Thailand Morning News For June 29

PHUKET VOWS TO BECOME THAILAND’S 1ST CORRUPTION-FREE PROVINCE
The governor of a popular island by the Andaman Sea promised to make it Thailand’s first province to end corruption after he signed an agreement with anti-corruption officials Tuesday.
— Khaosod English

Critics slam river tower construction
Critics have slammed a 4.62-billion baht observatory tower project in the Klong San area, saying government-owned riverside land where the structure will be located will be set aside to serve the interests of the private sector.
— Bangkok Post

Media standards already drawn up, pre-empting proposed council
THE NATIONAL Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA)’s media reform committee has already drawn up media standards, even though the pending controversial media regulation bill would assign that duty to the professional media council, which has not yet been set up.
— The Nation

PPP fast-tracks motorways
The Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Committee has approved to put two motorways worth a combined 142 billion baht under the fast-track PPP scheme, the first joint investment projects from the Highways Department in 20 years.
— Bangkok Post

Corruption alarm bells after Bt4.6-bn tower project exempted from bidding
THE ANTI-CORRUPTION Organisation of Thailand (ACT) yesterday called on relevant authorities to investigate the Bangkok Observatory Tower project.
— The Nation

GOVT DITCHES OPEN BIDDING TO GIFT MULTI-BILLION PROJECT TO DEVELOPER
The government on Tuesday exempted construction of a multi-billion baht tourist attraction from mandatory competitive bidding, saying such a hassle might cause delay.
— Khaosod English

Government urges private sector to legally hire foreign workers
The government is urging the private sector to properly and legally hire foreign workers.
— NBT World (video)

PM urges authorities to work on combating human trafficking drastically
Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-ocha today encouraged authorities to perform their duties on suppression of human trafficking drastically although Thailand remained in Tier 2 on the watch list of the US State Department’s 2017 Trafficking in Persons or Tip report released yesterday.
— Thai PBS

Thailand again fails trafficking test
Thailand is disappointed with the US decision to keep the country on the Tier 2 Watchlist of its latest Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report but insists the latest ranking will not affect the country’s export growth expected at 5% this year.
— Bangkok Post

Thailand seeks U.S. cooperation following trafficking report
Thailand on Wednesday defended its efforts to stop human trafficking after the United States kept it on a trafficking watch list and urged U.S. officials to visit the country and see first hand its efforts.
— Reuters

Satellite slots at risk in deadlock
THAILAND may lose at least two of its satellite orbital slots if the government fails to resolve longstanding differences with Thaicom on proposed reforms for the satellite sector, the satellite operator’s chief executive, Paiboon Panuwattanawong warned yesterday.
— The Nation

VISA VIOLATORS THREATEN THAI LIVES, PROPERTY: LABOR MINISTRY
A new set of harsher punishments for foreigners who work illegally is necessary in the name of protecting the “lives and property of Thai people,” a Labor Ministry spokesman said Wednesday
— Khaosod English

Uproar over new labour law
The private sector says local companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, are likely to be hurt by the new Royal Decree on Recruitment of Foreigners, as the tighter law with massive fines for employers could cut SMEs’ competitive advantage at a time when the economy has yet to fully recover.
— Bangkok Post

NEW MIGRANT LAW LEVIES HEAVY FINES ON EMPLOYERS
Under a new migrant worker law, employers involved in human trafficking face jail time and fines of up to 1 million baht.
— Khaosod English

PM Prayut confident in national reform road map progress
The Prime Minister is confident in the progress of the implementation of the national reform road map and in the much-expected general election.
— NBT World (video)

DLT slams brakes on customs car auction
The Customs Department has abruptly cancelled an auction of hundreds of confiscated vehicles after the Department of Land Transport refused to issue registration certificates for most of them.
— Bangkok Post

eBay strategy to help Thai users sell their products
TO CREATE confidence and help sellers improve their products, eBay has come out with a strategy to support them in Thailand. It expects to achieve revenue growth in the double digits in the Thai market this year.
— The Nation

PM Prayut Police reform must help restore public confidence and trust
The Prime Minister has called for the reform of Thailand’s police to help restore public confidence and trust among law enforcement officers.
— NBT World (video)

