Thailand English-language News For June 13, 2017

In Thailand English-language News for June 13, 2017, Newsline presenter Dhra Dhirakaosal tells us about:

00:39 | Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha has been briefed on the state of domestic and international rice trade while chairing the latest meeting of the National Rice Policy Committee (NRPC). He was told global rice prices were increasing, while decreases in India and the United States’ rice production was providing favourable conditions for Thailand.

02:37 | Thais have begun responding to the four questions on the election and democracy posed by Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha.

04:19 | Deputy Prime minister for security affairs and Defence Minister, General Prawit Wongsuwan has dismissed Thailand’s 19th place on the World Economic Forum’s list of 20 most dangerous countries, saying Thailand is safe for visitors and that the survey was conducted based on inaccurate information. The Thailand government intends to appeal the ranking.

05:40 | The National Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA) has heard a proposal on declaring the promotion of political culture part of the country’s national agenda.

07:02 | Thai Army Chief, General Chalermchai Sittisart, has said that the drafting of the social contract to promote national reconciliation is well under way. A final version of the draft social contract will be submitted to the committee in charge of national reconciliation on June 19.

08:12 | The Justice Ministry is planning to upgrade its mediation service covering community-level disputes.

11:41 | Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak will ask the Cabinet to enforce Section 44 of the 2014 Interim Thailand Constitution to expedite the delayed Thai-Chinese railway project and remains hopeful that the Ministry of Transport will be able to submit nine double track train projects to the Cabinet for consideration this year.

13:03 | The Ministry of Tourism and Sports has reported that since the beginning of the year the tourism industry has generated more than Bt1 trillion (about US$29.446 bln), an increase of 5.27 per cent from the same period last year. Foreign tourist revenue accounted for an estimated Bt700 billion ($20.612 bln), while the remaining Bt300 billion ($8.834 bln) came from domestic tourism.

14:43 | NBT World takes a look at the work being performed by Thailand doctors, engineers, and students at Chulalongkorn University to develop a robot to help rehabilitate people affected by stroke. Thailand has about 500,000 people affected by stroke with about 150,000 new cases reported annually.

18:29 | The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has disposed of water hyacinths growing in a section of the Chao Phraya River to increase water capacity and optimise drainage.

19:46 | The Thai Ombudsman has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with China’s Ministry of Supervision aimed at providing protection to individuals of both countries in matters where there is a substantial imbalance of power.

• and more.

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.