Thailand Morning News For July 14

BoT ‘suppressed baht’ to bolster exports: KBank
The Bank of Thailand intervened in the currency market last week in what was believed to be an attempt to prevent the baht strengthening so as to stop export recovery momentum stalling, according to a senior official at Kasikornbank (KBank).
— Bangkok Post

New Thai lawsuit faces Leicester City owner
A Thai anti-graft official will file a 17-billion-baht ($500- million) lawsuit against King Power International, his second case against the company that owns English Premier League football club Leicester City, he said on Thursday.
— Reuters

Times’ Asia Pacific University Ranking Distorts, Confuses: Mahidol No Longer #3 in Asean
One of the world’s leading publishers of higher education rankings has been forced to defend its latest compilation – a ranking of Asia Pacific universities – after a prestigious Malaysian university was omitted.
— AEC News Today

Chilling Video Captures Roger Hussey’s Parasailing Death on Kata Beach Phuket
Chilling video has emerged of the moment a retired Australian businessman plummeted to his death while parasailing at Kata Beach in Phuket, Thailand.
— AEC News Today

ARMY TO LAUNCH ‘CORRUPTION COMPLAINT CENTER’ NATIONWIDE
Next time you see soldiers taking a bribe, you better tell some soldiers about it.
— Khaosod English

Thaksin faces new court strife
At least five court cases, including four alleging corruption, against former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra are expected to be resumed in absentia following a new organic law endorsed by the National Legislative Assembly (NLA).
— Bangkok Post

Thailand Travel Mart Plus in Chiang Mai records 1.4 billion Baht in business transactions
Thailand’s main travel trade show, the Thailand Travel Mart Plus Amazing Gateway to the Greater Mekong Subregion (TTM+), made an estimated 1.441 billion Baht (US$41.2 million) worth of business transactions, according to surveys conducted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
— TAT

Prayut orders haste in reshuffle of officials
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered the reshuffle list of officials in all ministries, including those in the military, to be ready by next month, as they need to be prepared for the royal cremation ceremonies of the late King.
— Bangkok Post

Graft-fighting ‘smart cards’ for monks due by October
Monks will receive “smart ID cards” clarifying their backgrounds within three months so they can be more easily scrutinised by authorities, according to Ormsin Chivapruck, a minister attached to the Office of the Prime Minister.
— Bangkok Post

Meeting held on efforts to eradicate corruption among Buddhist monks
The government has met with the Sangha Supreme Council of Thailand on possible ways to rid the National Office of Buddhism of corruption problems.
— NBT World (video)

Rubber planters rally as prices slide 40%
More than 400 rubber planters converged on Songkhla City Hall Thursday demanding the government urgently step in to reverse tumbling rubber prices after they shed more than 40% in the space of a year, and as tensions with regional rivals starts to boil over.
— Bangkok Post

Election Commission Bill passed by NLA
The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) on Thursday passed the Election Commission Bill into law by a vote of 194-0 with seven abstentions, disregarding the six objections raised by the Election Commission.
— Thai PBS

THAI board backs aircraft procurement plan
THAI AIRWAYS International Plc’s board on Wednesday approved in principle the flag carrier’s plan to procure 28 new aircraft.
— The Nation

Anti-junta journalist in exile granted refugee status in US
An anti-junta journalist who fled the country to the US shortly after the 2014 coup d’état has been granted an official refugee status.
— Prachatai English

Wider land, building tax base mulled
A cut in the proposed land and buildings tax exemption threshold from 50-million-baht for main homes is on the cards to expand the taxpayer base, says Deputy Finance Minister Wisudhi Srisuphan.
— Bangkok Post

Thailand’s Total Access beats Q2 expectations
Thailand’s Total Access Communication beat expectations on Thursday with a jump of more than 400 percent in second quarter net profit.
— Reuters

PM hears progress of national reform plan
The Prime Minister has convened a meeting to follow up on the progress of implementing the national reform plan while stressing the need for the plan to go hand in hand with the national strategy./////
— NBT World (video)

Public hearing on final reconciliation draft set on Monday in Bangkok-based First Army HQ
The Government-appointed reconciliation committee will hold four rounds of public hearings on the draft social contract for national unity building in it’s effort to forge public understanding, trust and to achieve cooperation in national reforms.
— Thai PBS

Martech startup Zanroo closes $7.4m Series A, aims to be first Thai unicorn by 2019
Thai marketing technology (martech) startup Zanroo said it is gunning to be the country’s first unicorn — startups valued at $1 billion or more — by 2019 after it closed a $7.4 million Series A funding round led by Bangkok-based Shift Ventures.
— Deal Street Asia

Fitch Affirms SCB Asset Management at ‘Excellent(tha)’
Fitch Ratings (Thailand) Limited has affirmed Thailand-based SCB Asset Management Co., Ltd’s (SCBAM) National Investment Management Quality Rating (IMQR) at ‘Excellent(tha)’. The Outlook is Stable.
— Reuters

2018 tourism plan based on 20-year national strategy
Minister of Tourism and Sports Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul has emphasized that the ministry’s tourism plan for next year will adhere to the 20-year national strategy of the government as well as the 12th national economic and social development plan.
— NBT World (video)

Visas for medical purposes for CLMV, China extended
The government has declared readiness to be a hub of international medical in accordance with the national strategy by extending visas for medical tourists from 19 countries.
— NBT World (video)

Feature photo John Le Fevre
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.

Thailand Morning News For July 14 added by John Le Fevre on July 14, 2017
View all posts by John Le Fevre →

Bio
Latest Posts

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.