In the April 6, 2017 edition of Newsline, presenter Sandra Hanutsaha tells us about:
• In order to accommodate the continual flow of people wanting to pay their respects to the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Grand Palace will remain open during the Songkran holiday period.
• Construction of the royal funeral pyre at Sanam Luang is said to have passed he halfway mark with work on the steel structure expected to be completed by the end of this month.
• Privy Councillor General Paiboon Khumchaya has presented an anti-drug policy report during the 6th Global Commission on Drug Policy (GCDP), attended by Ruth Dreifuss, chair of the Global Commission on Drug Policy. Thailand’s drug policy, he said, was aimed at lowering drug related crime and assisting former addicts, admitting it will take time for Thaialnd to adopt the recommendations of the GCDP.
• The subcommittee responsible for public relations activities to promote national reconciliation has met to discuss the implementation of media campaigns and other activities to promote the results of public meetings held with various stakeholders.
• The Department of Land Transport (DLT) has kicked off its 2017 Songkran road safety campaign, with the deputy minister for Transport inspecting the implementation of GPS tracking for public transport vehicles. He said that the devices have been installed on 92 per cent of the Transport Company’s vehicles, with data being constantly streamed to 76 monitoring centres nationwide. Vehicles that have not yet fitted the devices and complied with the other new safety requirements will be prevented from operating, he said.
• In a bid to improve road safety during the Songkran festival various provinces have begun implementing measures to enhance traffic flow. Road construction and repair activities are being suspended for the holiday period, while many intersecting roads will be closed.
• In the second part of a special report into the Thailand food industry and its ‘Food Innopolis’ initiative, NBT takes a look at the Halal Science Center Chulalongkorn University – the first Halal science agency established globally – and other infrastructure as part of Thailand’s ‘kitchen of the world’ initiative, part of the government’s Thailand 4.0 strategy. (See: Part 1 of NBTC special ‘Food Innopolis’ report here: Thailand English-language News for April 5, 2017).
• Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce (MOC) and Ministry of Finance (MOF) are confident that the country economy will not be affected by recent US policy announcements aimed at reducing trade deficit, claiming that the two countries have a relationship that goes beyond trade, including investment, security and cultural exchange.
• Thailand’s first Space Learning Center, Space Inspirium, has opened at Sriracha, Chonburi province. A combination of the words ‘inspiration’ and ‘museum’, Space Inspirium is administered by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MosT) and comprises 13 zones designed to highlight the use of space technology in every day life and to foster enthusiasm in children for a career in the space industry through interactive and static displays.
• NBT provides a special report on the visit to Thailand by Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte between March 20-22 and the various issues discussed and the three MOUs signed during the visit.
• and more.
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Newsline is a daily Thailand English-language news and current affairs programme produced by the National News Bureau of Thailand (NNBT) under the Thailand Government Public Relations Department (PRD) for *NBT World, the NNBTs 24/7 English language television service delivering Thailand government news and information to the Thai, Asean, and wider Asian communities via cable and satellite. It is also available via android and iOS apps.