Thailand Morning News Roundup For March 3

Welcome to the Thailand morning news roundup by AEC News Today, your one stop for Thailand news on matters of governance and policies affecting Asean business communities.

Global study notes Thailand’s exemplary progress under sufficiency economy model
A study compiled by the global research and consultancy firm Oxford Business Group (OBG) charts Thailand’s successful transition from net aid recipient to donor, while exploring how its model for sustainable development could be adopted or adapted still further across the Global South.
— The Nation

Minister laments poor Thai scores in PISA tests
SCORES OF Thai students in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) have not improved in 16 years, Education Minister Theerakiat Jareonsettasin said, calling it a failure of previous attempts to solve problems.
— The Nation

Thailand’s visits up 6% in January
Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports reports visits to Thailand exceeded 3.19 million, an improvement of 6.52% in January this year.
— TTR Weekly

The Stock Exchange of Thailand to Launch Blockchain-Based Startup Market
A new stocks marketplace for trading in Thai startups is planned for opening later this year.
— Finance Magnets

‘Thailand 4.0 Means Opportunity Thailand’: Government taking steps to attract investments in targeted industries
The government of Thailand is taking a number of measures to shift the country from a production-based to a service-based economy, moving from producing commodities to innovative products, emphasising on promoting technology, creativity, and innovation in the industries under focus.
— OpenGov Asia

S44 may be used to speed up patent approval
The Commerce Ministry may endorse applications for patents already approved in other countries to speed up its approval process after being swarmed by a backlog of 36,000 requests.
— Bangkok Post

Government to offer tax incentives for upper level employees choosing to work in EEC
The government continues its effort to boost investment in its eastern economic corridor development project (EEC) with latest offering of tax incentives to upper level employees choosing to work there.
— Thai PBS

Thai border trade tops $1.1b
Cross-border trade with Thailand exceeded US$1.13 billion this financial year until February 17, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
— Eleven

Ceiling prices of low-cost air tickets to be adjusted in accordance with services
Air fare regulator, the civil aviation committee, has agreed to revamp the air fare ceiling of low-cost airlines by introducing two-tiered fare ceiling based on the kinds of service – low-cost service and full service.
— Thai PBS

KBank moves towards a regional settlement bank
AIMING TO become a regional settlement bank, Kasikornbank has introduced a funds-transfer service for all AEC+3 currencies at every branch, embracing fast-growing border trade denominated in local currencies.
— The Nation

PM vows to get rid of underground debt problem
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha on Wednesday formally launched a comprehensive programme to tackle underground debt problem. He also gave licenses to six companies to operate pico-finance to provide alternative lending service to low income-earners.
— Pattaya Mail

Five firms to make 48 low-cost consumer items
Five leading manufacturers have reached an agreement with the government to make and supply 48 consumer items at low cost.
— Bangkok Post

Here are 9 Thailand startups that recently got funded
The e27 database is a trove of information and we’d like to share what we find there with you. This week, we took a peek at our database and came up with this list of startups in Thailand that received at least US$1M in their most recent round beginning January 2016.
— E27

Anti-Torture Bill Not Quashed, Senior Justice Official Says
A senior Justice Ministry official said the regime remains committed to enacting legislation against torture and enforced disappearance despite belief the bill died recently in a subcommittee.
— Khaosod English

Media barred from junta’s reconciliation session
The media have been barred from the junta’s first regional session for political reconciliation in Chiang Mai. Participants were not even allowed to record the discussion.
— Prachatai

1,000 Thai hospitals play clip to promote HIV zero discrimation
Up to 1,000 hospitals in Thailand are now showing a video clip to promote zero discrimination in healthcare settings. A survey of 1600 Thai healthcare workers showed that more than 60% of workers feared an HIV infection while performing routine tasks and 90% admitted to at least one stigmatizing attitude.
— The Nation

Win a boy band: Thailand’s drinks draw silly season gets under way
As temperatures begin soaring in Thailand, pulses will also start racing among soft drinks buyers tantalised by the big name prizes on offer once again this season, including cars and opportunities to meet their favourite boy bands.
— Food Navigator-Asia

Feature photo: John Le Fevre

The Thailand morning news roundup is published M-F by AEC News Today: Governance, not government; policies not politics.

Thailand Morning News Roundup For March 3 added by John Le Fevre on March 3, 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.