All the #Thailand #news you need to know for July 4

BoT warns of high volatility for baht
Bank of Thailand governor Veerathai Santiprabhob has warned that the baht’s volatility will remain high in the foreseeable future, prompted by tightened monetary policy in advanced economies and tit-for-tat trade tariffs among economic behemoths.
— Bangkok Post

Export hopes high despite trade rows
THE spectre of trade protectionism has failed to dent optimism for sustained strength in exports in the year’s second half, say business leaders, even though some concede that certain types of products could be caught into the fallout of an escalating conflict.
— The Nation

Cabinet freezes VAT at 7 percent for another year
The Cabinet today decided to maintain the value-added tax at 7 percent for another year as of October 1.
— Thai PBS

TAT forecasts 40mn tourists next year
Thailand’s tourism industry is expected to expand through next year, with at least 10% growth in revenue from this year, fetching 3.4 trillion baht.
— Bangkok Post

King asks government to treat foreign rescuers as his personal guests
His Majesty the King has advised rescuers that their plan to extract the 13 survivors form the flooded cave must be carefully thought out with their health and mental conditions taken into consideration and to make sure that both the rescuers and the survivors are safe.
— Thai PBS

Agencies gathering data to paint picture of GDP per capita
The Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking (JSCCIB) aims to collect in-depth data about Thailand’s GDP per capita for every business and industrial sector as it plans to present the government for future budget allocation.
— Bangkok Post

British divers in Tham Luang rescue operation identified
Local media have revealed the identities of the three expert British divers who have been working with Thai Navy SEALS in the rescue operation for the12 boys and their football coach stranded deep inside Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai province.
— NNT

Thailand Post readies Bt10 bn service boost
THAILAND Post plans to invest about Bt10 billion on infrastructure such as that for automated services over the next five years, with expectations of reaping more than Bt45 billion in revenue over the period.
— The Nation

SME Bank readies B5.2bn NPL sell-off
The state-owned Small and Medium Enterprise Development Bank of Thailand (SME Bank) plans to divest 5.2 billion baht worth of bad loans that cannot be restructured as part of efforts to bring its non-performing loan (NPL) ratio below 10%.
— Bangkok Post

NBTC lowers asking price in 1800 MHz auction
Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission (NBTC) has decided to change certain requirements for the 1800 MHz auction to make the bidding more appealing to potential bidders.
— NNT

IRPC to top up investment in capacity expansion to more than $1 bn
IRPC Plc plans an increase of about US$100 million in its investment to expand production capacity for aromatics, taking the overall investment to as much as US$1.1 billion.
— The Nation

Navy Seal commander assures survivors will be safely returned to familites
Although it could be some time before the 13 survivors of the Tham Luang cave ordeal will see the light of the day, Navy SEAL commander Rear Admiral Arpakorn Yookongkaew gave an assurance today that they will all eventually be returned safely to their families.
— Thai PBS

Setting up of Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation approved
The cabinet approved the establishment of the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, and Innovation which will be officially opened in February 2019, to support the Thailand 4.0 development goal and the 20-year national strategy.
— NNT

Prayut insists popular Chiang Rai governor will be transferred
Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha this afternoon reaffirmed the order to transfer the hugely popular Chiang Rai Governor Narongsak Osotthanakorn to nearby Phayao province.
— Thai PBS

Thai-Cambodian bilateral trade value set to soar in 2020
The Commerce Minister, Sontirat Sontijirawong, said his ministry has a plan to substantially increase bilateral trade with Cambodia to 15 billion US dollars by 2020.
— NNT

SCB readies mobile account openings
Customers will no longer need to travel to the bank to open a savings account, as a mobile feature that uses facial recognition technology will allow Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) to verify their identity online.
— Bangkok Post

Thailand to issue more new banknotes this month – c.bank
Thailand’s central bank will this month issue a second batch of new banknotes with a picture of King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
— Reuters

BAAC runs risk of bad loan surge
The state-owned Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) is at risk of seeing its bad loan ratio surge to as much as 6% if it fails to restructure its special mention loans, worth 30 billion…
— Bangkok Post

Agriculture Ministry prepares reparations for farms taking on Luang cave water
The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives has prepared rice stalks for farms to be impacted by the draining of water from Luang cave as part of the rescue operation for Moo Pa Academy youth football team as well as reparation funds.
— News Today (video)

Nestle starts fresh coffee offerings
Nestle Thai Ltd, the marketer of Nescafe coffee, has branched out its business into out-of-home coffee to extend its sales opportunities.
— Bangkok Post

Thai government cracks down on illegal hazardous E Waste imports
Since May, the public has been aware of the illegal importation of hazardous e-waste, and the Thai government has committed to cracking down hard on the problem, including a special committee to address the issue. Our reporter Suchanee Rungmueanpon takes up the story.
— News Today (video)

Trade and Development Regional Forum 2018 takes place in Bangkok
The International Institute for Trade and Development (ITD) has organized the Trade and Development Regional Forum 2018 in Bangkok to foster regional cooperation in trade policymaking to meet the demands of the modern economy.
— News Today (video)

Government campaigns for alcohol break during Buddhist Lent
The government has called on people to refrain from drinking alcohol during the three-month Buddhist Lent.
— NNT

Tham Luang cave to be rehabilitated and upgraded into a national park
After the completion of the search and rescue operations, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation will carry out rehabilitation of Tham Luang cave to repair all the damage inflicted on the cave by the operations and to upgrade it into a national park.
— Thai PBS

Climate change for all to see at BACC
The Bangkok Art and Culture Centre opens an exhibition of disturbing photographic proof
— The Nation

DLPW steps up enhancement in labor relations services
The Department of Labor Protection and Welfare (DLPW) has ordered labor relations units to monitor and assess the labor situation in bid to solve persisting issues effectively.
— NNT

Alpine tourism ignites billion dollar resort property market
Tourism arrivals to Asia’s leading alpine destination, Niseko, rose 17% year-on-year in 2017 and bumped up a 5-year growth spree with an impressive 16% compound annual growth rate.
— The Thaiger

RID updates water situation for farmers during rainy season
The Royal Irrigation Deaprtment (RID) has updated the water holding capacity at water reservoirs and urged farmers to proceed with farming plans during rainy season.
— NNT

Min of Agriculture prepares measures to manage upcoming fruit output
Thailand’s Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives is preparing measures to manage fruit output in the northern and northeastern regions to prevent oversupply and has suspended imports of mangosteen from Indonesia.
— NNT

Central to provide free vendor space for pineapple sellers
Central Group will provide vendor space, free of charge, at four Central Plaza shopping centers for farmers in Ratchaburi province to sell pineapples directly to mall visitors.
— NNT

Asean on the big screen
The Bangkok Asean Film Festival returns for its fourth edition tomorrow to SF World Cinema at CentralWorld and this year promises to be better than ever with 10 of the 13 movies selected vying for recognition in the Best Asean Film Award competition.
— The Nation

Feature photo via Twitter: Source unknown

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 4 added by John Le Fevre on July 4, 2018
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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.