track records, and that the unity of the next government will be undermined by the continued bargaining among coalition parties.
— Bangkok Post
Thai dentist becomes first Thai woman to conquer the world’s seven summits
A Thai dentist has become the first woman in Southeast Asia to conquer the world’s seven major summits, with Mount Denali in Alaska being the latest.
— Thai PBS News
Breaking: A dike wall in Klongdan Samut Prakarn broke collapsed
A dike wall, which prevents sea water from entering waterside communities in Klong Dan, Samut Prakarn Province, broke collapsed at around 9.30pm.
— Thai PBS News
Tropical storm Mun helps replenish Thailand’s parched reservoirs
Tropical storm Mun has already made landfall in Vietnam and will eventually downgrade to a depression and then to a low pressure cell.
— Thai PBS News
Commerce Ministry confident of 3 percent export growth for 2019
Thailand’s Commerce Ministry is confident that Thai exports for the second half of this year will grow at a higher rate than in the first half and export growth for…
— Thai PBS News
Watchdog says developers paid over B1bn in bribes
Around 1.5 billion baht in “tea money”, or bribes, was paid to civil servants handling applications to construct residential and large commercial buildings, according to corruption watchdog Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand (ACT).
— Bangkok Post
Curbs slash imports of plastic, e-waste
Imports of plastic and electronic waste have declined sharply after the government curbed imports of foreign waste, says the Customs Department.
— Bangkok Post
Thailand’s CP plans $330m seaside hub linked to high-speed rail
Thai conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Group plans to build a huge commercial and residential complex in the beach city of Pattaya, the Nikkei Asian Review has learned, a project expected to boost profitability of a $7.3 billion high-speed rail line that the company has been chosen to construct.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)
Ex-monk drops fraud appeal
Wirapol Sukphol, formerly known as Phra Nen Kham, has dropped his appeal in a fraud case after being convicted of both fraud and the rape of an underage girl.
— Bangkok Post
District chief denies ending ‘noisy’ opera
Sathon’s district chief has denied reports local authorities cut short a ngiew (Chinese opera) performance following several complaints about the noise from residents of a nearby condominium.
— Bangkok Post
Thailand’s biggest lie?
“This is no longer an apology, but a threat.” That was what Chaturon Chaisang, a leader of the now-defunct Thai Raksa Chart Party, wrote online in response to a statement Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha released earlier this week.
— The Asean Post
‘Post’ editorial scoops award
The Bangkok Post has received an award for outstanding newspaper editorial writing from the National Press Council of Thailand (NPCT).
— Bangkok Post
TCT mulls harsher rap for abusive teachers
The Teachers’ Council of Thailand (TCT) is considering harsher penalties for teachers who sexually abuse or physically injure their students.
— Bangkok Post
MFA unveils ‘Thailand’s ASEAN Chairmanship 2019 Interactive Kiosk’ event
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has opened Thailand’s ASEAN Chairmanship 2019 Interactive Kiosks to provide easy access to information about Thailand’s period as the chair of ASEAN.
— NBT World (video)
Medical teams sent to look after Thai pilgrims in Saudi Arabia
The Ministry of Public Health is sending three medical teams to oversee the health of some 8,000 Thais taking on Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia this year.
— NBT World (video)
CAAT insists it gave the go-ahead for ‘Central Village’
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) confirms it gave the green light for a five-billion-baht luxury shopping outlet next to Suvarnabhumi airport, the launch of which is planned for next month.
— Bangkok Post
NESDC mulls Southern Economic Corridor scheme
The National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) plans to propose developing a Southern Economic Corridor to the new government in a similar fashion to the ongoing Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) scheme.
— Bangkok Post
DPM Wissanu attends Thailand Competitiveness 2019 seminar
The Deputy Prime Minister for Legal Affairs has indicated that competitiveness can be driven by using innovation, creative ideas, and technology, during a seminar on competitiveness of Thailand in Bangkok.
— NBT World (video)
Jail for fake uni trio
The Criminal Court has jailed two senior executives of World Peace University and suspended the sentence for a third after finding them guilty of running a bogus educational establishment.
