Cigarette tax hike likely pushed to 2021
The Finance Ministry has informally delayed doubling the excise tax on cigarettes to 40% for another two years to October 2021, claiming the higher levy will be a heavy blow to state-run Thailand Tobacco from local farmers.
— Bangkok Post
Proposal to ease political restrictions is now with NCPO
A proposal to ease political restrictions in six activities is now in the hand of Army Commander-in-Chief General Chalermchai Sitthisart who is concurrently the secretary-general of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said today.
— NNT
Political turmoil blamed for GDP losses
Thailand’s political uncertainty over the past 20 years took a toll on the country’s economic growth, shaving off 0.4 percentage points per year on average and depressing growth below its potential, according to a joint survey by the Bank of Thailand’s Puey Ungphakorn Institute for Economic Research’s (Pier).
— Bangkok Post
Construction of monorail lines gets ceremonial launch
The ceremonial launch of the construction on two new feeder monorails was held on Monday morning, the Yellow Line and Pink Line, with services expected to commence in 2021.
— Bangkok Post
Thailand targets to connect Belt and Road Initiative and EEC to boost investment opportunities in ASEAN
Thailand aims to connect China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to accelerate more investment and trade opportunities in Asia, especially ASEAN and ACMECS, Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak told almost 1,000 participants from both China and Thailand at the “Thailand-China Business Forum 2018: Comprehensive Partnership through the Belt and Road Initiative and the EEC”.
–– AEC News Today/ PR Newswire (media release)
Several dams at maximum capacity
Heavy rain over the weekend added a large volume of water to three of the nation’s largest dams and prompted urgent drainage from others.
— NNT
Appeals Court rejects Premchai’s request to have his case transferred
The Appeals Court has rejected the request of Itallian-Thai Development Pcl chief executive officer Premchai Karnasuta to have the panther hunting case transferred from Thong Phaphum provincial court to the Region 7 Corruption Court.
— Thai PBS
Embattled lèse majesté lawyer released after 16 months in jail
On 26 August 2018, Prawet Prapanukul, 57, was released from Bangkok Remand Prison after serving 16 months. The human rights lawyer was arrested on 29 April 2017 for violating Article 112 of the Penal Code, the royal defamation law.
— Prachatai English
EC to begin drawing electoral districts
EC to begin drawing electoral Following rumors that the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) will soon lift its ban on political activities, the Election Commission (EC) has announced it will begin drawing electoral districts, which will be announced in November.
— NNT
Thailand’s July coal imports jump 57% on year to 2.3 mil mt
Thailand imported nearly 2.3 million mt of coal in July, surging 56.5% from the same month in 2017, according to latest customs data released over the weekend.
— S&P Global
Thailand uses drones to combat agriculture industry woes
Drones can save Thailand and allow them to meet their agricultural demands. The agricultural industry which is set to decline in the next decade, can be revolutionized through the harnessing of new technology.
— OpenGov
Plastic ban makes a difference in Krabi marine park
Thais have been full of praise online for tourists using traditional “pinto thao” food containers instead of plastic bags to take their picnic meals into Krabi’s Than Bok Khorani Marine National Park.
— The Nation
Yingluck rice scheme ‘did hurt nation’
The auditor-general has insisted that Yingluck Shinawatra government’s loss-ridden rice-pledging programme caused damage to the country.
— Bangkok Post
Thai police extend probe into bilking of bitcoins from Finn
Thai authorities this week are expected to step up their investigation of a financial scam involving the alleged theft of about $25 million worth of bitcoins from a Finnish investor who police say was bilked with promises of high returns from investments in a casino in Macau and in another cryptocurrency.
— LancasterOnline
Rubber planters to meet this weekend to formulate demand that govt shore up prices
Southern rubber growers will hold a meeting in Nakhon Si Thammarat on Saturday to draw up a plan for pressing the government to shore up rubber prices.
— The Nation
Anti-graft officials probe illegal massive land grab in Loei prvince
A team of anti-corruption officials are in Phu Rua district of the northeastern province of Loei today to investigate an allegation of massive land grab in which land certificates issued in another place were used in the issuance of land certificates in the district.
