Thailand morning news for May 31

Thailand morning news for May 31
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Thailand morning news

Endangered: Thai dissident band calls on musicians worldwide to help #SaveFaiyen (video)
In February this year Australian football player Hakeem al-Araibi reached out to, and gained support from football players, sporting bodies, and fans globally over his detention in Thailand. Now a dissident Thai band in exile is calling for musicians and performing artists globally to help them stay alive by tweeting #SaveFaiyen.
— AEC News Today

New forestry law has harsher penalties for encroachers and illegal loggers
Forest encroachers caught clearing land or burning trees, in any of Thailand’s national parks or gardens, in order to occupy the land, will soon face jail terms of up to…
— Thai PBS News

Law to protect patients from private hospital overcharging now in effect
Patients can, from now on, expect reasonable prices for treatment at private hospitals and can demand that private hospitals provide an estimate of their treatment costs, including the prices of…
— Thai PBS News

GPO inks medical pot research deal
The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) has signed an agreement with the Department of Medical Services (DMS) to cooperate in medical marijuana research and development, which is expected to help boost domestic production capacity to meet demand from patients.
— Bangkok Post

Residents build own flood-control system after Pattaya’s 3-million-baht project fails
Central Pattaya residents are putting their hands in their own pockets to resolve flooding problems after the city spent nearly 3 million baht on a project that didn’t work.
— Pattaya Mail

Weather warnings issued for Thailand’s north, central, east and upper south
Residents from the upper south to the north of the country are being warned to brace themselves for heavy monsoonal rains over the next couple of days.
— The Thaiger

Chart Thai Pattana formally invited to join Palang Pracharat coalition
The Chart Thai Pattana party will, on Friday, respond to the invitation by the Palang Pracharat to join its coalition. A formal invitation was extended to the Chart Thai Pattana…
— Thai PBS News

Thailand’s S-Curve Policy To Attract Domestic EV Production
We believe Thailand’s S-Curve policy, which targets domestic production of next generation vehicles such as Electric Vehicles will attract OEMs into the country through the provision of incentives aimed at reducing production related costs.
— Fitch Solutions.com

Govt debt ratio hike ‘won’t hurt monetary, fiscal discipline’
The government’s move to raise its off-budget debt commitment as a proportion of the national budget from 5% to 8% will not have any effect on monetary or fiscal discipline, according to an adviser to the Public Debt Management Office.
— Bangkok Post

Thailand sole supplier of pigs
The ban on importing pigs from Vietnam due to an outbreak of African swine fever has made Thailand the sole supplier of the animal to Cambodia, the head of a livestock association told The Post on Wednesday.
— Phnom Penh Post

Democrat MPs hit by media shareholding claims
Former senator Ruengkrai Leekitwattana has petitioned the Election Commission (EC) to probe 10 Democrat MPs — including party heavyweights Korn Chatikavanij and Jitpas Kridakorn — for allegedly violating media shareholding rules prior to registering as election candidates.
— Bangkok Post

Thailand: No Arrests for Assaults on Junta Critics
Authorities in Thailand should urgently and impartially investigate repeated attacks on prominent pro-democracy activists, Human Rights Watch said today.
— Human Rights Watch

Prayuth ‘Animal Farm’ Endorsement Left Netizens Snorting
Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha’s suggestion that Thais read dystopian classic Animal Farm snowballed into an avalanche of social media ridicule Thursday.
— Khaosod English

Ethics of auditors in the crosshairs of regulator
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) plans to talk with the Commerce Ministry and the Federation of Accounting Professions (FAP) soon about improving the quality and ethics of auditors.
— Bangkok Post

Iconsiam wins best design award
The iconic Iconsiam has won the best story design award by the World Retail Congress this year.
— Bangkok Post

Many uni seats empty as round 4 of tests wraps up
ABOUT HALF of Thailand’s university seats remain empty for the next academic year after four of the five central admission system’s rounds have been completed.
— Thaivisa

Digital upgrade key to success
Organisations have been told to prepare their current and future workforces for the field of data science as employees must be able to act as “translators”, who can interpret consumer demand and relay the information to data scientists and technicians, experts said at the “Deep Think: How AI Will Change the World” conference organised by the Bangkok Post Group on Friday.
— Bangkok Post

