Thailand Morning News For July 3

Govt to enforce Article 44 to postpone enactment of Migrant Labor Act
The government is keen to postpone the enforcement of the Migrant Labor Act for 120 days to give migrant workers time to gain legal status.
— NNT

Thailand’s PMI returns to expansion in June
The Nikkei Thailand Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index, or PMI, rose to 50.4 in June from 49.7 in May.
— Nikkei Asian Review

Treasury: Observation tower will generate B47 billion
he 4.62-billion-baht Bangkok observation tower project will draw more than a million tourists per year and generate 47 billion baht of tourism income during its 30-year project duration, said the chief of the Treasury Department which is supervising the project site.
— Bangkok Post

M&A-active Thai Charoen Pokphand Foods to pick majority in German meat seller
CPF Europe SA – the subsidiary of Charoen Pokphand Foods Pcl (CPF) – has entered enter into an agreement to acquire a 95 per cent stake in German-based meat distributor Paulsen Food GmbH from Peter Paulsen Import-Export GmbH for 12 million euro ($13.7 million)
— Deal Street Asia

BOT reports continued economic growth for May
The Bank of Thailand (BOT) reports an export increase in most industries in May.
— NBT World (video)

Proposed online tax targets foreign firms
The Revenue Department has set a withholding tax rate for online purchases in a range with a maximum of 15%, a change from a flat rate of 5% proposed previously.
— Bangkok Post

Bangkok Observation Tower to be finished and open to visitors in 3 years
Construction of the 4.6 billion baht Bangkok Observation Tower will be finished and open to visitors in three years.
— Thai PBS

PM ‘must quit now to contest in polls’
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha must resign by this Wednesday if he decides to field himself for the next general election expected to be held late next year, an expert says.
— Bangkok Post

Regulatory loophole for OTT
Facebook and Google’s YouTube could miss the July 22 deadline to register under the over-the-top (OTT) regulatory framework, but advertising agencies and spenders can avoid violating OTT regulations by by using overseas servers, media analysts say.
— Bangkok Post

Thailand backtracks on labour law after migrant workers flee
Thailand’s military government said it will delay enforcing new labour regulations after thousands of migrant workers fled home to neighbouring countries this week fearing arrest and heavy fines under the new decree.
— Channel NewsAsia

Thailand & Myanmar approve border road development project
Welcome back, it’s time for ASEAN and Beyond segment. The governments of Thailand and Myanmar have agreed to a plan to construct a road linking Dawei Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Myanmar to the Thai border.
— NBT World (video)

Police warned against extorting migrants
National police chief Chakthip Chaijinda has threatened to severely punish any police officers who exploit legal loopholes to extort employers or migrant workers following a new executive decree on foreign labourers.
— Bangkok Post

Thailand’s thriving industry in crocodile farms
Thailand is home to some of the world’s biggest crocodile farms, where tourists can see the giant creatures lounging in the hot sun, chomping on chicken, or swarming in emerald green pools.
— CNBC

KRUNGSRI ADDS REAL-TIME TRANSFER
Approved by the Bank of Thailand, Krungsri (Bank of Ayudhya Pcl.) has developed financial innovations under the Regulatory Sandbox guidelines and becomes the first bank in Thailand to introduce a real-time |global funds transfer service based on the Blockchain’s Interledger technology for the business and industry sector.
— The Nation

PTTLNG is preparing to call a bid for depot construction
The PTTLNG, a unit of PTT Public Company is preparing to call an open bid for the construction of a pier and LNG (liquid natural gas) storage depot and distribution terminal in Map Ta Phut district of Rayong province.
— Thai PBS

Commerce Min expects rice from 50 million rai to be launched into market this year
The Ministry of Commerce expects rice products from 50 million rais of farmland will be launched into the market this year, while the current in-stock rice are being pushed out as planned.
— NNT

Charoen Pokphand to build pig farm in China
Agribusiness conglomerate Charoen Pokphand (CP) is building a pig breeding farm for 500,000 pigs in remote western China.
— Global Meat News

Labor Ministry to enforce supplementary regulation on migrant workers
The Ministry of Labor plans to enforce a supplementary regulation regarding the management of migrant workers.
— NBT World (video)

Start-up targets the ‘unbanked’
THAI financial technology start-up Omise has launched a new company called Omise GO to offer a network that would allow electronic wallets to be interoperable through block chain technology.
— The Nation

All quiet on Cambodian border as new alien workers’ law starts to bite
The main border crossing in Ban Klong Luek of Aranyaprathet district opposite Cambodia’s border township of Poipet which is usually busy with Cambodians waiting in long lines since the morning to cross into Thailand to work was relatively calm on Sunday following the enforcement of the new alien workers law which seeks higher penalties against both employers and employees who violate the law.
— Thai PBS

TREASURY LAW TO INCREASE TRANSPARENCY
The Treasury Department has revised the law governing renting of treasury land plots for commercial project development to ensure transparency in the leasing process, according to director-general Patchara Anuntasilpa.
— The Nation

Budget housing fair kicks off in Bangkok
The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security and the National Housing Authority (NHA) have jointly launched the second budget housing fair at the National Housing Authority headquarters in Bangkok.
— NBT World (video)

BMA schools transform themselves into bilingual schools
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is urgently developing all schools under it to be bilingual schools and use technology more in line with the government’s Thailand 4.0 policy.
— NNT

Pracharat internet installed in over 5,000 villages
The Pracharat internet has already been installed in more than 5,000 villages as planned.
— NBT World (video)

Feature photo Axel Drainville
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 3 added by John Le Fevre on July 3, 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.