Thailand morning news for September 18, 2019

Industry sentiment plunges to 10-month low
The Thai Industries Sentiment Index dropped in August to 92.8 points, the lowest in 10 months, on business concerns about people’s lower purchasing power and a bearish sentiment on exports, the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) reported on Tuesday.
— Bangkok Post

Calls mount to ban farm chemicals
The National Hazardous Substances Committee (NHSC) is under growing pressure to ban three farm chemicals when it meets on Wednesday to consider reports and proposals for alternatives to the substances.
— Bangkok Post

Europe trade body wants end to TM30
The European Association for Business and Commerce (EABC) has proposed an immediate end to the TM30 24-hour reporting and TM28 change-of-permanent-address immigration forms.
— Bangkok Post

PM: I’ll be cool during grilling
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Tuesday declared he is ready for Wednesday’s parliamentary debate on his incomplete recital of the cabinet oath, saying the upcoming grilling will not rattle his nerves.
— Bangkok Post

FTI hopes for further cut in policy interest rate to tame strong Baht
The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) is hoping that the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of Thailand will make another cut in the policy interest rate, currently set at 1.5%, to prevent the baht currency from strengthening further.
— Thai PBS World

Leading environmentalist slams Thailand’s record on pollution
A renowned Thai environmentalist and academic has posted a picture on Facebook of a Thai beach covered in trash as he slams the country for not doing enough to protect the environment.
— The Thaiger

Deputy Agriculture Minister Manunya fighting alone to have 3 herbicides banned
Deputy Agriculture Minister Manunya Thaiseth has complained that she appears to be fighting alone among the bureaucrats and politicians to have three toxic agricultural chemicals, namely paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos, banned within this year.
— Thai PBS World

PRD chief Sansern faces election probe
A senior official at the Public Relations Department (PRD) on Tuesday accused his boss of failing to maintain political impartiality during the March 24 election campaign, in a petition lodged with the House committee on corruption.
— Bangkok Post

Thailand urges Cambodia to have migrant workers officially documented for jobs
Thailand on Tuesday urged Cambodia to see to it that Cambodian migrant workers seeking jobs in Thailand are officially documented in the first place.
— Xin Hua

Oil prices unlikely to rise in short term
Local oil prices will not rise in the short term despite tight global supply after authorities cut contributions to the oil fund.
— Bangkok Post

Thai PM defends police monitoring of Muslim university students
Thailand’s prime minister on Tuesday defended police for requesting information about minority Muslim students from universities around the country, after criticism of the move as discriminatory and illegal.
— CNA

Thammanat Prompao misses cabinet meeting today, calls in sick
Controversy-prone deputy agriculture minister for the Prayut government, Thammanat Prompao, isn’t feeling well today and has called in sick.
— The Thaiger

Grassroots solutions to deadly problems
Local empowerment has become the best prevention measure against diseases and accidents in two Chiang Mai communities, who have learned firsthand how collective grassroots action can keep them safe.
— Bangkok Post

Public oppose cab fare increase
About 80% of people oppose an increase in taxi fares and find the vehicles to be in poor condition, according to a survey by the Department of Land Transport.
— Bangkok Post

Wealth Management Unlimited – SCB Julius Baer Style
A five-year survey between 2015-2020 by Bloomberg Finance L.P., MSCI, and Julius Baer found that assets of High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs) in Thailand grew at an annual rate of 9.9 per cent, equivalent to US$401,200 million, whereas the country’s GDP grew annually only 3.3 per cent on average.
— Bangkok Post

Mandatory travel insurance for tourists proposal shelved, for now, according to Thai Government
A representative of the Thai Ministry for Tourism and Sports has told the Thai media that plans to have required travel insurance have been put on the back burner.
— The Pattaya News

Low-risk assets beat out gold for returns
Property funds, real estate investment trusts (REITs) and infrastructure funds have yielded the best returns year-to-date amid market volatility.
— Bangkok Post

Police crackdown on illegal foreign market workers in Chonburi
Police crackdown on illegal foreign market workers in Chonburi Sri Racha -Chonburi Immigration officers have initiated a crackdown on illegal foreign workers at a market in Sri Racha this morning.
— The Pattaya News

Obec ‘confident’ of teaching staff numbers
The Office of Basic Education Commission (Obec) is confident there will be enough teachers when the second semester begins on Nov 1 even as 26,000 teachers are due to retire by the end of this month.
— Bangkok Post

No impact on PTT’s imports from Saudi oil refinery attack: Thai minister
Thai energy minister Sontirat Sontijirawong claims that last Saturday’s attacks on two major oil-processing facilities run by the Saudi-owned company Aramco will not affect oil imports of the Thai petro-chemical giant PTT group.
— The Thaiger

Car sales down in August, overall sales up
Vehicle sales contracted in August for the third month in a row, largely on rejection of car loan applications under new guidelines, the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) reported on Tuesday.
— Bangkok Post

