Thailand Morning News For May 12

Facebook blocks scores of pages in Thailand
Facebook has blocked access to scores of web pages in Thailand with “inappropriate” content, including some containing alleged insults against the royal family, on the orders of the country’s criminal court.
– AlJazeera

In Thailand, Skincare Vertical Tops the List of Digital Ad Spenders
A facet of the beauty industry will lead all other verticals in digital ad spending in Thailand this year, according to a recent forecast from the Digital Advertising Association (Thailand), or DAAT. The digital advertising industry trade group expects that skincare will outspend all other verticals in digital advertising, laying out THB1.09 billion ($30.9 million) this year.
– eMarketer

THAILAND’S EASTERN ECONOMIC CORRIDOR: WHAT COMPANIES NEED TO KNOW
With the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), Thailand hopes to develop its eastern provinces into a leading ASEAN economic zone. The EEC straddles three eastern provinces of Thailand – Chonburi, Rayong, and Chachoengsao – off the coast of the Gulf of Thailand and spans a total of 13,285 square kilometers.
– CFO Innovation

Thailand sends written response to US over trade-deficit concerns
THE COMMERCE Ministry has sent a response to the United States defending Thailand’s trade surplus, saying it accounts for only 1.5 per cent of America’s overall trade deficit and is based on differences in economic structure, not from discrimination or unfair policies.
– The Nation

Korea Rail Network Authority Accelerates Thailand’s Rail Market Advance
Korea Rail Network Authority (KRNA) announced on April 28 that it held a briefing session for the preliminary feasibility investigation on the east-west railway in the north region of Thailand at the Thailand’s railroad administration building on April 26.
– Business Korea

App helps cops nab overstayers in Thailand
Immigration police arrested two Vietnamese suspects for working illegally at a shop selling fried rice in Bangkok, following a tip-off the officers received via the Line application.
– South China Morning Post

Student held in online fake docs scam
Police have arrested a student who produced fake documents and sold them online, including ID cards and education certificates.
– Bangkok Post

Tesco set to open more stores in Thailand and Malaysia
Thai estate is due to expand to 2,000 stores by the end of the year
– The Grocer

‘Tea money’ row brought to Govt House
FORMER PHEU THAI Party MP Jirayu Huangsap and the president of the Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) at Nawamintrachinuthit Satriwittaya 2 School submitted a petition to Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday complaining about the school’s director.
– The Nation

Rubber maker STA plans Bt2 bn upgrade to boost production
SRI TRANG Agro-Industry (STA), which claims to be the only fully integrated natural rubber company, will spend about Bt2 billion to increase its annual production capacity to 2.9 million tonnes this year from 2.4 million tonnes last year.
– The Nation

HKTDC Leads Infrastructure Investment Delegation to Bangkok
A Hong Kong-Shanghai joint infrastructure investment delegation visited Bangkok, Thailand this week to discuss cooperation and investment opportunities driven by growing intra-regional cooperation in Asia, especially under the Belt and Road Initiative.
– AsiaOne

Residential supply indicates focus on upper-end
New residential supply launched in Greater Bangkok in the first quarter declined by 3% in unit number but rose 22.2% in value as developers shift focus to the higher-priced segment.
– Bangkok Post

University of Liege designs safe and affordable ferry for Thailand
A team from the University of Liege in Belgium has won a Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) competition to design a safe and affordable passengers ferry for the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Thailand.
– Cruise & Ferry

SMEs urged to tap govt support
SMALL AND medium-sized enterprises are one of key sectors driving the economy and underpinning the government’s “Thailand 4.0” initiative, but there are challenges ahead that need to be overcome so that they can be sustainable.
– The Nation

City Hall goes back to the future for computer specs
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has insisted the terms of reference (ToR) to seek a new operator for smart traffic signs in Bangkok was not designed to benefit the previous contractor.
– Bangkok Post

Dresser-Rand Sending Compressor Trains To Thailand
Dresser-Rand, part of Siemens Power and Gas, will supply three gas turbine-drive turbo compressor trains for the Wang Noi compressor station in Thailand.
– COMPRESSORtech2

Asia Rice-Buyers turn to Vietnam as prices stay firm in Thailand, India
Buyers of Asian rice turned to Vietnam this week as prices remained firm in Thailand and India, traders said on Thursday.
– Reuters

Education ministry sends 58 Korean instructors to Thailand
The Education Ministry has sent 58 Korean instructors to 58 secondary schools in Thailand as more Thai schools adopt Korean as a second language in the curriculum amid the increasing popularity of the Korean pop culture.
– The Dong-A Ilbo

Asia houses 50% of the world’s most expensive cities
Asian cities dominate the list and five Asian cities are among the top 10 cities which are most expensive to live, as per the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Worldwide Cost of Living Survey.
– The Nation

Vietnam wants to partner with Thailand in climate change response
National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong said she wants Thailand to work with Vietnam in climate change response during a reception for Vice President of the National Legislative Assembly of Thailand Peerasak Porjit in Ho Chi Minh City on May 11.
– VietnamPlus

STATS reinstates anchor-damaged gas pipeline offshore Thailand
STATS Group has completed a subsea pipeline repair and isolation project in the Gulf of Thailand.
– Offshore

Streaming service Viu announces launch in Thailand, furthering global expansion
Viu, an over-the-top streaming service, which falls under the umbrella of Hong Kong-listed PCCW, is launching its services in Thailand next week in an effort to beat its regional and international competitors in the market for streaming services in Asia.
– CNBC

Japan’s FamilyMart considers partnership with Thailand’s CP
FamilyMart, Japan’s second largest convenience store chain, is considering partnering on a new business with Thailand’s CP and China’s CITIC, its president said.
– Coconuts Bangkok

Mitr Phol powers up with rubber-wood chips
MITR PHOL Group is singing the praises of its power plant in Songkhla province fuelled by rubber-wood chips, which began generating electricity in March.
– The Nation

9,000 migrants return to Thailand
In the first three months of this year, 35,563 Burmese migrants went to Thailand: 4,309 males and 3,017 females in January, 3,469 males and 3,702 females in February and 6,330 males and 4,399 females in March.
– Eleven

KrisEnergy’s Q1 profit lifted by cut in costs and a net fair value gain
RISENERGY reported on Friday a swing back into the black for the first quarter of 2017 on the back of lower operating costs and charges as well as a net fair value gain which the group said would be reversed in subsequent quarters.
– The Business Times

Got no money? Don’t expect to leave Thai jail
Denmark and other foreign countries have a bilateral agreement with Thailand allowing prisoners to be transferred to their home countries after serving a certain amount of years, depending on the length of penalty the prisoner has been given. But despite the bilateral agreement, prisoners should not expect to get out if they have a fine and cannot pay it.
– ScandAsia.com

A Vacation With a Purpose: Fighting Trafficking in Thailand
We sat around a long wooden table that took up most of a thatched-roof bungalow nestled in the hills of Chiang Rai province in Thailand. Barefoot, a dog curled at my feet, I stared at a large computer screen, engrossed in P’moo’s video presentation. She spoke passionately, gesticulating with her hands, then waited as our guide translated her words into English.
– The New York Times

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Thailand Morning News For May 12 added by John Le Fevre on May 12, 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.