Gen Chatchai is confident Thailand to be deleted from IUU watchlist
Deputy Prime Minister Chatchai Sarikulya is optimistic that Thailand will be removed from the IUU (illegal, unreported, unregulated) fishery watchlist after the scheduled arrival in Thailand in late September or early October of a delegation from the European Union to assess Thailand’s performance in addressing IUU problem.
— The PBS
Bank of Thailand’s Hawkish Tilt Adds Another Tailwind for Baht
The Bank of Thailand is giving the baht — the most-loved emerging-market currency this month — one more reason to keep up its outperformance.
— Bloomberg
Attracting international talent to SEA’s next tech hub
A mismatch of talent in Thailand is slowing down its ability to go forward with Thailand 4.0. However, initiatives are being put in place to address this.
— OpenGov
SME Bank seeks to unload B10bn in NPLs
The state-owned Small and Medium Enterprise Development Bank of Thailand (SME Bank) aims to dispose of 10 billion baht worth of bad loans this year, hoping to lower its non-performing loan (NPL) ratio to 10% at most.
— Bangkok Post
Infrastructure hikes land prices
PROPERTY DEVELOPERS are looking for land in four locations next to the planned Bt500-bn infrastructure network of the Eastern Economic Corridor(EEC), say market experts.
— The Nation
Thailand to host “World Skills ASEAN Bangkok 2018”
Thailand is preparing to host the 12th ASEAN Skills Competition, which, this year, will be known as “World Skills ASEAN Bangkok 2018.”
— NNT
Monetary policy via social media is SEA tool in turmoil
The Bank of Thailand (BoT) was the latest to adopt a live video-streaming of its policy announcement in August, three months after the Philippine central bank did the same. Bank Indonesia, which has more Twitter followers than the Federal Reserve, recently stepped up broadcasts of its policy decisions to every month.
— Manila Bulletin
Rocky road to 5G adoption
Despite being named as a critical item on the national agenda, adoption of 5G wireless broadband service by 2020 is an uphill task, with both regulators and telecom operators scrambling to introduce the technology.
— Bangkok Post
Parties wait impatiently for lift on activities ban
POLITICIANS hope the government will finally ease the ban on political activities now that the plan to hold elections between February and May is starting to take shape and the junta’s road map to democracy is nearing an end.
— The Nation
Thais nabbed in Vietnam-based call-centre scam
Thai and Vietnamese police have together shut down a call-centre investment scam in Ho Chi Minh City.
— The Nation
Interactive exhibition on Thai cave rescue mission opens in Bangkok
The jaw-dropping drama that unfolded in Chiang Rai’s Tham Luang Cave last month (July) can now be experienced at a new interactive exhibition in Bangkok.
— Straits Times
Government requests Britain to extradite Yingluck
The government has sought the extradition of former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra from Britain, where she is believed to have been based since fleeing Thailand last year to avoid a jail sentence.
— Zeeland Press
Developers zero in on economic corridor
THE EASTERN Economic Corridor (EEC) has become a new destination for property developers in anticipation of the flows of manufacturing investment and workforce into the area, according to a survey by The Nation.
— The Nation
Remaining state stockpiles of rice to be auctioned off next week
The Ministry of Commerce will auction the last batch of rice bought under the previous administration’s rice pledging program.
— News Today (video)
Commando unit formed to protect royal family
The Police Commission has approved a proposal to upgrade the Crime Suppression Division commando unit to be responsible for ensuring security for His Majesty the King and members of the royal family, a source says.
— Bangkok Post
Phuket Opinion: Military uniforms for beach surf safety anyone?
While local government officials try to convince Chinese officials and tourists that Phuket is a safe place to travel by putting on their marine safety inspection shows following the deadly Phoenix boat disaster, people are still drowning on Phuket’s west coast beaches without a word being said about it.
— The Phuket News
It’s now illegal to abandon animals at temples
People are being urged not to abandon their pets at temples or face legal charges under the Cruelty Prevention and Welfare of Animal Act and the Wild Animal Reservation and Protection Act.
— Chaing Mai Mail
Ex-IGP: Yes, I am facilitator for Thai peace talks
Former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Mohd Noor confirms it: he is the new facilitator for the southern Thailand peace talks.
— The StarOnline
LGBT Chinese flocking to buy Thai property
Bangkok and Phuket are the top two destinations in Southeast Asia for LGBT Chinese looking for condos to live in because such buyers feel comfortable in these cities, says Juwai.com, a Chinese international real estate website.
— Bangkok Post
Govt looks at claims of herbal cancer cure
There is no scientific evidence that porcupine flower can cure cancer, the Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine Department has said in response to claims that the plant has brought about full recovery for several cancer patients in upper Central Thailand.
— The Nation
Ex-US base ‘not secret prison’
The army will open an old US military base suspected of housing a secret prison in Udon Thani as a tourist attraction, expelling any suspicions about the existence of secret US detention and nterrogation facilities in Thailand.
— Bangkok Post
Three Army Privates Charged With Assault After Beating Up Colleague
Three army privates were this morning escorted by their superior to Lop Buri Muang district police station to acknowledge the charge of assault against one of their colleagues who is now unconscious at an army hospital in the province.
— Khon Kaen Times
Traveling tax dodgers – Immigration & Customs want you to pay import duty
If you travel overseas often and bring back luxury items to resell online, the Immigration Division has you on its radar. You have to pay import duties, it says.
— The Thaiger/ The Nation
Feature photo xiquinhosilva
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.
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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.
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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