— Bangkok Post
Youth enterprises for job creation and income generation in the community
Nisaman Bungsayu is an example of a new generation farmer who has decided to hold a farmer’s job after graduating with a bachelor’s degree.
— NBT World (video)
Caterer blamed for bad food
Students, teachers, parents, and alumni have defended the director of Maheyong School, who was transferred on Tuesday over a school lunch scandal.
— Bangkok Post
Solar water purifier system prototype project
Having clean drinking water for sufficient consumption is a basic public health factor for improving the quality of life of people.
— NBT World (video)
Activists slam GLO’s move
Child rights activists are unhappy with the government’s move to print 10 million additional lottery tickets and introduce new forms of lottery saying it would lead the youth astray.
— Bangkok Post
NIA supports rural innovation
Under the Startup Act, the National Innovation Agency (NIA) plans to provide support to innovation-driven companies in rural areas outside Bangkok while building a workforce skilled in technology, science and research.
— Bangkok Post
Pattani Learning Park
The smiling faces of children and youths who use the services in TK Park will probably be able to tell the success of reducing disparity, and the expansion of opportunities for access to learning resources of children, youths and people in the three Southern border provinces as the same as those living in the central area.
— NBT World (video)
Pupils move due to lack of teaching staff
The Office of Basic Education (Obec) is to transfer all six pupils at a small school in Samut Prakan’s Phra Samut Chedi district to a bigger school nearby, because it does not have enough teachers to give them a decent education.
— Bangkok Post
Condo market slowing down
A new government is about to take office in Thailand but we have yet to see any news of concrete policies related to the economy and the property market.
— Bangkok Post
Computer sales headed for H2 rebound on gaming
The strengthening baht and lower prices for gaming computers are expected to revive Thailand’s computer market in the second half of the year after a slowdown in the first half, computer experts say.
— Bangkok Post
226 civil society groups urge government to drop charges against Chaiyaphum forest community
International civil society organizations urge the government to drop all charges against 14 land and human rights defenders from Chaiyaphum’s Ban Sapwai village.
— Isaan Record
‘Mun’ makes landfall as heavy rains head towards Thailand’s northern provinces
The Meteorological Department is warning residents in Thaialnd’s north and north east to brace for heavy for heavy rains influenced by tropical storm ‘Mun’ that made landfall in Vietnam this morning, heading west.
— The Thaiger
Business expansion increases by 15 85% in first 6 months
The Department of Industrial Works (DIW) has indicated that business in Thailand had expanded by 15.85% over the first six month of 2019, due to increased investor confidence and the government’s policies on industrial development, especially those related to the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC).
— NBT World (video)
Bank of Ayudhya sees baht peak in Q2 2020
Bank of Ayudhya (BAY) projects an upward bias for the baht until mid-2020, with the currency surpassing 30 to the US dollar in the first quarter of next year.
— Bangkok Post
Bangkok’s BTS becoming too expensive for Thai passengers
The ultra-useful BTS network around Bangkok is becoming too expensive for many Thais, and is more expensive than international equivalents.
— The Thaiger
Huawei: Thai market share rises to 20%
Huawei Technologies says its smartphone market share in Thailand remains unscathed by US sanctions on the company, despite conflicting reports that the Chinese telecom giant’s sales suffered dramatically.
— Bangkok Post
81 cabbies held for breaking laws
Eighty-one taxi drivers were caught for violating the vehicles law and refusing passengers as police stepped up a crackdown on public transport drivers taking advantage of foreign and Thai passengers in areas around the Grand Palace on Thursday morning.
— Bangkok Post
Thai virtual queuing startup QueQ raises US$2.8M; launches in Malaysia
QueQ, a Thailand-based virtual queuing system provider, has secured US$2.8 million in Series A round of funding from local startup investor True Incube and South Korea’s Bon Angels Venture Partner.
— e27
Pattaya business leaders bemoan strong baht
The strong baht is taking its toll on Pattaya tourism as fewer foreign tourists come to Thailand and more Thais flex their spending power overseas instead of on the Eastern Seaboard.