— Thai PBS
Police crack down on gang selling drugs online
A DRUG-TRAFFICKING gang has gone online and is using direct marketing techniques to attract members and customers.
— The Nation
Driving Licence Uproar Unmasks Three Character Flaws In Thailand
The new traffic law has not even been enforced yet but has already exposed at least three woeful habits among Thais.
— Khon Kaen Times
GHB approves Bt60 billion for mortgages
The Government Housing Bank or GHB’s board has approved the provision of mortgage loans totalling Bt60 billion with a limit of Bt1 million per unit, according to press statement released on Monday.
— The Nation
Making education higher: The Webster way
With the spotlight on the modernisation of the nation’s economy and the drive to achieve Thailand 4.0, doubts over the country’s ability to achieve such lofty goals have called into question the capacity of the current educational system to support the development of its ambitions.
— Bangkok Post
NHSO holds seminar on health care accessibility for unregistered Thais
Thailand’s National Health Security Office (NHSO) has held a seminar with other agencies on tackling the matter of unregistered citizens being unable to access medical care.
— NNT
Awards ceremony: 13 winning photographs to be featured in TAT’s 2019 calendar
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) together with the Royal Photographic Society of Thailand (RPST) has with great pleasure unveiled 124 winning entries in a nationwide photography competition that aimed to capture the kingdom in all its beauty.
— TAT News
Cyber threats strain firms with Thailand a key target
COMPANIES in Thailand are being swamped by more than 5,000 alerts every day relating to cyber-security threats, with the country trailing only Vietnam as the Southeast Asian nation most in the sights of cyber criminals, a survey shows.
— The Nation
Thailand continues to experience downpours
Inclement weather over the weekend affected the north, northeast, the central plains, the east, and the west coast of the nation while waves in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand were up to 2 meters high.
— Pattaya Mail
Thai currency fraud gang caught with 1.7 million baht of fake North Korean money.
On August 26th, 2018, Pattaya and Chonburi police arrested Six Thai nationals who possessed 43 million North Korean Won, worth about 1.7 million baht, that was deemed to be fake.
— The Pattaya News
Pheu Thai will ban military conscription if voted in
THE Pheu Thai Party will abolish compulsory military conscription if it returns to power after the next election, a party source said yesterday.
— The Nation
BoT to issue digital currency
The Bank of Thailand (BoT) is to issue its own digital currency for use in domestic wholesale funds transfers.
— Pattaya Mail
BMA provides free cataract treatments to Bang Khae residents
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) recently launched a program to provide free treatment for cataract patients in Bang Khae District. The office is planning to expand its campaign to all 50 districts.
— NNT
Nissan helps govt with network of EV charging stations
The Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) of Thailand and Nissan have agreed to join forces in establishing battery-charging infrastructure ahead of sales of the car firm’s Leaf EV (electric vehicle).
— The Nation (annoying popups)
Sukhumvit Road closures set for Sept. 2-6
Part of Sukhumvit Road and the Central Road bypass tunnel will be closed intermittently from Sept. 2-6 to allow for construction of a wheelchair-accessible pedestrian bridge.
— Pattaya Mail
Ancient cannon found in Sanam Luang
The Department of Fine Arts has dispatched officials to inspect a newly discovered ancient cannon and verify its authenticity.
— News Today (video)
Chinese investors show interest in EEC
The 6th meeting of the Thailand-China Joint Committee on Trade, Investment and Economic Cooperation, has seen 10 memoranda of understand (MoUs) signed between Thailand and China.
— Pattaya Mail
Migrant workers urged to renew work permits
The Ministry of Labor is allowing 11,000 migrant workers in the fisheries sector to renew their work permits, so that they will be able to work in Thailand for another two years.
— Pattaya Mail
Philippines eyes extra imports of Thai rice amid ‘crisis’
The Philippines’ agriculture minister said on Monday he has proposed the importation of an additional 132,000 tonnes of rice by the private sector to address “very limited” supplies of the staple food in the country’s southern provinces.
— Bangkok Post
A walk through Siam’s history
A new attraction in Pattaya, the Legend Siam is scheduled to open at the end of this year and is promoting itself as the first Thai cultural theme park.
— 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.
Thailand morning news for August 28 added by John Le Fevre on
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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.
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