RISC, MQDC, GC, Carpet Maker team up to organize UPCYCLING FOR A BETTER WORLD 2019
Presented by “Upcycling For A Better World 2019” “Sustainnovation” provides the core upcycling vision In a world debut, beautiful and practical hand-woven carpets made from discarded plastic bottles from the sea will be displayed among other upcycled items for daily use. UPCYCLING FOR A BETTER WORLD 2019 is now showcasing numerous upcycling design …
— Khaosod English

Ex-senator to run for Bangkok governor
A former elected Bangkok senator has announced her intention to run for Bangkok governor.
— Bangkok Post

Indonesia’s toxic haze affecting Borneo’s orangutans: Rescuers
JAKARTA: Massive forest fires in Indonesia that have caused a toxic haze to spread as far as Singapore and peninsular Malaysia are also seriously affecting endangered orangutans and their habitat, a rescue foundation said Tuesday (Sep 17).
— CNA

Obec ‘confident’ of teaching staff numbers
The Office of Basic Education Commission (Obec) is confident there will be enough teachers when the second semester begins on Nov 1 even as 26,000 teachers are due to retire by the end of this month.
— Bangkok Post

Haze in Malaysia: Air quality hits hazardous level in Sarawak; nearly 650 schools close in several states
SEREMBAN: A total of 648 schools in Malaysia were ordered to close on Tuesday (Sep 17) due to the worsening haze.
— CNA

BMA confirms smart taxi stand demise
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has scrapped all 150 so-called smart taxi stands and plans to turn ones along BTS skytrain lines into parking areas for motorcycles, its Traffic and Transport Department director, Phanurak Klannurak, said.
— Bangkok Post

NBTC orders cable conduit lease do-over
The telecom regulator has ordered city hall’s business arm Krungthep Thanakom (KT) to repeat the process of seeking operators to lease underground cable conduits, saying the previous document asking for expressions of interest to join the scheme may have caused misunderstandings.
— Bangkok Post

Telecom tycoon quits over insider trading
Telecom tycoon Pete Bodharamik has tendered his resignation as chief executive and director of telecom operator Jasmine International Plc (JAS) and its affiliated Mono Technology Plc in the wake of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) decision to impose a civil sanction against him for insider trading.
— Bangkok Post

Redefining the educational landscape in hospitality
In a world of rising nationalism, International travel has taken on a greater importance, providing tourists with a wider range of opportunities and choices, which had not been previously available.
— Bangkok Post

Meet the new mascot and face of tourism for Phuket
The new Phuket mascot has officially been announced in a contest and the winning mascot is ‘Nong Joong’ – a baby lobster/shrimp created by Jin Sataponsathitsuk, who received 100,000 for his efforts.
— The Pattaya News

Elon Musk claims ‘pedo’ term used against Thai cave diver not an accusation
LOS ANGELES: Tesla founder Elon Musk said in a court filing on Monday (Sep 16) that he did not mean to accuse a British caver of paedophilia when he referred to him as pedo guy in a tweet.
— CNA

Lifeguards return to Phuket’s Surin Beach – to stay, says MaAnn
MaAnn Samran, Chief of the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration (OrBorTor) confirmed to The Phuket News today (Sept 17) that the lifeguards returned on Sunday (Sept 15).
— The Phuket News

Eat less fried, oily food for health this vegetarian festival: MOPH
The traditional Chinese Vegetarian Festival this year will be taking place from 28th September to 7th October. The Ministry of Public Health is encouraging the general public to eat less oily and fried food, while at the same time it’s monitoring for food contaminants.
— NNT

60 flow accelerators draining Ubon Ratchathani floodwaters
The floods in Phibun Mangsahan district of Ubon Ratchathani have started to improve, with 64 villages in 7 subdistricts still affected, while the initial affected area covered 14 subdistricts.
— NNT

Future of energy: What Thailand can learn from Finland, Denmark
Besides being among the world’s happiest nations, Finland and Denmark have another thing in common: They are both equally ambitious to become the world’s first carbon-free country.
— Thai PBS World

Panda Lin Hui acting normally after Xuang Xuang’s death
CHIANG MAI: It is life as normal for giant panda Lin Hui, who has exhibited no change of behaviour since the death of her mate Xung Xuang at Chiang Mai zoo on Monday.
— Bangkok Post

Isaan Flood Update: Gov’t Dinner Party Cancelled, Donation Race Begins
Government leaders and TV personalities on Tuesday are soliciting donations to assist those affected by ongoing floods in the northeast that have claimed at least 30 lives.
— Khaosod English

Smoke from Indonesian illegal plantation burn-offs causing acute problems for south east Asian neighbours
PHOTO: Visibility down to less than a kilometre at KL airport yesterday Flights cancelled, schools closed and regional environmental ministers trading insults.
— The Thaiger

Sabai-Sabai Hygge: Lessons from the Danish Ambassador
Danish ambassador Uffe Wolffhechel is in the third year of his Thailand post. He’s glad not to have to look over his shoulder at every step after previous postings in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
— Khaosod English

Feature photo GBN/ Dhammakaya Buddhism

This week’s Thailand morning news feature photo focuses on the Thailand floods

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).

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Thailand morning news for September 18 added by John Le Fevre on September 18, 2019
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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.