Thailand English-language News for November 1

In Thailand English-language News for November 1, 2017, Newsline presenter Cholaphansa Narula tells us about:

00:42 | Thais have begun gathering at Wat Ratchabophi to pay tribute to the royal ashes of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

01:49 | Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday that he will consider lifting the political ban at an appropriate time when order in the country has been fully restored. Meanwhile, Chairman of the Constitutional Drafting Commission (CDC), Meechai Ruchuphan, said the new Political Party Act includes a clause that authorises the Election Commission (EC) to extend the deadline for political parties to prepare for the general election if necessary.

02:53 | Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has visited Khon Kaen Province to inspect efforts to assist flood victims and mitigate damage.

03:52 | General Chatchai Sarikalya, Minister for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (AAC), has inspected flood repair work in five provinces, including the repair of a dyke in Baan Kui Pho village of Khon Kaen Province.

05:58 | Cabinet has approved a Bt45 million (US$1.3 million) budget for the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) to provide loans to assist in the purchase of fodder corn by farmers.

07:01 | Department of Marine and Coastal Resource (DMCR) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with public and private sector organisations to tackle the problem of cigarette butts littering the country’s beaches. Tough new restrictions on the smoking of tobacco products on Thailand beaches will come into effect on February 1, 2018, which will see smoking confined to designated areas.

10:52 | The Bank of Thailand (BoT) has reported that the Thai economy is still expanding strongly due to a number of factors including a 13.4 per cent growth in the export sector, and a 5.7 per cent growth in inbound tourists. Private consumption of durable goods also increased, while the machinery, and constriction sectors saw increased foreign investment. If growth in the latter half of 2017 is higher than 4.1 per cent, the average growth rate of the entire year will reach 3.8 or higher, the bank said.

11:54 | The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) has experienced a strong uptrend compared to other regional bourses. There are currently 675 companies with a total market capitalisation of more than Bt17 trillion (about US$512.821 billion). So far this year 24 companies have listed on the SET, with the total for 2017 expected to reach 40, increasing total market capitalisation to some Bt350 billion ($10.558 billion).

13:07 | The Government Saving Bank (GSB) yesterday encouraged customers to open new savings accounts to mark National Savings Day, as well as launched a fund for the promotion of Buddhist teachings. Savings accounts are currently worth Bt20 trillion ($603.318 billion), about 3-4 percent more than at the same time last year. In the past 12 months some 600,000 people deposited Bt13 billion ($392.157 million) in newly opened accounts.

14:15 | The Fiscal Policy Office (FPO) has launched a probe into a welfare card recipient seen on social media posts making purchases with it while wearing “smart clothes and accessories”.

Meanwhile 9,300 of 258,067 people who appealed for re-evaluation of eligibility for the welfare cards have had their appeals upheld, with others still under consideration. When registrations take place again in 2019 current card holders will have to re-register and be re-evaluated for eligibility

16:06 | The minister of foreign affair has met with Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and other high-ranking officers to strengthen bilateral tie and to discuss the ongoing Rohingya genocide.

17: 07 | Newsline looks at the Asean-South Korea (ROK) relationship, its history, timeline, and significant outcomes from the relationship.

20:41 | Thailand and the United Kingdom (UK) will kickstart ‘Panther Gold 2017’, a joint military exercise to take place between November 1-24 aimed at developing the military capabilities of the two armies through the exchange of field expertise, while strengthening bilateral ties between the armies of the two countries.

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