In Thailand English-language News for July 24, 2017, Newsline presenter Cholaphansa Narula tells us about:

00:39 | The Abbot of Wat Khae Nok, Phra Khru Sri Sitthikan and the deputy governor of Nonthaburi, Chonlathi Yangtrong, on Sunday presided over the mass ordination of 77 students of Anurat Prasit School to mark the July 28 birthday anniversary of King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun. The King has sponsored Buddhist monks’ robes for 15 schools under royal patronage, with a total of 975 students from the schools to be ordained in the project.

1:43 | Some residents of Tha Muang District in Kanchanaburi Province have taken part in a cycling/ walking/ running event as part of a ceremony to honour King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun as part of an initiative to tackle drug use and misdemeanors among teenagers, and to promote a better quality of life for residents.

Residents had to chose from a 30-kilometer cycling (about  18.64 mile) event, a 2.6-kilometer (1.6 mile) walking exercise, or a 2.6-kilometer running option.

2:56 | Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha has instructed government agencies responsible for education reform in Thailand to focus on the structure of an education system that is centered on self- and lifelong-learning, while at the same time ensuring that everyone has equal access to higher education.

3:57 | The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) will deliberate the draft Ombudsman Thailand law on Thursday, July 27, which has already been vetted by the special committee in charge. The meeting will also review a report on meeting regulations related to the court procedures for Supreme Administrative Court judges and a report on the economic development project for southern provinces.

4:49 | First vice president of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA), Surachai Liengboonlertcha, has said he is confident that the legislature will endorse all ten organic laws ahead of the next general election, in line with the reform road map. Lawmakers have already passed two draft Acts into law and are now reviewing sections and clauses of two more Bills, he said.

5:47 | Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC) Chairman, Meechai Ruchuphan, has dismissed concerns over the newly endorsed Criminal Procedures for Holders of Political Office Act, B.E. 2560, saying that the section that allows criminal trials to proceed in absentia in no way infringes the rights of defendants. He said that the law clearly stipulates that a trial without the presence of the defendant can only be conducted after the accussed has failed to appear in court. In response of criticisms by the Pheu Thai Party (PTP), he said that the new law respects the international rule of law and is on par with that of other countries.

9:07 | The National Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA) will meet for the last time on Tuesday, July 25th to discuss a report on reform of the Thailand energy sector, the last report the NRSA needs to endorse prior to its dissolution and the transferring of its work – 190 reform reports approved during 70 meetings – to the office of Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha on July 31st.

10:16 | An event tagged, “Returning Good People to the Society Set Zero” has been organised at Mueang district in Yala Province to acknowledge 765 people who have been cleared of all national security charges and granted the right to live their lives normally in the province.

11:50 | Secretary-general to the Prime Minister, General Wilas Arunsri, has inspected the final touches to a new Bt137 million ($4.1 million) reception building at Government House.

12:45 | In a special report NBT World takes a look at a joint emergency services training exercise ordered by Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha to ensure preparedness for all forms of disaster as part of the country’s national security policy.

16:11 | Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha has lauded the success of Siam Organic Company Limited, a Thai startup venture which won first prize at the Chivas Venture startup business model contest held in the United States.

General Chan-o-cha said it is the government’s intention to encourage startup businesses to implement knowledge and innovations into their products and services, and help change traditional farming practices into a modern one using the same principle as startup business development.

In conjunction with the National Research Council and Kasetsat University, Siam Organic has worked with 600 Thai farmer partners to develop a new variety of GMO-free organic rice called Jasberry, which has seen crop yield increase by 40 per cent over the past three years, and increasing income 800 per cent.

17:45 | Thailand Management Association (TMA) has organised the Thailand Competitiveness Conference 2017, themed “reinforcing the foundation for competitiveness” with focus on three aspects— innovation, digital, and human resource development – aimed at sharing ideas and exchanging views on reinforcing Thailand’s competitiveness.

19:54 | A farmer in Phron sub-district of Yala Province, Mohammad Badri Cheloh, has devised a way to overcome the odor of duck farming, by raising chickens and ducks in the same coups. The successful eradication of the smell traditionally associated with duck farming has seen him increase his flock from a few dozens birds to more than 100, while earning between Bt100-Bt120 per kilogram ( $3.77-$4.53 per 2.2lbs) for duck meat and Bt6 ($0.18) per egg. The manure is used to make fertiliser.

20:53 | Minister of Labour, General Sirichai Distakul, said that the ministry will open registration centers at provincial employment offices nationwide to accept applications for alien worker documents from today, July 24th, through to August 7th. Employers are encouraged to take their illegal alien workers to one of these centers to file a request for legal documents. Application forms can also be downloaded from www.doe.go.th.

• 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. AEC News Today publishes Thailand English-language News M-F.