Fish outta water: Reservoir giants killed by Thailand’s drought (Video)
A graphic video showing dozens of gigantic catfish carcasses being pulled out of a dried-out reservoir then lugged away from its muddy banks does not bode well for Thailand’s climate…
— Coconuts (paywall)

Hitachi to roll out haulage truck-sharing service in Thailand
Japanese electronics and infrastructure systems giant Hitachi Ltd will launch a haulage vehicle-sharing service in Thailand next month, taking advantage of its expertise in big data analysis and artificial intelligence technology.
— Bangkok Post

Central Will Only Give Plastic Bags When Asked
Blessed are the meek, who will have a hard time attaining plastic bags when staff refuse to give them automatically at Central Department stores starting this June.
— Khaosod English

Drug price disclosure takes effect
Starting on Thursday, 353 private hospitals have to display the prices of 3,000 drugs, as well as the fees for medical supplies and services, so that consumers can make better-informed decisions prior to receiving treatments.
— Bangkok Post

From October you’ll have to pay your traffic fines before you can re-register your vehicle
From October 1, police have advised that car owners must pay all traffic fines or will be unable to re-register their vehicles and get a new annual registration sticker for their windscreen.
— The Thaiger

NSF in search of 1.2m members
The National Savings Fund (NSF), a voluntary pension fund for self-employed workers, expects its members will reach 1.2 million by year-end after the Interior Ministry pushed efforts to educate people about the fund’s benefits.
— Bangkok Post

Tycoon Charoen adds B80bn to his fortune on beer, spirits
Thailand’s richest man added US$2.5 billion (80 billion baht) to his fortune this year even before snapping up Starbucks Corp’s local operations to cement his group’s position as a consumer-sector titan.
— Bangkok Post

Mains water supply to be shut off near airport
The Phuket Provincial Waterworks Authority (PWA) has announced that the mains water supply will be shut-off in areas around – and including – Phuket International Airport in Thalang tomorrow (May 31).
— The Phuket News

Thailand Looks to Ease Listing Rules for SMEs
Revising the listing rules will be a key agenda item at a 1 June meeting between the SEC and SET, as the current rules may be too restrictive for SMEs.
— Regulation Asia

Thailand Vows To Keep Watch Of Stricter U.S. Forex Rules
Thailand was not among the countries added to the United States’ list of countries to be monitored due to potential currency manipulation. The Asian country is pleased with the news but it also vowed to keep its guard up against slipping from the criteria.
— The Business Times

CEO of leading Thailand retail developer Siam Piwat inducted into World Retail Hall of Fame
Leading Thai retail developer Siam Piwat has scooped two of the world’s most prestigious awards in the retail industry at the World Retail Congress recently held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
— PR Newswire

GPO inks medical pot research deal
The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) has signed an agreement with the Department of Medical Services (DMS) to cooperate in medical marijuana research and development, which is expected to help boost domestic production capacity to meet demand from patients.
— Bangkok Post

Bangkok pilots no-smoking areas in 6 districts
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is to pilot no-smoking areas in 6 city districts and earlier this week organized a march encouraging smokers to quit. According to 2018 data from the National Statistical Office, some 50,000 Thai people die every year from smoking, …
— Pattaya Mail

Biodiesel B10 now available in Thailand
The Minister of Energy Siri Jirapongphan presided Wednesday at the Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate in Si Racha district over a ceremony to launch PTT’s UltraForce Diesel B10, the first biodiesel B10 fuel to go on sale in Thailand.
— Pattaya Mail

Tobacco kills eight million people each year: WHO
Tobacco kills eight million people each year, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned, ahead of World No Tobacco Day on Friday.
— Thai PBS News

Suradat rejects push for PM candidate
Pheu Thai de-facto leader Sudarat Keyuraphan on Thursday rejected a call by northeastern MPs in the party to push for her to be the prime minister candidate of the anti-military alliance.
— Bangkok Post

Suradat rejects push for PM candidate
Pheu Thai de-facto leader Sudarat Keyuraphan on Thursday rejected a call by northeastern MPs in the party to push for her to be the prime minister candidate of the anti-military alliance.
— Bangkok Post

