1,200 police to secure Constitutional Court on ruling day
Police will deploy 1,200 officers in and around the Constitutional Court on Thursday when it rules on the dissolution of Thai Raksa Chart following the party’s nomination of Princess Ubolratana to be its candidate for prime minister.
— Bangkok Post
Thailand ranks world’s 23rd most polluted country
Thailand has been ranked the world’s 23rd most polluted country and Bangkok ranks 24th in the list of cities with critical air quality globally, according to the 2018 World Air…
— Thai PBS News
Little Changed Among Blood-Bound Thai Billionaires: Forbes
Nearly a third of Thailand’s billionaires belong to a single clan, the latest ranking from Forbes shows.
— Khaosod English
Thai PM Prayut bows out of direct campaigning for March 24 polls to avoid falling foul of election laws
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has decided against campaigning directly for the country’s March 24 election for fear of violating election laws.
— The Straits Times
Cabinet approves 764 million baht for trawler eliminating project
The Cabinet has approved a budget of 764 million baht for the fisheries management project to purchase and destroy trawlers from fishing operators being affected by the state’s policies to address the issue of Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing.
— NBT World (video)
Govt urged to extend EEC incentives to local businesses
CIVIL SOCIETY groups have called on the government to extend the |special privileges it is offering to investors in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) to local business activities and sustainable development.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
BoT chief frets over ‘fiscal immunity’
Bank of Thailand governor Veerathai Santiprabhob has urged the government to downsize the public sector and improve spending efficiency to avert a prolonged fiscal budget deficit from snowballing in the future.
— Bangkok Post
Thousands of illegal Myanmar workers flee Thai crackdown
Over 130,000 undocumented Myanmar workers have returned home from Thailand since the middle of last year after failing to obtain the documents required to work in the kingdom, the Myanmar Labour Attache Office in Bangkok said on Tuesday.
— Myanmar Times
Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia to cut rubber exports for 4 months
The world’s top producers of natural rubber will curb exports by 240,000 tonnes for four months from April, they said on Wednesday, in a bid to prop up global prices for the commodity.
— Bangkok Post
206 motorcyclists fined 1000 baht in one hour for riding on footpath
“Excuse me Sir, may I relieve you of 1,000 baht for riding on the footpath?” Is it a new crackdown on motorcyclists riding on the footpaths in Bangkok?
— The Thaiger
Parties Can Campaign on ‘Protecting’ Monarchy: Junta Legal Adviser
Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said Wednesday that political parties can make protecting the monarchy a campaign issue but must refrain from accusing other parties of attacking it.
— Khaosod English
Sorry We’re Closed! Election Commission Leaves Thailand on Eve of Vote
Grievances over campaign malpractice, no matter how urgent, will have to hold till next week because nearly all members of the Election Commission are traveling overseas.
— Khaosod English
Questions raised over Cabinet nod for SCG use of forest reserve
THERE IS a growing outcry over the government’s recent decision to allow corporate giant SCG to utilise parts of a forest reserve in Saraburi province, as a special case, till 2036.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
Fast trains to Laos ‘in 4 years’
The government will push for completion of the Thai-Sino high-speed railway project linking Bangkok and Nong Khai by 2023 so it can connect to another fast rail project in Laos, said Nathporn Chatusripitak, a spokesman for Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak.
— Bangkok Post
National parks bill deliberation disrupted at parliament as forest group ‘makes noise’
Police this afternoon have apprehended representatives of a forest dwellers’ group after they refused to stop making noise inside Parliament where the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) was deliberating on amendments to the National Parks Act they oppose.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
Palang Pracharat drops plan for PM to address rallies
The pro-junta Palang Pracharat party has decided to abandon its plan to have its prime ministerial candidate, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, attend its campaign rally this Sunday in Thailand’s northeastern…
— Thai PBS News
Thailand elections: contender may be charged after sharing fake news
The deputy leader of an up-and-coming political party contesting Thailand’s general election has become the latest target of heavily restrictive online content laws after unwittingly sharing a false news article.