— Pattaya Mail
AoT blocks opening of B5bn ‘luxury’ Central mall at Suvarnabhumi
Airports of Thailand has put the brakes on Central Pattana Plc’s plan to open a new 5-billion baht luxury shopping outlet alongside Suvarnabhumi airport next month, because it never received land use approval.
— Bangkok Post
Dead dolphin video sends Facebookers into tizzy
An online video of a dead dolphin near Pattaya set keyboard warriors into another tirade. The video showed the dolphin floating between Pattaya and Koh Larn.
— Pattaya Mail
PM urges plastic bags reduction
The Prime Minister has called on all sectors to help reduce the use of plastic bags and encourage the use of environmentally-friendly materials, on the occasion of the International Plastic Bag Free Day yesterday (July 3rd).
— NBT World (video)
PM Prayut urges youth to uphold three main pillars
The Prime Minister has urged visiting Thai youths from the United States to share their experience in their motherland and take pride in their Thai heritage.
— NBT World (video)
Duty-free bids at Don Mueang airport to wait on new minister
Airports of Thailand (AoT) plans to call bids for concessions to run duty-free shops at Don Mueang airport after a new transport minister takes office, said a senior executive.
— Bangkok Post
Sirawith “Ja New” speaks publicly for the first time since latest attack
Political activist Sirawith Seritiwat, or “Ja New”, posted on his Facebook page last night (Wednesday) to express gratitude to those who care about democracy and who are concerned about him.
— Thai PBS News
Mariam the baby dugong ‘goes live’ soon
Hannaret Hripai and Srichai Anuraktichai Officials started installing six CCTVs along the coast of Koh Libong in Trang province today so that netizens will be able to monitor the life of Mariam, the baby dugong that was found washed up on a Krabi Beach in May.
— The Thaiger
Condo Calls Cops on Chinese Opera for Being ‘Too Loud’
Unable to bear the melodic wailing of Chinese opera, condo residents called the police on a performance at a city center shrine Tuesday night.
— Khaosod English
Thailand’s highest restaurant and bar open at the Mahanakhon building
Mahanakhon Bangkok SkyBar, Thailand’s highest restaurant and bar is now open at Bangkok’s landmark, the King Power Mahanakhon building.
— The Thaiger
Homeowner injured in home fire caused by exploding battery
A South Pattaya man was injured when a smart balance wheels battery exploded, setting off a fire in his Soi Land Office house.
— Pattaya Mail
Several airlines eyeing Betong airport
Nok Air, Bangkok Airways and Malaysia’s Firefly airline are interested in flying to Yala’s Betong airport after its planned opening next year, according to the Department of Airports.
— Bangkok Post
Dusit Thani Pattaya receives ISO 14001:2015 certification
Dusit Thani Pattaya successfully received ISO 14001:2015 certification – an international standard for the environmental management system (EMS) within an organisation.
— Pattaya Mail
Airbnb estimates direct economic impact in Thailand exceeds 33.8 billion baht
According to new survey findings and an analysis of internal data released today, Airbnb’s host and guest community generated over 3.8 billion baht in estimated direct economic impact in Thailand in 2018.
— The Thaiger
Thailand proposes Kaeng Krachan forest complex as natural world heritage site
Thailand is pushing hard for the Kaeng Krachan forest complex, on the Thai-Myanmar border, to be recognized as a natural world heritage site at the 43rd World Heritage Committee meeting…
— Thai PBS News
Feature photo Ocean Defender – Hawaii
This week’s Thailand morning news feature photo acknowledges plastic waste throughout Asean.
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. Due to The Nation‘s habit of hijacking urls and diverting them to promotion pages we no longer include it in our clippings.
Thailand morning news for July 5 added by John Le Fevre on
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John Le Fevre
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.
Latest posts by John Le Fevre (see all)
- COVID-19 in Asean: update for July 26 — 16 mln case barrier breached, Vietnam records community transmission – July 26, 2020
- COVID-19 in Asean: update for July 25 — new high for daily infections, 16 mln infection barrier to break today – July 25, 2020
- COVID-19 in Asean: update for July 24 — Asean tops 230,000 cases, nudges 90,000 active – July 24, 2020
- Thailand morning news for July 24 – July 24, 2020