Thailand Morning News For October 11

Thai junta sets firm date for election after many false starts
Thailand will hold a general election in November 2018, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on Tuesday, the most precise date he has given yet for the vote since taking power in a 2014 military coup.
— Reuters

Floods likely in provinces but not Bangkok
The government on Tuesday increased discharges from dams in the Central Plains and the Northeast and warned people in low-lying areas in the regions of upcoming floods while Bangkok remained safe despite concerns.
— Bangkok Post

Govt faces more EEC challenges than was thought, forum hears
SOME large infrastructure projects in the Eastern Economic Corridor are opposed by local communities, while a number have high costs and may not be able to proceed at the desired pace, researchers at the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) have warned.
— The Nation

Customs Department holds public forum to discuss new Customs Act
The Customs Department has conducted a public forum to discuss the new Customs Act, which will take effect on November 13th to ensure proper law enforcement and compliance.
— NBT World (video)

CP All agrees to end selling draft beer at its 7-Eleven convenience stores
CP All, owner and operator of all 7-Eleven convenience stores in the country, has agreed to end it’s trial selling of draft beer at its convenience stores.
— Thai PBS

Director General of Thai Customs Orders Tax Collectors to Declare Assets to Finance Ministry
Director-General Kulit Sombatsiri of the Thai Customs Department is requiring senior officials responsible for tax collection to declare their assets to the Finance Ministry in a bid to increase transparency.
— ChiangRai Times

First batch of 28 China-made tanks rolls in
The first batch of 28 VT4 tanks bought for 4.9 billion baht from China has arrived in Thailand, according to the army.
— Bangkok Post

NLA consults Japanese experts on improvements to Thai education system
A committee of the National Legislative Assembly has met with Japanese experts to seek consultation about how to improve the education system.
— NNT

KTC chief forecasts tough 2018
Krungthai Card expects earnings to splutter next year as the Bank of Thailand’s tougher regulations on credit cards and personal loans, particularly the reduction of the ceiling interest rates for credit cards to 18% from 20%, take a bite out of KTC’s income.
— Bangkok Post

PM orders preparations to cope with anticipated storm during Oct 12-14
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has instructed authorities concerned to brace for possible flooding in the Chao Phraya river basin during October 12-14 when heavy rain induced by an anticipated storm is to lash the upper region of the country, said government spokesman Lt-Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd on Tuesday.
— Thai PBS

RID head inspects water management in preparation for new deluge
The Director-General of the Royal Irrigation Department (RID) has led a team to inspect the situation at the Chao Phraya Dam in Chai Nat province.
— NNT

Gov Spokesman says water management effective
The Thai Government’s spokesman, Lt Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd says that the government has been effective in its management of water in the recent period of harsh weather, with floods not impacting any economic zones and monkey cheek retention areas used to handle excess inundation.
— NNT

Colliers: Tight lending no curb to new condo launches next year
New condominiums will continue to be launched next year with many property developers aiming to increase their sales, says property consultant Colliers International Thailand.
— Bangkok Post

No ifs, no butts – smoking ban for 20 popular beaches
THE MARINE and Coastal Resources Department plans to ban smoking on beaches around the country next month after thousands of cigarette butts were found in the sand.
— The Nation

Implications and significance of ICAO’s decision to remove red flag from Thailand
To find out more about the ICAO’s lifting of the “red flag”, we are joined by Minister of Transport, ArkhomTermpittayapaisith who tells us about implications of this development. Let’s take a look.
— NBT World (video)

Digitalisation to secure rice farming
WITH the rise in smartphone usage in Thailand, Bayer’s country group head Simon-Thorsten Wiebusch said the next step to improve local rice crops may come from “digitalization” .
— The Nation

Thai banks roll out $2 bln loan for first elevated monorail
Three major Thai banks will lend nearly $2 billion to Northern Bangkok Monorail and Eastern Bangkok Monorail to build the country’s first elevated monorail network in the capital.
— Reuters

Commercial fishing using alien fish illegally: Fisheries Dept
Fish of alien species have been found in many localities in Thailand and some of them have been raised in ponds for commercial fishing – which may be in violation of the law, according to Fisheries Department sources.
— Thai PBS

Ministry of Public Health moves forward with hospital food safety campaign
The Ministry of Public Health is pursuing its hospital food safety campaign by inspecting the entire production chain of food provided at state facilities and disseminating understanding of food safety in accordance with the 20 Year National Strategy and Thailand 4.0 agenda.
— NNT

TOA to establish three more overseas plants in Asean leadership drive
TOA Paint (Thailand) plans to set up three additional production plants overseas – in Indonesia, Myanmar and Cambodia – as it aims to become the leading player in Asean paint and coatings markets.
— The Nation

First batch of Chinese engineers qualified to work on high speed rail in Thailand
The first 77 engineers in China have passed the Thai Council of Engineers’training and assessment prior to their involvement in the high-speed railway project in Thailand.
— NBT World (video)

Agriculture Min hosts business matchmaking event for GAP farmers and businessmen
A business matching event among farmers adopting Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and a group of related businessmen has been held in Chaiyaphum.
— NNT

PM Prayut raising awareness of waste disposal
According to the World Travel and Tourism Council or WTCC, the world’s tourism landscape will be changed by 2020 when more than 1.6 billion people will travel. Of that total, 416 million tourists will travel to the Asia-Pacific region, where Thailand is a key player. Meanwhile, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has aligned its marketing activity plan this year, with the country’s ‘Industry 4.0’ strategy that calls for a migration to high-tech and high-value service industries over the next 20 years.
— NBT World (video)

Central bank declares October 26 public holiday for financial institutions
The Bank of Thailand has announced that October 26 is a special public holiday for financial institutions.
— Thai PBS

Govt hands over affordable houses to Nakhon Pathom residents
The Minister of Social Development and Human Security, Pol. Gen. Adul Saengsingkaew, recently handed over houses under the Baan Mun Kong and Baan Eua Arthorn government housing projects to those previously occupying public land along the Chao Phraya River.
— NNT

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 October 11 added by John Le Fevre on October 11, 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.