Thailand Morning News For December 21

Thailand Morning News For December 21
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Thailand morning newsPolicy interest rate retained at 1.5 percent
The Monetary Policy Committee resolved unanimously on Wednesday to retain policy interest rate at 1. 5 percent.
— Thai PBS

Thailand seeks air safety rating upgrade by U.S. aviation body
Thailand aims to get its air safety rating upgraded by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) by March, the country’s transport minister said on Wednesday, after the FAA downgraded the rating in December 2015.
— Reuters

All Decorum Lost as Thais Battle Asean Winter Chill (video)
The Asean winter has hit the region with a vengeance sending temperatures plummeting to single digits in rural locations and the low teens in major cities.
— AEC News Today

Somkid sees 10% export growth
Export growth this year is expected to reach 10% as the figure for November increased 13.4% year-on-year, well above expectations, which should push the year-end tally to beat projections, says Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak.
— Bangkok Post

Labour Ministry to seek six-month extension for nationality verification for migrant workers
The Ministry of Labour will seek Cabinet’s approval for its proposal to extend the period for nationality verification for migrant workers from Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia by another six months.
— Thai PBS

NACC ‘snooping’ plan stirs fury
A last-minute proposal to let the National Anti-Corruption Commission conduct eavesdropping and wire-tapping is expected to lead to a fierce debate in the National Legislative Assembly today.
— Bangkok Post

PM vows to tackle poverty
The Prime Minister has pledged the Cabinet’s determination to tackle poverty in the country.
— News Today (video)

Excise Dept launches nightspot crackdown
The Excise Department vowed Wednesday to strip the licences of entertainment venues which operate after legal hours, in prohibited zones or sell alcohol to underage people, particularly during the upcoming New Year holidays.
— Bangkok Post

Labour groups demand a 360-baht uniform wage rate nationwide
The Thai Labour Reconciliation Committee, the Federation of State Enterprise Labour Relations and workers’ network have jointly declared their demand a 360-baht uniform daily minimum wage rate to be applicable throughout the country.
— Thai PBS

BoI predicts 50% boost for robotics
With full government support, private investment value in robotics and automation is expected to grow by 50% next year, compared with 11.4 billion baht of investment value from 48 projects that submitted applications this year to the Board of Investment (BoI), says secretary-general Duangjai Asawachintachit.
— Bangkok Post

Kasikorn Research Center expects government investment to drive 2018 economy
Kasikorn Research Center expects government investment programs will be the key driver of economic growth in 2018. The Thai economy next year is forecast to expand by 4%.
–News Today (video)

Thailand & Cambodia to develop border economic zones
The Thai – Cambodian border economic zone in Sa Kaeo province is launching a campaign to increase border trade.
— NNT

PTT signs Bt80 million deal to lend a hand in hosting 2018 MotoGP
PTT has signed a one-year-contract to become the official partner of the 2018 MotoGP from October 57 at Chang International Circuit in Buri Ram province.
— The Nation

E-tickets take hold, but penalty points on ice
E-tickets have been rolled out for motorists, who in line with the technology-driven Thailand 4.0 era, can now pay their traffic fines at bank ATMs.
— Bangkok Post

Fitch Places ThaiBev on Rating Watch Negative Following Sabeco Acquisition
Fitch Ratings (Thailand) Limited has placed Thai Beverage Public Company Limited’s (ThaiBev) Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) of ‘BBB’ and National Long-Term Rating of ‘AA+(tha)’ on Rating Watch Negative (RWN) after the company announced on 18 December 2017 that it will buy 53.59% of the common shares of Saigon Beer – Alcohol – Beverage Corporation (Sabeco), a leading Vietnamese beer manufacturer.
— Reuters

Ch Karnchang looks to bag 25% of infrastructure projects
LISTED construction firm Ch Karnchang Plc expects to win |bids for at least 25 per cent of the country’s infrastructure projects worth more than Bt500 billion in 2018, the company’s chief executive officer Supamas Trivisvavet said.
— The Nation

Police nab 325 foreigners in overstay cases
Deputy Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police Pol.Gen. Srivara Ransibrahmanakul has inspected a crack down on illegal aliens in Surat Thani province. 325 foreigners were found to overstay their visa.
— News Today (video)

PM shows off to the media his expensive Seiko wristwatch
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Wednesday (Dec 20) showed off to the media his premium-grade Seiko wristwatch said to worth about 250,000 baht, saying that he owns several wristwatches, including this one, and all of them have been declared with the National Anti-Corruption Commission.
— Thai PBS

DBD expects 2017’s business regristrations to reach 70,000
The Department of Business Development (DBD) has forecast the number of business registrations to reach 70,000 throughout this year, accounting for an eight percent rise from last year.
–News Today (video)

Transport Ministry sets goal for FAA to move Thai aviation standard to higher level next year
The Transport Ministry has set a goal for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States to move up the Thai aviation standard from Category 2 to Category 1 by March 2018, Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said on Wednesday (Dec 20).
— Thai PBS

Cabinet approves THB80bln in budget to support SMEs
The Cabinet has approved a number of measures to help support the country’s small- and medium-sized enterprises and the agricultural sector.
— News Today (video)

8.5 billion baht spent through welfare cards
The Comptroller General’s Department (CGD) disclosed that low-income earners spent a total of 8.651 billion baht through their state welfare cards between October 1st and December 17th, 2017.
— NNT

Transport Min orders purchase of extra trains for Airport Link
The operator of the Airport Rail Link has been assigned by the Ministry of Transport to procure additional trains in response to the rising number of passengers.
— NNT

Muad Jeab faces additional charges
Former Pheu Thai Party deputy spokeswoman turned up at the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) on Wednesday to acknowledge three additional charges for criticising the military-installed government.
— Thai PBS

Thai Labor Contracts: What You Need to Know
In Thailand, the employee-employer relationship is governed by a series of laws and regulations, the chief one being the Thai Labor Protection Act B.E.2541 (LPA) and the Thai Civil and Commercial Code (TCCC).
— Asean Briefing

 

Feature photo Josch13

Find our previous morning news feature photos in the AEC News Today Morning News Feature Photos gallery where you will find a pictorial display of daily life throughout the Asean Economic Community (AEC).

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.

 

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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.

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