Thailand morning news by AEC News Today is your one stop source for Thailand news on matters of governance and policies.
GM to phase out local sedan production
US carmaker General Motors plans to phase out manufacturing and marketing of its sedan passenger cars in Thailand, leaving only pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) for the local market.
– Bangkok Post
PH, Thailand ink 3 agreements
Three agreements were signed here on Tuesday between the Philippines and Thailand in the fields of science and technology, tourism and agriculture.
– Inquirer.net
Investor confidence drops following volatile global financial market
The volatility of the global financial market has decreased investor confidence while capital has flown back to the U.S. due to the predictions that the Fed will increase interest rates three times this year.
– NNT
‘Red Radio’ group behind PM assassination plot
A movement known as “Red Radio” has for several months been planning to assassinate Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and his deputy, Gen Prawit Wongsuwon, deputy national police chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul said.
– Bangkok Post
Foreign media apologize two Hmong girls accused of stealing from a tourist
A British tabloid and an Australian newspaper have offered apologies to two Hmong hilltribe girls for their reports wrongly accusing them of stealing a watch from a British tourist at Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai last September.
– Thai PBS
New ToR for double-track rail projects expected in two weeks
NEW TERMS of reference (ToR) for the multibillion-baht double-track railway project will be finished within two weeks, according to Anon Luangboriboon, acting State Railway of Thailand (SRT) governor.
– The Nation
LIMA 2017: Ukraine looks to boost presence in Thailand and Malaysian
Ukraine’s state-owned defence holding company Ukroboronprom is looking to boost its presence in the Malaysian and Thai defence markets through government-level commitments to support the growth of the two Southeast Asian country’s respective defence industries.
– Janes
Bangkok Bank partners Nest to launch InnoHub FinTech Accelerator
Thailand’s largest commercial bank Bangkok Bank has launched its international FinTech accelerator programme, ‘InnoHub‘, in partnership with Hong Kong-based venture capital and accelerator Nest.
– Deal Street Asia
New excise tax law sets ceiling tax rates for products and services
A cigarette can be taxed as high as five baht while the excise tax for a litre of diesel can go up to 20 baht under excise tax amendments which were published in the Royal Gazette and will become enforceable in the next 180 days.
– Thai PBS
Amlo profiles nine professions as terrorism risk
The Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) has issued an announcement on nine professions which must be scrutinised as part of efforts to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing.
– Bangkok Post
Little hope for Thailand’s democracy
A free and frank discussion about the prevailing political situation in Thailand can, under current circumstances, only take place outside the country. Since the 2014 military coup, the freedom of expression and of the press has shrunk drastically in the Southeast Asian nation. Critics are either coerced by the military to acquiesce in government’s actions or, in worst cases, vanished without trace.
– DW
Cabinet makes slew of economic decisions
The government has seen fit to push forward an act on land and building taxation as well as credit loans to SMEs.
– NNT
Land and buildings tax draft gets nod
The cabinet on Tuesday approved the draft bill for the long-awaited land and buildings tax, intended to narrow economic disparity, after a review by the Council of State.
– Bangkok Post
Cabinet backs credit boost for SMEs in Bt15 bn package
THE CABINET yesterday gave the nod to the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Bank of Thailand to extend up to Bt15 billion in loans to small and medium-sized enterprises.
– The Nation
Online traders now must display clear prices of goods, services and details on websites
The law governing online business is now in force after it was published in the Royal Gazette and released publicly yesterday.
– Thai PBS
Court delays case on skytrain lift payouts
The Civil Court has delayed its decision about whether the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) needs to pay compensation for failing to provide necessary facilities for disabled commuters at all skytrain stations.
– Bangkok Post
Industry Ministry increases machinery registration fee by 20%
The Ministry of Industry has raised registration fees for machinery by 20% to reflect the current economic climate.
– NNT
Thailand to adopt English teenage pregnancy prevention strategy
A teenage pregnancy prevention strategy widely credited with halving the rate of conceptions among teenagers in England is to be adopted by authorities in Thailand in the hope of achieving similar success.
– The Guardian
Duterte wraps up southeast Asia tour in Thailand
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte met Tuesday with Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, completing a series of get-acquainted visits with the members of the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which the Philippines is chairing this year.
– AP
Commerce Ministry to organize Thailand-Myanmar Trade Expo 2017
The Ministry of Commerce along with foreign border trade and investment agencies will be organizing the Thailand-Myanmar Trade Expo 2017 during 23-29 March. The expo will be held in Mae Sot district, Tak province, and aims to promote trade and investment between Thailand and Myanmar.
– NNT
Ministry asks Uber to stop services temporarily pending 6-12 months study
The Ministry of Transport has asked Uber Thailand to halt its taxi service temporarily pending a comparative study of the taxi service via mobile applications in other countries.
– Thai PBS
Uber drivers legal action threat while ride-share study undertaken
Authorities have threatened to take legal action against drivers working for ride-sharing service Uber if they continue operating without waiting for the result of a feasibility study on shared uses of automobiles in Thailand.
– The Nation
Thailand’s coin-eating turtle dies of blood poisoning
A 25-year-old sea turtle in Thailand who swallowed nearly a thousand coins tossed by tourists seeking good luck died Tuesday, two weeks after having surgery to remove the coins from its stomach.
– USA Today
Bangkok, Dubai and Singapore top destinations for Indian travellers
Bangkok, Dubai and Singapore are the top foreign destinations for Indian travellers, as per a study conducted by Hotels.com, the world’s biggest hotel booking portals.
– Connected to India
Thailand expected to be in top 10 for long-term tourism growth
THAILAND’S travel and tourism sector grew by nearly 11 per cent in 2016 and will be the world’s 10th-fastest-growing over the next decade, with an average growth rate of 6.5 per cent per annum, a new report by the World Travel & Tourism Council predicts.
– The Nation
Thai-Cambodian Products Piloted As GIs In ASEAN
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the European Union (EU), and Thailand’s Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) have registered Lamphun’s silk from Thailand and Cambodian pepper and loaf sugar as part of a piloted project of GI products in ASEAN, Thai News Agency (TNA) reported.
– Malaysia Digest
Thailand not found among Top 50 ‘healthiest nations
When it comes to living a long life, Italy is the place to be. Thailand, not so much.
– Bangkok Post
Feature photo: John Le Fevre
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Thailand morning news is published M-F by AEC News Today: Governance, not government; policies not politics.
John Le Fevre
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.
Latest posts by John Le Fevre (see all)
- COVID-19 in Asean: update for July 26 — 16 mln case barrier breached, Vietnam records community transmission – July 26, 2020
- COVID-19 in Asean: update for July 25 — new high for daily infections, 16 mln infection barrier to break today – July 25, 2020
- COVID-19 in Asean: update for July 24 — Asean tops 230,000 cases, nudges 90,000 active – July 24, 2020
- Thailand morning news for July 24 – July 24, 2020