PM calls for a digital ecosystem for region
PRIME MINISTER General Prayut Chan-o-cha has urged policymakers and entrepreneurs in Southeast Asia to develop and nurture a digital trade ecosystem as information technology in the region takes off.
— The Nation
UTCC survey finds corruption ebbing
Thailand’s corruption situation improved in the first half of the year, thanks in part to the government taking serious action with respect to the temple funds embezzlement scandal and irregularities in an embezzlement-hit welfare fund intended to help poor students.
— Bangkok Post
Cops set to charge 5 bitcoin scam suspects
The Crime Suppression Division (CSD) will summon five suspects Friday for questioning in connection with the alleged embezzlement in bitcoin scam which cheated Finnish and Thai investors out of 797 million baht.
— Bangkok Post
Agreement reached for judges’ Doi Suthep housing units to be immediately vacated
Chiang Mai provincial administration and a network of civic groups opposing the Doi Suthep housing project for judges and officials of Region 5 Appeals Court agreed at a meeting today that the 45 housing units for judges must be immediately vacated.
— Thai PBS
Lawmakers scrap EC amendment bid
A group of National Legislative Assembly (NLA) members has decided to withdraw a controversial motion to seek legal amendments to nullify the selection of poll inspectors — a move that could have further delayed the general election expected early next year.
— Bangkok Post
Russian Phuket expat hunted as mastermind of B100mn crypto fraud
A Russian expat living in Phuket is believed to be the mastermind behind the online foreign-currency exchange (‘Forex’) trading scam operated through the SiamOption.com website that has lured 1.4 million people to invest hundreds of millions of baht.
— The Phuket News
Cabinet puts its seal on latest tourist tax break
Small hotels and homestay operators in 55 second-tier provinces are expected to gain from the additional tourist tax perk approved by the cabinet on Tuesday.
— Bangkok Post
Australian police detain five Thai nationals involved in human trafficking
Human trafficking from Thailand to Australia’s capital city, Canberra, is under investigation after raids on Fyshwick brothels (massage parlours) this week.
— The Thaiger/ The Canberra Times
Thai banks ‘prepared’ amid warning of global ATM attack
COMMERCIAL banks in Thailand have boosted security to prevent unauthorised access to their automatic teller machines as cybercriminals are reportedly planning to carry out a large-scale global ATM attack.
— The Nation
Bitcoin scandal spreads to banks, stock exchange
A ‘whale’ investor in the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) and staff at up to three Thai banks are suspected of being complicit in a B797 million scandal involving a foreign investor and the cryptocurrency bitcoin (BTC), police said yesterday (Aug 15).
— The Phuket News
Police initiative helps loan shark victims get lands back
HUNDREDS OF Thais reeling under huge loans were smiling again yesterday when Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwon and senior police officers handed them their land title deeds and other assets in ceremonies nationwide.
— The Nation
36 Provinces warned to brace for heavy rain Aug 16-19
As tropical storm “Bebinca” is approaching Vietnam, 36 provinces in the North, Northeast, East and South have been warned to brace for intensive rain and isolated terrential downpours during Aug 16-1, according to the Meteorological Department’s latest weather forecast this morning.
— Thai PBS
Thailand, Myanmar sign MoU on financial assistance to prawn breeding farm in Rakhine
The officials from Thailand and Myanmar signed MoU on financial assistance of a 34-million-baht to be spent on prawn breeding farm in Yaychanpyin, Rakhine State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nay Pyi Taw on Tuesday.
— The Nation
Couple’s accused killer to be repatriated
The families of a young couple murdered in broad daylight at Buddha Mountain in Chon Buri are looking forward to seeing the accused mastermind punished to the full extent of the law.
— Bangkok Post
Bangladesh take on Thailand today
Bangladesh Unde-23 team will take on Thailand in their Asian games second match today at Pakan Sari Stadium, Jakarta, Indonesia.
— TheIndependent
Thailand bans e-waste imports to avoid ‘world’s garbage bin’ tag
The Thai government will ban imports of electronic and plastic waste following reports of massive piles of scrap electronics turning up in the country, potentially turning it into the “world’s garbage bin,” local media reported on Thursday.
— TodayNg
JWD plots EEC access via port
SET-listed JWD InfoLogistics Plc, an integrated inland logistics service provider, is interested in bidding for management of Laem Chabang seaport’s Phase 3 as it seeks opportunities from the government’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) scheme.
— Bangkok Post
Thailand: Bitcoin Fraud Case Ropes in Bank Staff and Prominent Stock Investor
The investigation into the Thailand bitcoin fraud case involving a Finnish national who lost 5,564 bitcoins to Thai fraudsters has now widened its reach to include a stock investor and bank employees.
