Thailand Morning News For April 24

Q1 exports tally 7-year growth high
Thailand’s exports continued to grow in March, albeit at a slower pace, helping first quarter shipments rise 11.3%, the highest in seven years.
— Bangkok Post

Thailand not a currency manipulator, central bank chief says
Thailand does not intervene with foreign exchange rates to gain competitiveness in trade, its central bank chief said on Monday, amid rising concerns that the country may become the first in Southeast Asia to be placed under trade scrutiny by the U.S.
— Nikkei Asian Review

Thai companies keen to invest $3 billion in Indian infrastructure projects
Several Thailand-based companies which are operating in India plan to invest around USD 3 billion in the next three years period in the areas of green and brown field projects including energy, infrastructure and metals.
— The Economic Times

Smog rings alarm bells in Chiang Mai
Amid ‘very dangerous’ air pollution, children and elderly told to stay inside
— The Nation

Protesters ready for ‘war’ over Doi Suthep
A civic network will this Sunday intensify its protest against the state housing project at the foot of Doi Suthep in an attempt to prompt Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to make the “right” decision and return the area to nature.
— Bangkok Post

Rice production plan announced
The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives has announced a rice production plan for the 2018/2019 production year. More than 33 million tons of rice from 70 million rice fields nationwide will be produced to keep up with demand. Meanwhile, agricultural provinces across Thailand are preparing for the upcoming dry season.
— News Today (video)

Thai telco DTAC’s profit leaps on one-off gain, revenue decline continues
Thailand’s third-largest telcoms operator Total Access Communication (DTAC) reported a 474 percent jump in net profit on Monday, with a one-off provision adjustment masking falling subscriber numbers and revenue.
— Reuters

NACC urged to speed up Suthep probe
The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has pledged to speed up probes into irregularities in bungled police station construction projects which allegedly involved Suthep Thaugsuban, the former leader of the now-defunct People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) which led a mass street protest against the Yingluck Shinawatra administration.
— Bangkok Post

Thailand’s exports enter 13th month of consecutive growth
The export sector has entered its 13th month of consecutive growth, posting record numbers in trade value.
— NNT

NCPO ‘lures’ politicians with plum jobs
A military-backed political party is luring politicians into its fold by offering them positions as ministers’ assistants if it is able to form a government, Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva has revealed.
— Bangkok Post

Tesco Lotus to continue store expansions
Sompong Rungnirattisai, the newly appointed chief executive of Ek-chai Distribution System Co, the operator of Tesco Lotus hypermarkets, vows to keep expanding new stores and spaces, planning to add 55,740 square metres this year.
— Bangkok Post

Thai petroleum fields auction to begin Tuesday: Energy Minister
Thailand will begin auctions on Tuesday for petroleum fields in the Gulf of Thailand, Minister of Energy Siri Jirapongphan said on Monday.
— Reuters

New oil-field bid process for ‘benefit of public’
POLITICIANS AND bureaucrats will play a bigger role in the decision-making process for oil and gas production in the Gulf of Thailand under new bidding terms and conditions approved by the National Energy Policy Committee (NEPC) yesterday, according to industry sources.
— Reuters

PM affirms government’s determination to protect IP to WIPO director
The head of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has lauded the Thai prime minister for his role in preventing and suppressing intellectual property infringement.
— NNT

U-tapao getting satellites
The Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (Gistda), the state space organisation, plans to team up with France’s Airbus to bring satellite technology to U-tapao airport and make it the…
— Bangkok Post

BoT governor backs up merger measures
Bank of Thailand governor Veerathai Santiprabhob has thrown his support behind the government’s tax incentives to encourage consolidation in the local banking sector, saying mergers and acquisitions will reinforce banks’ competitive edge and level the playing field against regional peers.
— Bangkok Post

Giant haul for welfare dragnet
The Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) is expected to set up a sub-panel to investigate 44 education officials for alleged embezzlement of money from a multi-million-baht fund for poor students.
— Bangkok Post

PTTEP ready to partake in upcoming bidding for stakes in Bongkot, Erawan gas fields
PTT Exploration and Production (PTTEP) has said it will join the bidding for stakes in the Bongkot and Erawan gas fields when the Energy Ministry and the Mineral Fuels Department hold auctions soon, following a meeting about the matter on Monday.
— The Nation

Arrest made in bloody row between Bangkok rescue crews
Police have arrested a man who allegedly fired a gun during a turf war between rival rescue crews at a Bangkok hospital on April 11, resulting in a bystander being wounded.
— The Nation

PM Prayut reminds migrant workers to proceed remaining processes before deadline
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has reminded Thai employers and migrant employees from Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar who failed to complete all required registration processes to finish the tasks by June 30th, 2018, with all processes being taken care by the government to comply with international standards.
— News Today (video)

20,000 more electronic data capture devices planned
An additional 20,000 electronic data capture (EDC) devices are set to be installed at Thong Fah Pracha Rat and Pracha Rat shops across the country to facilitate state welfare smart card holders’ spending,…
— Bangkok Post

Sawatdee Group announces partnership with Alibaba
Sawatdee Group (Thailand) Co, Ltd has declared itself the official partner of the Alibaba Group in Thailand, expressing its readiness to offer a new trade channel to Thai exporters.
— NNT

IEAT prepares potential industrial areas in EEC
The Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) has prepared potential industrial areas to accommodate investment in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), which covers the three eastern provinces of Chachoengsao, Chonburi, and Rayong.
— NNT

Canada’s Vatic Ventures eyes $1.2m private placement to develop Thai potash licences
Vatic Ventures, a Canada-listed listed potash explorer in Thailand, has announced plans to raise up to $1.2 million through a non-brokered private placement of up to 18.5 million units at an issue price of $0.065 per unit.
— DealStreetAsia

PM Prayut prepared for participation in 32nd ASEAN Summit
The Prime Minister is ready for his participation in the upcoming ASEAN Summit in Singapore.
— NNT

Magic Skin’s celebrity product presenters will face police interrogation
Over 50 presenters of cosmetic products and food supplements of Magic Skin Group will be summoned by police for interrogation, Pol Gen Wirachai Songmetta, the deputy police chief, announced today (April 23).
— Thai PBS

NACC to probe 7 more temples for graft
Anti-graft police asked the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) Monday to investigate seven more temples suspected of involvement in a development fund embezzlement scandal.
— Bangkok Post

Thai Authorities to Probe Prison Inmate’s Mysterious Death
Thailand’s prison authorities have pledged to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of an inmate after being disciplined by guards for allegedly smuggling drugs, in a case which a human rights group said underscored a “culture of impunity in prisons” in the country.
— BenarNews

TOT, TeleAssets and dtac TriNet join forces for first 4G LTE-TDD network
TOT, TeleAssets and dtac TriNet on Monday signed agreements to launch the country’s first 4G LTE-TDD network, on the widest bandwidth of 60MHz in the 2300MHz spectrum.
— The Nation

Service centres opened in Thailand
The Thai government has decided to open 80 one-stop service centres nationwide for Cambodian workers in Thailand to get the legal documents that they have already applied for until the end of June.
— Khmer Times

Higher tourism standards urged
Tourism leaders have urged hotels and local businesses to improve the quality of their products and services to help create brand awareness in the international market and reduce costs in the long run.
— Bangkok Post

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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 April 24 added by John Le Fevre on April 24, 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.