Thailand English-language News for January 18

In Thailand English-language News for January 18, 2018, Newsline presenter Sandra Hanutsaha tells us about:

00: 46 | The Treasury Department will commence dispensing commemorative coins struck to honour the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej on January 29.

02:12 | Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha has vowed to rectify all of the problems raised by residents during a mobile Cabinet meeting to Mae Hong Song yesterday.

04:17 | The government has allocated some 1,760 hectares (about 4,349 acres) of land to low income earners in Mae Hong Song province to use for farming.

05:15 | Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan yesterday attended a meeting to discuss governance reform needed to ratify the 29th Convention of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and various other matters.

06:17 | Deputy prime minister Prawit Wongsuwan has denied that Thailand is being used as a base for producing fake passports, despite the arrest last week of a Pakistan national said to have links to Daesh (Islamic State) on passport forgery charges.

07:27 | The government has introduced a so-called ‘smart visa’ so that people with skills sought under the Thailand 4.0 agenda can stay long term in the kingdom. The new smart visa comes with strict requirements, including a minimum monthly salary of Bt200,000 (about US$6,258).

15:17 | The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (SDHS) has held a meeting with relevant state and private sector stakeholders to devise effective solutions to human trafficking.

18: 11 | The government yesterday denied it was intending to scale down the rules of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in the energy sector. Minister attached to the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), Kobsak Pootrakool, said yesterday that the government intended to fully support petroleum giant PTT Plc., and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat), despite calls to reduce monopolisation.

19:18 | The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) yesterday kicked off the 38th Thailand Tourism Festival (TTF) at Lumpini Park, Bangkok, aimed at encouraging people to visit local attractions.

20:49 | Director general of the Department of Foreign Trade (DFT), Adul Chotinisakorn, reported yesterday that fresh fruit and vegetable prices at Bangkok markets remain stable despite the looming minimum wage increase.

21:58 | An Australian documentary maker being held in Cambodia on espionage charges was remanded in custody until January 31 during a court appearance in Phnom Penh yesterday. James Ricketson, 68, has been held in custody for more than seven months after flying a camera drone during last year’s provincial elections.

• and more.

Newsline is a daily Thailand English-language news and current affairs programme produced by the National News Bureau of Thailand (NNBT) under the Thailand Government Public Relations Department (PRD) for *NBT World, the NNBTs 24/7 English language television service delivering Thailand government news and information to the Thai, Asean, and wider Asian communities. AEC News Today publishes Thailand English-language News M-F.