Thailand morning news for May 24

Thailand morning news for May 24
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Thailand morning news

PPRP ‘seals deal’ to form coalition govt
The political dust has begun to settle with the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) well on its way to leading the next government, joined by the Democrat and Bhumjaithai parties, according to military sources.
— Bangkok Post

Ghost fleet: former slaves and the woman bringing them home (video)
A hard-hitting documentary looking at slavery in the Thailand fishing and seafood industries premiered in Mexico on Tuesday, the latest in a series of international screenings bringing the dark underbelly of the Thai seafood and fishing industries into the public spotlight.
— AEC News Today

Thai court blocks anti-junta politician from joining House
A Thai court on Thursday blocked the leader of a new anti-junta political party from taking his seat in Parliament while it determines whether he violated election rules.
— AP

New PM to be chosen this month
The new prime minister is likely to be chosen this month and a new government is expected to deliver a policy statement address before the parliament and assume official duties next month, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said.
— Bangkok Post

Thai youth to join worldwide climate protests tomorrow
Thai youth will tomorrow (Friday) join their brothers and sisters in more than 100 countries to launch a worldwide climate strike and protest to put pressure on their respective governments to take concrete action to address global warming.
— Thai PBS News

Ministry mulls levy for tourists
The Tourism and Sports Ministry is considering the possibility of imposing a tourist levy to use for improving local attractions and insurance coverage for foreign visitors.
— Bangkok Post

PM Prayut New government should ensure continuity
Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha has expressed satisfaction with the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), for its ability to address several issues in the Kingdom over the past few years, as the NCPO marked its 5th anniversary yesterday. He urged the new government to carry on with all the NCPO’s work to ensure continuity and national stability.
— NBT World (video)

Thailand’s oldest bank hints at new blockchain app powered by Ripple
Thailand’s oldest bank, Siam Commerical Bank (SCM), has hinted it will be experimenting with blockchain technology powered by Ripple.
— Tnw

Mingkwan resigns, Pheu Thai cancels meeting
Mingkwan Sangsuwan has resigned as the leader of the New Economics Party while the Pheu Thai Party has scrapped a meeting planned with its allies in a double blow in one day to the anti-regime alliance.
— Bangkok Post

Defiant Thanathorn rejects court order, vows to pursue prime minister’s post
A defiant Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit announced Thursday night that he disagreed with the Constitutional Court’s order to suspend his parliamentary membership and vowed to press ahead with his pursuit of the prime minister’s position in the new parliament.
— Thai PBS

‘Spider’ debut postponed
The project to roll out the Mangmoom, or “spider” cards, which will allow commuters to travel in Bangkok and surrounding areas via multiple modes of transport using a single ticket, has now been postponed until September, according to SRT Electric Train Co, the operator of the Airport Rail Link.
— Bangkok Post

Defense Ministry ensuring public safety during Mahorasop Sompoch
The government is preparing safety measures and will provide convenience to people visiting the week-long-nationwide cultural events to celebrate the coronation of His Majesty the King.
— NBT World (video)

KBank scrutinising loans connected with China
Kasikornbank (KBank) has tightened loan approvals for China-related businesses amid heightening US-China trade tensions, which are pressuring the bank’s trade finance segment.
— Bangkok Post

Commerce Ministry meets Japanese retailer to promote Thai products
As another effort to promote Thai exports, especially farm products, The Minister of Commerce has invited delegates from a major shopping mall in Okinawa, Japan, for business negotiations in Thailand to promote the sale of innovative farm products from Thailand to be sold in Japan, with initial expectation for more than 1 million baht worth of orders.
— NNT

Sudarat warns Democrat and Bhumjaithai parties not to betray people’s trust
Pheu Thai party’s election strategy chief Sudarat Keyuraphan today warned the Democrat and Bhumjaithai parties not to betray the trust of the people who voted for their pro-democracy platform, saying…
— Thai PBS News

‘Oak’ to learn his fate in November
Panthongtae “Oak” Shinawatra, son of fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, is to learn his fate over his money-laundering case in November.
— Bangkok Post