Leading Thailand’s Transformation to the Cloud
Internet Thailand, or INET, offers cloud services to enterprises of all sizes — including infrastructure-as-a-service, platform-as-a-service, and software-as-a-service solutions. The company is the largest cloud provider in Thailand, and the country’s first to be VMware Cloud Verified.
— CIO

Tuk-tuk driver overcharging Americans apologises
A tuk-tuk driver who charged three American tourists 500 baht each for a trip has apologised for his actions and confessed to all charges.
— Bangkok Post

Truck-Smashing Aunties Get Lenient Sentence
A court on Thursday handed down probation to two women whose axe attack on a pickup truck blocking their mansion won widespread sympathy.
— Khaosod English

30 new cameras ready to catch traffic running red lights in Bangkok
30 major intersections will be fitted with red-light cameras to fine people going through intersections and ignoring red traffic lights.
— The Thaiger

Smartphone sales slipping
A lack of new technology, a saturated smartphone market and uneasy consumer confidence in Chinese smartphone maker Huawei may shrink the overall local smartphone market by 4% in 2019.
— Bangkok Post tech

Mama elephant’s cries lead Thais to her 2 dead babies
A day after a mother elephant was heard crying for its calves, people in a community east of Bangkok found not one but two dead young elephants in the nearby wetlands.
— Coconuts (paywall)

JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa’s Cucina Italian Kitchen scoops up Thailand Tatler Best Restaurants 2019 award
The award-winning Phuket beach resort JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa is pleased to announce that Cucina Italian Kitchen recently received the gastronomic award in the annual Thailand Tatler’s Best Restaurants 2019.
— The Phuket News

Chiang Mai and Hua Hin in Top 10 Asian retirement locations
Hua Hin and Chiang Mai are two of the best retirement destinations in Asia, according to the US News and World Report. Phuket and Bangkok, usually included in lists of Asian retirement locations, didn’t make it onto this list.
— The Thaiger

Thailand Water Pump Market to Witness Comprehensive Growth by 2026
High growth in industries such as pharmaceuticals and water and wastewater treatment is expected to increase overall revenue in South Asian markets. Growth in the water industry is expected to stem from the need for better management of water resources, including water recycling, rainwater harvesting, storage and improved irrigation processes.
— New Daily Herald.com

Nothing proven, says Thailand minister, as HIV patient claims cannabis ‘cured’ her
Public Health Minister Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn has ordered an investigation into claims that cannabis oil “cured” a bed-ridden HIV patient, who has had the virus for over 20 years.
— Asia One

Export excellence: Trade chiefs seek to drive novel food exports on back of Thailand 4.0 gains
Thailand’s efforts to drive food innovation are reaping rewards with the country’s Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP) now pledging to promote these novel products to new export markets.
— Food Navigator-Asia

Good Samaritan killed in Thailand chain collision
A Good Samaritan van driver was killed when he stopped to help a broken down pickup driver but was crushed between the two vehicles after a third vehicle crashed into them in Nonthaburi early on Thursday, police said.
— Asia One

Thailand’s Thanathorn unfazed despite series of legal challenges
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Future Forward Party leader says the government raises threat of legal action to pressure him.
— Al Jazeera

Abhisit cracks joke with Pheu Thai’s prime ministerial candidate
Former Democrat party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva appears to be in jovial mood, after resigning as party leader and being free from the headaches of having to deal with internal conflict…
— Thai PBS News

Father, 2 daughters killed by gas at waste pond
The owner of a pig farm and his two young daughters in Tamot district were killed by toxic gas from a waste-treatment pond after he tried to rescue them on Wednesday night.
— Bangkok Post

Four new baby meerkats melt hearts at Songkhla zoo
Four newly born meerkats are the star attractions at Songkhla zoo as visitors come to catch a glimpse of the little furry pups with their big eyes and signature two-legged stand.
— Bangkok Post

Officials demolish 38 year old Kieat Tong Chai market in Bangkok
Daily News Bangkok officials (BMA) have demolished a market built to occupy the middle of a road in Din Daeng district following 38 years of disputes.
— The Thaiger

 

 

Feature photo Thailand Government PRD

This week’s Thailand morning news feature photo acknowledges World No-Tobacco Day, May 31.

 

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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