— The Guardian
Investors jittery over Thai Raksa Chart Party ruling
Volatility in Thailand’s stock market is expected if Thursday’s ruling on the dissolution of the Thai Raksa Chart Party roils investor confidence, though disappointing fourth-quarter earnings are the main culprit in the recent foreign sell-off.
— Bangkok Post
TCEB — Business fine tunes marketing strategy in neighbouring countries
The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) — Business is fine tuning its marketing strategy in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV) with a tactical campaign to attract more MICE travellers from neighbouring countries.
— AEC News Today / PR Newswire (media release)
Court ducks PM status call
The Administrative Court on Tuesday insisted it had not received a formal request to interpret whether the National Council for Peace and Order’s (NCPO) chief is a state official, and therefore prohibited from being nominated as a prime ministerial candidate.
— Bangkok Post
UOB-backed business accelerator forays into Thailand, eyes helping SMEs digitalise
SINGAPORE business accelerator The FinLab has ventured into Thailand and is ready to fork out at least 10 million baht (S$425,900) on Thai small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to help them go digital.
— The Business Times
Pheu Thai No 1 choice, but well short of majority
The previous ruling party, Pheu Thai, is expected to win the most number of seats in the House of Representatives in the March 24 general election although it will fall short of the majority, according to a survey by Nation Group journalists across the country.
— The Nation/ ANN
70 Thai students gain full scholarships from China to study in vocational colleges in Tianjin
A total of 70 Thai students are confirmed to gain full governmental scholarships from China’s Tianjin Municipal Education Commission to study in dozens of vocational colleges for three years in the northern Chinese city.
— Xinhua
Jail again for hit-and-run teacher in retrial perjury case
The Nakhon Phanom provincial court on Wednesday sentenced former teacher Jomsap Saenmuangkhot, 57, to eight years in jail for perjury in seeking a retrial in her fatal hit-and-run case.
— Bangkok Post
Probe finds ‘night with corpse’ rescue worker blameless
The Ruam Katanyu Foundation will reinstate the rescue volunteer whose “night with a corpse” last week caused an online sensation.
— Bangkok Post
Thais invited to don yellow for coronation
Thailand’s Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has invited the Thai public to wear yellow clothes to celebrate His Majesty the King’s coronation.
— NNT
PM urges reform officials to address inequality & distribute income
Thailand’s Prime Minister has told state officials that the reform budget for 2020 must address the problems of social disparities and income inequality while adhering to the master reform blueprint.
— NNT
Karen poacher jailed, officials who hired him let off lightly
A Karen man who said he shot a bearcat in a national park on the orders of “Thai officials” who hired him has been sent to prison for 3 years and seven months.
— Bangkok Post
Red-shirt supporters urged to ‘send Prayut home’ at polls
After failing to bring Thaksin Shinawatra home, red-shirt supporters are being told to use their votes to send Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha back home instead.
— Bangkok Post
Bangkok Airways spending 3 billion on new planes, airports
Bangkok Airways is putting aside 3 billion baht to finance two new aircraft to support their growing passenger numbers.
— The Thaiger
Cabinet gives nod to scrapping excise tax for full EVs
The cabinet on Tuesday approved a Finance Ministry proposal to eliminate the excise tax for full electric vehicles from Jan 1, 2020 to Dec 31, 2022 to speed up full EV manufacturing and reduce emissions.
— Bangkok Post
MoU signed to certify Thai products
The Foreign Trade Department of Thailand’s Commerce Ministry has signed an agreement with the Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC) on product certification.
— NNT
Thailand delays rice bill due to farmers’ objections. Will it open the door for the Shinawatras?
Rice is once again at the centre of Thai politics after a controversial bill was postponed indefinitely due to opposition from farmers who make up one of the country’s most influential voting blocs.