Koh Lan stinks! Environmentalist calls for limit on tourism.
“The atmosphere at the island’s Ta Waen Beach resembles that of a disaster refugee camp.” An environmental health expert is calling for the number of visitors to Koh Lan in Chon Buri to be cut to less than 5,000 a day to tackle the overwhelming garbage problem.
— The Thaiger

Mingkwan quits as New Economics party leader
Mingkwan Saengsuwan has called it quits as leader of the New Economics party, but still retains his status as a party-list MP, claiming that he has already fulfilled his responsibilities…
— Thai PBS News

Frenchman held for stealing Huawei phone in Pattaya
PATTAYA: A Frenchman has been arrested at Tukcom Pattaya centre on Wednesday night for stealing a Huawei P30 Pro smartphone.
— Bangkok Post

Chinese wrongly accused of beating sea urchins
SATUN: Local police are tracking down a person who posted a message online wrongly accusing a group of Chinese tourists of beating sea urchins on a beach at Koh Lipe.
— Bangkok Post

Illegal hunting threatens songbird prized as delicacy: study
Every year, nearly five million breeding pairs of ortolan buntings – a type of tiny songbird classified as endangered in several countries – migrate from Europe to Africa for the…
— Thai PBS News

Auto exports at two-year low
The Federation of Thai Industries reported on Thursday Thailand exported 67,114 vehicles in April, down by 7.5% year-on-year, representing the lowest volume in 24 months.
— Bangkok Post

Industries’ sentiment weakens
The Thai Industries Sentiment Index (TISI) in April decreased to 95.0 points from 96.3 in March amid the global economic slowdown, US-China trade war and weak exports.
— Bangkok Post

NBTC Secretary-General: Thailand unaffected by curbs on Huawei
The Secretary-General of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) disclosed today that Thailand has not been affected by the United States’ curbs on Huawei at this stage, confirming that Thai people can still use current Huawei phones, though users may not be able to use United States’ applications on Huawei’s future phone models.
— NNT

The magic disappearing murky and muddy waters of Pattaya’s Jomtien Beach
Officials from Chon Buri Municipality says there is no source of wastewater found after inspections along the canals. The video of the untreated sewage and wastewater gushing into the Gulf of Thailand has accumulated 1.5 million views already.
— The Thaiger

Productivity slump behind Thailand’s economic woes
Many of you might be waiting to read about an effective “helicopter money” policy to boost the Thai economy as I mentioned in my previous article.
— Bangkok Post

Bangkok students to ditch school Friday for global ‘climate strike’
Bangkok students will ditch classes tomorrow to demand action on climate change in the second such global walk-out to take place this year.
— Coconuts (paywall)

Fatal wreck leaves southern Thai town swimming in 14 tons of catfish
With signs, baskets, traffic cones and anything at hand, they rushed in to scoop up thousands of bodies flopping frantically on the blistering concrete road. A few steps away, a life had already been lost.
— Coconuts (paywall)

Phuket braces for heavy weather, small boats advised to stay ashore
The Phuket Marine Office Director Wiwat Chitchertwong has issued a notice to all boat operators calling for them to beware storm conditions and for operators of small boats to refrain from putting to sea from today (May 23) through next Wednesday (May 29).
— The Phuket News

Interpol busts child sex abuse network operating in US, Thailand, Australia; 50 victims identified
A child sex abuse network operating a website from locations including Thailand and Australia has been busted by Interpol, with 50 victims identified so far, the youngest of which was aged 15 months.
— CNA (very annoying popups)

Thai film industry in the world’s market
The Thai Government has been putting effort into promoting the film and video industry, as one of the branches of a creative economy able to build economic value for the country.
— NNT

2019 top quality OTOP products selection process starts
Some 20,000 entrepreneurs have been awarded with 4-star and 5-star OTOP product certifications from the provincial top OTOP product selection campaign this year.
— NNT

Thai Embassy in Jakarta issues violence warning
The Royal Thai Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, has issued a warning for Thai nationals to avoid travelling to risky places in Jakarta to avoid violence from presidential election result protests.
— NNT

AoT plans land bidding this year
Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) plans to organise a bid by the end of this year to find a concessionaire to develop one of two major plots of land adjacent to Suvarnabhumi airport for commercial purposes, in an investment project worth about 10 billion baht.
— Bangkok Post

