Thailand Morning News For June 30

Finance Ministry to reforecast GDP for 2017
Fiscal Policy Office (FPO) Director-General Krisada Chinavicharana said the Ministry of Finance will readjust the 2017 economic growth earlier forecast at 3.6 percent due to some contributing factors which have improved than initially expected.
— NNT

35.7% foreign firms to invest more
About 35.7 per cent of 600 foreign companies with investments in Thailand will increase them this year, while the rest will maintain current investment levels, a survey by the Board of Investment has found.
— The Nation

Thailand is Patient Zero once again
In Thailand, everything turns on the number 20. At the same moment the nation commemorates the 20th anniversary of the Asian financial crisis, Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-o-cha is rolling out his 20-year vision for the economy where it all began.
— AsiaTimes

CRITICS SLAM MEGAPROJECT’S TRANSPARENCY EXEMPTION
A transparency activist announced Thursday he would file a complaint over the government’s exemption of a multi-billion baht landmark from mandatory competitive bidding protocols.
— Khaosod English

BoT tightens belt on consumer loans
The Bank of Thailand is set to announce tighter regulations governing unsecured loans next month as part of its effort to discourage consumers, particularly low-income earners, from accumulating further debt.
— Bangkok Post

BUDGET DISBURSEMENT UP 2.5% IN FIRST 8 MONTHS
The government’s budget disbursement edged up 2.5 per cent year on year to Bt2.03 trillion for the first eight months of fiscal 2017 starting last October.
— The Nation

POLITICOS URGE PRAYUTH TO COME CLEAN OVER ‘JUNTA PARTY’
Politicians from both major camps Tuesday urged junta chairman Prayuth Chan-ocha to clarify whether he will form a party for the next election.
— Khaosod English

Dangers lurk on rocky road from crisis
POLITICAL upheaval and sluggish economic growth have marked Thailand’s faltering steps since it emerged from the grip of the Asian financial crisis.
— The Nation

SCBT upbeat after retail banking exit
Standard Chartered Bank (Thai) (SCBT) is aiming for a high single-digit top line growth under its five-year plan after its exit from retail banking to focus on wholesale banking.
— Bangkok Post

Government allows private sector to jointly invest in 2 motorways
The Public-Private Partnership (PPP) committee has agreed to allow the private sector to jointly invest in two motorways worth more than 140 billion baht. Six other projects under the “PPP Fast Track” will be expedited.
— NBT World (video)

Yingluck’s rice probe petition gets shot down
The Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions has dropped a petition lodged by former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who wanted it to check 16 rice storage facilities she claims will clear her name in the rice pledging scheme scandal.
— Bangkok Post

PM assures tower project is funded by private sector
Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-ocha yesterday assured that the Bangkok Observation Tower project would be funded by the private sector and no government budget would be allocated to fund it’s construction
— Thai PBS

Powering remittance
Siam Commercial Bank, in collabฌoration with Japan’s SBI Remit, is using Ripple’s blockchain enterprise solution to power realtime remitฌtance payments between Japan and Thailand.
— The Nation

Bangkok observation tower worth THB 7 6 bn
The Cabinet has allowed the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to select a private company to construct the “Bangkok observation tower” without bidding. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha confirmed the selection of contractors is based on benefits of the project.
— NBT World (video)

NBTC puts pressure on Facebook and YouTube to comply to Thai laws
Advertisers and media agencies were warned that they could not advertise their brands or products with providers of OTT (Over The Top) content and platforms that were not registered with the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission within July 22 deadline.
— Thai PBS

Recovery by corporates hailed as sign of resilience
TWENTY YEARS after the economic crisis of 1997, Thailand’s corporate sector has undergone a strong recovery, up to and including making more investments outside the country.
— The Nation

Ministry to keep rice prices steady
The Commerce Ministry is brainstorming policies to stabilise paddy prices ahead of the harvesting season in the third quarter of the year, when 24-26 million tonnes of paddy are due to flood the market and depress prices.
— Bangkok Post

US APPROVES SALE OF 4 BLACK HAWKS TO THAI GOVT: ARMY CHIEF
The Thai military government secured the United States’ approval for the purchase of four military helicopters, an army official said Thursday.
— Khaosod English

New migrant workers law useful for investors
A newly-enacted law governing the management of migrant workers will be useful for businesses and investors and will be on par with international labor standards.
— NBT World (video)

PM admits new law too tough
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has instructed the Labour Ministry to come up with urgent measures to soften the impact of the executive decree on foreign workers as the stringent new labour law has rraised concern about manpower shortages in some businesses.
— Bangkok Post

Employers seek to register foreign workers
THE JOINT Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking (JSCCIB) will soon ask the government to hold the third round to register nearly 3 million illegal foreign workers in the country, said Thai Frozen Foods Association president Poj Aramwattananont.
— The Nation

Hybrid-renewable power bidding due
The bidding process for licences of up to 300 megawatts of power from hybrid-renewable resources is set to be launched in the second half of this year, according to the Energy Policy and Planning Office (Eppo).
— Bangkok Post

Songkhla keen on 24-hour checkpoint with Malaysia
Traders and officials alike are looking forward to seeing the main border crossing with Malaysia open around the clock, but warn the benefits for tourism could be mixed.
— Bangkok Post

Government ponders housing project for the poor under PPP format
The government is considering incorporating cheap housing project for the poor in accordance with the Pracharath principle into the private-public-partnership (PPP) fast-track project, Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Chatusripitak said Thursday.
— Thai PBS

Call to limit imports, use of chemicals in agriculture
Thailand (NHCT) organised the Social Forum on Driving Policy and Cooperation on Social Issues for Sustainable Development.
— Bangkok Post

AOT pushes forward airport development projects to meet passengers’ growth
Airports of Thailand (AOT) is working on development projects for major airports to meet an increasing number of passengers.
— NBT World (video)

ADVERTISERS SQUEEZED BY GOVT ULTIMATUM TO FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE, NETFLIX
Telecommunication regulators called on top online advertisers Thursday to boycott three foreign platforms if they don’t register with the government by next month.
— Khaosod English

Energy Ministry takes action against palm oil oversupply
The Ministry of Energy has called for cooperation from palm oil retailers to stockpile their supply as the product’s price has been dragged down by an oversupply, while also asking bio-diesel makers to increase the ratio of palm oil in the fuel to use up the surplus.
— NNT

‘Earth’ flags heavy metal levels
Environmental activists have called on the government to urgently come up with measures to curb pollution after eight provinces were found to have levels of accumulated heavy metals that exceed safety limits
— Bangkok Post

Police Chief comments on extension to position buying probe
The commander of the Royal Thai Police has remarked that a 30 day extension to the investigation into position buying within the Provincial Police Region 8 office is to allow for maximum clarity in the case.
— NNT

Army holds special lecture on nationalism
The Royal Thai Army has held a special lecture on nationalism to instill patriotic feelings among different groups of citizens.
— NNT

Suspend deputy, NOB boss told
The National Office of Buddhism (NOB) director has been advised to suspend his deputy after the high-ranking official was accused of being linked to the embezzlement of 13 million baht in maintenance funds for a well-known Ayutthaya temple.
— Bangkok Post

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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 30 added by John Le Fevre on June 30, 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.