— South China Morning Post
Thailand to Get 6 More Enstrom 480Bs
Enstrom Helicopter Corporation is pleased to announce the sale of 6 turbine powered 480B aircraft to M-Landarch, the Enstrom Representative in Thailand.
— AviationPros
Kite protest as Samui airport’s neighbors demand more compensation
Ten neighbours living adjacent to privately owned Koh Samui airport, unhappy with compensation offers over the noise, have sent up a fleet of kites in protest to blockade the end of the runway.
— The Thaiger
Straight Outta Buriram Comes New 420 Weed Fest
From the land of football and Formula 1 comes a new pro-cannabis festival featuring everything from music and art installations to educational workshops and vendors.
— Khaosod English
Bangkok Airways spending 3 billion on new planes, airports
Bangkok Airways is putting aside 3 billion baht to finance two new aircraft to support their growing passenger numbers.
— The Thaiger
Nakhon Phanom crime-fighter becomes ‘ghostbuster’
A POLICE captain in Nakhon Phanom has won praise from Facebook users after they saw a video clip of him chanting a long and difficult-to-memorise Pali prayer to perform an exorcism.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
Patong trash fire spurs warning of B10k fine for dumping, B1k fine for littering
A pile of dumped garbage catching fire near a resort in the heart of Patong has prompted Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kepsub to issue a stern warning that any persons caught dumping garbage will face a fine of up to B10,000.
— The Phuket News
Luxury villa project at Ao Sane exceeds building permit, construction ordered to halt – again
Construction of the controversial luxury villa residence in the coastal road on Krathing Cape, north of Nai Harn Beach, has been ordered to halt again, this time after more additions not approved in the already revised building permit were found by officials.
— The Phuket News
Minor to double eateries portfolio
THE Minor Food Group will double the number of its restaurants in Thailand and overseas to more than 4,400 over the next five years, chief executive Paul Kenny said.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
How politicians think they can fight corruption
Politicians competing in the March-24 general election agree that corruption is a scourge that is undermining the Thai society and dealing with it will be one of their priorities if…
— Thai PBS News
Water restrictions on the agenda again as Phuket’s dams get low
The Phuket Water Authority, swinging wildly between ‘water restrictions’ and ‘there is plenty of water’, now says that water restrictions are again on the cards in a raft of suggestions being put to the Phuket Governor.
— The Thaiger
Activist Ekachai Assaulted for the Sixth Time in One Year
An inveterate anti-junta activist was beaten bloody by anonymous assailants Tuesday in the sixth such attack in just over a year.
— Khaosod English
Nan doctor honoured for rural work
Winner Kitisak vows to work even harder until his retirement
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
Contract signed: Patong beachfront power lines, fibre-optic cable to be installed underground
Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsup yesterday (Mar 5) signed the formal contact hiring joint-venture I.M.P Consortium to install the power lines and communications cables, including a fibre-optic main, underground along three kilometres of the Patong beach road.
— The Phuket News
Marketplace operator Kaidee aims for 70% jump in sales as its builds on expansion
KAIDEE, which operates a consumer to consumer (C2C) online marketplace, yesterday said it will double the number of its listings and deals this year as part of plans to increase revenue 70 per cent from last year.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
Thai law allows those suffering to take steps to end their lives
Thailand has not legalised euthanasia or assisted suicide like other countries but there is Section 12 in the National Health Act that allows a person to make a living will in writing to pass away naturally and peacefully, Medical Council secretarygeneral Dr Itthaporn Kanachareon said yesterday.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
Tourists head to Nan for stunning yellow blossoms
Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Nan branch office Tourists are enjoying the stunning blossoms of the Golden Trumpet Tree around Nan province.
— The Thaiger
Thailand to ban import of plastic waste
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is proposing to the Thai cabinet a total ban on the import of plastic waste into Thailand.
— The Thaiger
Talking with the animals
Seacon Square welcomes the long school holiday by hosting the Seacon Pet Cafe for the first time in Thailand.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
Feature photo shankar s.
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.
Thailand morning news for March 7 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.
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- 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