Rotavirus shots by next year, govt says
Health authorities are planning to launch a vaccination campaign for rotavirus, which may cause severe inflammation of the bowels among newborn babies, next year.
— Bangkok Post

Roll up, Roll up! 31,000 Register for Medical Weed
Over 31,000 people applied to legally keep their marijuana stockpiles for medical use before registration closed this week, health officials said Thursday.
— Khaosod English

Slowdown won’t keep Chinese from calling Bangkok ‘second home’
Chinese will keep buying Bangkok property despite the slowdown in Asia’s largest economy amid the trade war with the United States, according to Noble Development Plc.
— Bangkok Post

Starbucks to license Thai operations
Starbucks Corp agreed to license its Thailand operations to a partner, in the latest sign that the coffee behemoth is sharpening its focus on its key markets of China and the US.
— Bangkok Post

How To Save Thailand’s Turtles, Make Merit On World Turtle Day
Rather than tossing a tortoise into a khlong, here are some productive ways to help our turtle friends this World Turtle Day.
— Khaosod English

Thai, U.S. navies make port call at HHN shelters
Sailors from the U.S. and Thailand dropped in on two Human Help Network Thailand shelters to bring children there sporting goods to encourage exercise.
— Pattaya Mail

Men arrested for axe-wielding road-rage attack on ambulance
Two men have been arrested for attacking an ambulance with an axe in a fit of road rage, smashing the ambulance’s mirrors and rear window, on Phuket’s bypass road in broad daylight on Monday (May 20).
— The Phuket News

US Sailors visit kids at Drop-In Centre
During one of the US Navy’s visits to Pattaya, a team of sailors made a visit to the ASEAN Learning Centre-Drop-In Center where they entertained the children with various learning activities to develop their learning skills.
— Pattaya Mail

Statesman’s aide hit by fraudulent Facebook hack
A close aide to Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda has filed a complaint that his Facebook account was hacked and a photo of him and the statesman has been used for fraud.
— Bangkok Post

Police summon activists to hear sedition charges
Thirteen Thai political activists have appeared at a Bangkok police station to answer a summons on sedition charges that critics say are part of a plan to remove a rising progressive politician from the political scene.
— Pattaya Mail

Firms fret about policy continuity
The private sector has called for the next government to carry on with development projects as stated in the 20-year national strategy plan (2018-38).
— Bangkok Post

“The civil union bill misses the target” says Thailand’s first transgender MP
Thailand’s first transgender parliamentarian Tanwarin Sukkhapisit talks about the road to gender equality as the country might become Southeast Asia’s first country to legalize same-sex marriage after Taiwan became Asia’s first this month.
— Isaan Record

Thai Gastronomy and Food Culture
Almost 20 members of the international diplomatic corps and their spouses, such as Ambassadors of Cambodia, Myanmar and Turkey to Thailand, participated in a Thai cooking demonstration on 23rd May 2019 at the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok Hotel organized by the Foreign Office of the Government Public Relations Department (PRD).
— NNT

Buying books in Thailand is now a tax write-off
Read your way to a lower tax bill?
— Coconuts (paywall)

Cigarette butts in can of Thai sardines horrify woman
Pichayawan Aksornsak was opening a can of sardines to prepare a fishy meal for her beloved pooch when she was shocked to discover several used cigarette butts stuffed inside.
— Coconuts (paywall)

Major power outage in Patong
The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) Patong office has announced that the electricity supply will be temporarily shut off on Friday (May 24) as work is carried out on improving the distribution system and high voltage power cables.
— The Phuket News

Senate, House speakers’ selection on Saturday
The opening of parliament will take place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday (May 24). After parliament has officially convened, the House of Representatives will hold a meeting to select the House speaker and deputies the following day.
— NNT

Kids have a magical day out at PSC Family Day
Welfare institutions receive support for children under their care For the past 40 years the Pattaya Sports Club has been known for their dedication to promoting sports and supporting local charities.
— Pattaya Mail

 

Feature photo John Le Fevre

This week’s Thailand morning news feature photo acknowledges International Day for Biological Diversity, May 22.

 

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.

 

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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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