NBTC urges wayward OTT ban
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has pushed media agencies to boycott over-the-top (OTT) operators that fail to register their companies under the OTT regulatory framework by July 22.
— Bangkok Post

A special task force set up to probe piracy of Thai oil tanker in Malaysian waters
The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has formed a special task force to probe last Friday’s attack of a Thai oil tanker by pirates in waters off Kuantan, according to a report in New Straits Times Online on Tuesday.
— Thai PBS

NACC seeks full ban for graft suspects
The top anti-graft agency is seeking legal amendments to more strictly punish local political office-holders found guilty of corruption, including a proposed lifelong ban from politics.
— Bangkok Post

Thailand wants to build a 459-meter-high landmark because it doesn’t have enough tourists yet
The Thai capital is the world’s most-visited city, welcoming 21.47 million tourists in 2016 alone. But it wants more. Thailand is planning construction of a 459-meter-high observation tower as the country’s new landmark and tallest building, a government spokesman told dpa on Wednesday.
— The China Post

Construction firm giant loses legal battle
The Supreme Court has ruled in favour of the Expressway Authority of Thailand (Exat), which will not have to pay 9 billion baht in compensation to giant construction firm CH Karnchang Plc in a dispute over the construction of the 55-kilometre Bang Na-Chon Buri expressway.
— Bangkok Post

Poll: Travel tech makes flyers happier
Most air passengers are very satisfied with the self-service technologies available to make flying more convenient, especially when it comes to dealing with passport checkpoints and luggage collection, a new global survey shows.
— Bangkok Post

Clarification demanded over no bidding for BKK Observation Tower
Academics from Thailand Development Research Institute and representatives of civic groups are demanding the government to explain why the Bangkok Observation Tower project is to be built without open bidding.
— Thai PBS

Thailand showcases luxury travel experiences to leading agents from Asia
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is hosting 30 leading agents from Asia to a seven-day fam trip and trade meet exclusively designed to showcase unique Thai travel experiences in Bangkok, Ko Samui and Chiang Mai from 26 June to 2 July.
— TAT News

Democrat party asks government to help rubber growers
The Democrat party sought help from the government for rubber growers who are suffering from falling rubber prices.
— Thai PBS

Rubber fund to be created to shore up rubber prices
A rubber price stabilization fund will be created to intervene in the real rubber and futures rubber markets to shore up rubber prices in order to help rubber growers hard hit by falling rubber prices.
— Thai PBS

Saving for retirement: a challenge in our ageing society
THE DEMOGRAPHIC structure of Thailand is transforming at a rapid pace. While the number of elderly people (aged 60 and up) is leaping upwards, the youth (less than 15 years old) and working populations (15-60 years old) are shrinking.
— The Nation

Deadly diet: Thai doctors battle cancer-causing fish dish
It was not until he got to medical school that Narong Khuntikeo finally discovered what caused the liver cancer that took both of his parents’ lives – their lunch.
— Channel NewsAsia

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Thailand morning news by AEC News Today is your one stop source for Thailand news on matters of governance and policies affecting Asean business communities. It is published M-F by AEC News Today: Governance, not government; policies not politics.

Thailand Morning News For June 29 added by John Le Fevre on June 29, 2017
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John Le Fevre

Thailand editor at AEC News Today

John is an Australian national with more than 40 years experience as a journalist, photographer, videographer, and copy editor.

He has spent extensive periods of time working in Africa and throughout Southeast Asia, with stints in the Middle East, the USA, and England.

He has covered major world events including Operation Desert Shield/ Storm, the 1991 pillage in Zaire, the 1994 Rwanda genocide, the 1999 East Timor independence unrest, the 2004 Asian tsunami, and the 2009, 2010, and 2014 Bangkok political protests.

In 1995 he was a Walkley Award finalist, the highest awards in Australian journalism, for his coverage of the 1995 Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) Ebola outbreak.

Prior to AEC News Today he was the deputy editor and Thailand and Greater Mekong Sub-region editor for The Establishment Post, predecessor of Asean Today.

In the mid-80s and early 90s he owned JLF Promotions, the largest above and below the line marketing and PR firm servicing the high-technology industry in Australia. It was sold in 1995.