In Thailand English-language News for November 15, 2017, Newsline presenter Cholaphansa Narula tells us about:
00: 41 | Na Siam Gallery in Lat Phrao District of Bangkok has opened a special exhibition of 150 sculptures by 30 artists, depicting the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej in various postures. The exhibition is open until November 19 between 10am and 6pm. Admission is free.
01: 44 | The Cabinet has extended the completion date for three large-scale irrigation projects aimed at better water management by up to five years each at the request of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (Mad).
03:23 | Chairman of the Constitutional Drafting Committee (CDC), Meechai Ruchupan, yesterday said that all laws governing provincial and local elections need to be completed before any election can take place. he said at least six laws relating to local elections need to be amended.
04:35 | The committee responsible for selecting new Election Commissioners has convened its first meeting to discuss mandatory qualifications of applicants.
Among the requirements the committee agreed are that all candidates must have five years experience as a professor, and must have worked for five years as civil servants at the position of director general, chief of a division, or higher.
05:55 | The Election Commission has inspected the Chart Thai Pattana party’s membership database to ensure compliance.
07:17 | The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (Mad) has established an ad hoc committee to investigate the qualifications of the governor of the Rubber Authority of Thailand following representations made by rubber farmers. A conclusive report is to be prepared within seven days.
08:18 | The Department of Special Investigations (DSI) is preparing to register famers with informal debt in order to provide financial and legal assistance against loan sharks. Between 2013 and 2017 more than 1,200 farmers reported difficulty in servicing debt secured by assets worth more than Bt 278 million (about US$8.4 million).
11:46 | The Ministry of the Digital Economy and Society (MDES) and the Ministry of Finance (MoF) are collaborating on the development the national digital ID system to ensure the security of online services. The new digital ID system will include the use of fingerprints, retinal scans, and Facebook login information to reduce the risks of online fraud. It is expected to be operational by June next year.
13:01 | Central Laboratory (Thailand) Company is organising an event to encourage SMEs to perform quality inspections of products by giving away coupons with a face value of Bt5,000 (about US$151) for use against lab services.
14:10 | Krungthai Cards (KTC) will become Thailand’s first credit card company to offer payment using the QR code method. KTC cardholders will be able to use the TapKTC mobile app commencing November 16 at a select number of participating stores.
15:33 | The Asean Summit in the Philippines has closed following the 20th Asean+3 meeting. Leaders from Japan, China, and South Korea encouraged their Asean counterparts to embrace regional cooperation rather than protectionism. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also lobbied for lifting of the ban imposed on produce from around the site of the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.
17:30 | Chonburi Province has begun welcoming international naval ships attending the International Fleet Review 2017 commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Asean. The review takes place until November 22.
18:12 | The Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA) is organising the 2nd Thailand e-Commerce Week 2017 aimed at providing advice to Thai entrepreneurs involved in e-commerce. In 2016 the Thai eCommerce sector was worth an estimated Bt2.5 trillion (about US$75.622 billion). The event will be held at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center between November 24-26, 2017.
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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. Â