— CCN
Regional countries discuss digital technology in Bangkok
The growth of digital technology for inclusive and sustainable economic development is a top priority for Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam (CLMTV).
— The Nation
Excise change not expected to dent sales
The Excise Department is confident that 90% of motorcycles sold in the country will see minimal impact from the new excise tax structure, which shifts the calculation basis from engine size to CO2 emissions.
— Bangkok Post
Utilization of FTAs and GSPs by exporters growing
Thailand has utilized Free Trade Agreements (FTA) and the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) privileges worth 36 billion USD in the first half of this year, up 73 percent and matching growing exports.
— News Today (video)
B555bn in H1 net profits seen
First-half net profits of SET-listed firms are projected at 555 billion baht, with about 150 listed companies set to pay interim dividends, says Asia Plus Securities (ASP).
— Bangkok Post
Thai food trends: Plant-based diets and personalisation on the rise as health awareness increases
New research has revealed that about four in five (79%) Thai consumers would like to have a healthier diet in 2018 – with interest in plant-based diets on the rise.
— Food Navigator-Asia
PTT readies investment plan
PTT Plc, the SET-listed national oil and gas conglomerate, expects to receive the green light for massive investment in new businesses over the next decade under the continuous 342-billion-baht investment plan ending in 2022.
— Bangkok Post
TCP to spend $300m in sustainability drive
TCP Group, the drinks and snacks group best known for its Krating Daeng (Red Bull) energy drink, plans to spend more than US$300 million (Bt10 billion) over the next five years on improving the environmental safeguards in its operations, chief executive officer Saravoot Yoovidhya said yesterday.
— The Nation
BoT: Labour to curb GDP
The Bank of Thailand forecasts that Thailand’s ageing demography will dampen the country’s annual GDP growth by 1.5 percentage points over the next 10 years
— Bangkok Post
Nissan coy about EV scheme
Despite committing to the local launch of the Leaf battery electric vehicle by next March, Nissan Motor Thailand remains on the
— Bangkok Post
Completion of national strategic master plan on security expected in September
The Ministry of Defense has estimated that the drafting of the national strategic master plan on security will be finished late next month.
— News Today (video)
Huge rise in price of CNG
The pump price of compressed natural gas will jump 37% on Thursday evening, to bring it in line with the global oil price, PTT announced on Thursday.
— Bangkok Post
Songkhla key trade gateway in Thailand’s deep South
Songkhla Province has the highest border trade value in the far south thanks to a number of supporting factors. We get to know more about Songkhla.
— News Today (video)
Suthep challenges NACC to send his alleged graft case to Supreme Court
Action Coalition for Thailand (Ruam Palang Prachachart Thai) party co-founder Suthep Thuagsuban on Thursday urged the National Anti-Corruption Commission to have the corruption against him sent to the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Offices.
— Thai PBS
EC to take on poll check picks
The new Election Commission (EC) will take over the selection of 616 poll inspectors now that five new commissioners have received royal endorsement, said former EC chairman Supachai Somcharoen.
— Bangkok Post
Thai-Sino rail contract bids to kick off by year end
Transport Ministry officials have confirmed that auctions for the construction contracts for all sections of the first phase of the Thai-Chinese high-speed railway project will commence by the end of the year, despite unsettled negotiations between both countries.
— Bangkok Post
E-tourism and why it is necessary for the ever-transforming Thailand
The Thai government strongly supports the advancement of the tourism industry within Thailand and the ASEAN region, especially under the “Five Countries, One Destination” scheme of the Ayeyawady – Chao Phraya – Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS).
— OpenGovAsia
Soaring Hong Kong prices put Bangkok on the radar
It has never been easier to look for a flat in Bangkok
— South China Morning Post
Tourism players told to submit formal requests to Tourism Ministry in relation to SST
“Thailand is an important market for Malaysia with potential for growth, especially with the interest in travel among the Thais and the range of tourism products in Malaysia that cater to their needs.
— Yahoo News
Thai court sentences Malaysian ’Iceman’ to death
A Malaysian drug dealer dubbed the ‘Iceman’ was sentenced to death today (Aug 16) after he was convicted of running a narcotics network that funnelled huge profits into legitimate businesses.
— The Phuket News
Feature photo bvi4092
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 August 17 added by John Le Fevre on
View all posts by John Le Fevre →
John Le Fevre
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.
Latest posts by John Le Fevre (see all)
- COVID-19 in Asean: update for July 26 — 16 mln case barrier breached, Vietnam records community transmission – July 26, 2020
- COVID-19 in Asean: update for July 25 — new high for daily infections, 16 mln infection barrier to break today – July 25, 2020
- COVID-19 in Asean: update for July 24 — Asean tops 230,000 cases, nudges 90,000 active – July 24, 2020
- Thailand morning news for July 24 – July 24, 2020