Thailand Morning News For January 16

EEC spending forecast to reach B600bn
The government expects investment in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) to increase from 500 to 600 billion baht over the next five years, fuelled by stimulus measures and infrastructure projects, says Industry Minister Uttama Savanayana.
— Bangkok Post

SEC set to establish control over digital capital market
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has cited the digital capital market as an attractive investment channel and will come up with measures to ensure its transparency and protect investors.
— NNT

Thailand seeking to crack World Bank top 20 ranking
Thailand could crack the top 20 of the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business ranking for 2019 after it managed to jump to 26th-most business-friendly nation in the 2018 ranking, says Prime Minister Office Minister Kobsak Pootrakool.
— Bangkok Post

Thailand and China will meet on expansion of their trade ties
Thailand and China will form a joint committee to reduce trade barriers between them with a target to increase the value of the Thai – Chinese trade to 120 billion USD in three years from now.
— News Today (video)

Over 1 million Thai children suffer from ADHD
Over one million of Thai children aged 6-12 are suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and over half of them will eventually have mental health problem, said Dr Boonruang Trairuangvorawat, director-general of Mental Health Department, on Monday.
— Thai PBS

Pailin probes airport food court publicity
Deputy Transport Minister Pailin Chuchottaworn will today visit Suvarnabhumi airport to inspect food and beverage prices at the airport’s restaurants and stalls, following continued criticism that prices are too high.
— Bangkok Post

Thai cellcos told to crack down on VoIP scams
The Thai government has given the nation’s operators two months to develop a system to counter the growing problem of caller ID spoofing using VoIP.
— telecomasia.net

Chiang Rai locals still oppose Lao hydropower dam after meet with Laos officials
LAOS AUTHORITIES and the developer of the Pak Beng hydropower dam project failed in a meeting yesterday to relieve concerns of local people living along the Mekong River in Thailand about the impacts of a dam now under construction on the river.
— The Nation

CK Power seeks another hydropower deal in Laos
WITH ITS INITIAL success constructing the Bt150 billion Xayaburi Hydroelectric Power Project in Laos, CK Power Plc is negotiating with the Laos government to build another hydroelectric power projects worth over Bt150 billion.
— The Nation

Mercedes-Benz makes late EV entry
German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz Thailand has finally decided to join the government’s electric vehicle (EV) scheme after staying on the sidelines for five years.
— Bangkok Post

Small retailers request welfare card access
The government is being asked to allow other small retail shops who are not members of the government’s Thong Fah Pracha Rat shops project to accept its welfare cards, says the Thai Wholesale & Retail Trade Association.
— Bangkok Post

Thai property portal ZmyHome raises $400k from KK Fund
ZmyHome, a Thai real estate portal, has raised $400,000 in seed funding from Singapore-based venture capital firm KK Fund to improve its technology platform and expand its user base in the country.
— DealStreetAsia

Nation’s teachers score 7.69 out of 10 in latest confidence poll
A Suan Dusit Poll has rated public confidence in the nation’s teachers in 2017 at 7.69 out of 10.
— NNT

Probe finds school head took money
The director of Samsenwittayalai School committed a severe disciplinary violation in connection with allegedly accepting payments to enrol students, according to Lt Gen Kosol Prathumchart, adviser to the education minister.
— Bangkok Post

2000 acres prepared for medical marijuana plantation
Thai government agencies are going to sponsor a large-scale project to plant marijuana on over 2000 acres of land for the medical purpose. This project follows the movements of some high-level government officials who want to decriminalise cannabis in Thailand.
— Prachatai English

Dept of Business Development unveils new accounting software for SMEs
The Department of Business Development (DBD) has unveiled its new accounting software to encourage good corporate governance and to ready SMEs for the so-called 4.0 economy.
— NNT

Japan’s JR Kyushu buys Bangkok apartment complex for $90m
Japan’s Kyushu Railway Co (JR Kyushu) has acquired a serviced apartment complex in Bangkok for 2.9 billion baht ($90.6 million), marking its first foray into the hotel and serviced apartment business outside Japan.
— DealStreetAsia

Activists launch signature campaign for abolition of 35 NCPO orders
Activist groups on Monday (Jan 15) kicked off a signature campaign for issuance of a law to abolish National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)’s orders they claimed to have deprived the basic rights and freedom of the people.
— Thai PBS

Labor Ministry to help low-income workers access low-interest loans
The Department of Labor Protection and Welfare has offered an opportunity for low-income earners to access low-interest loans to pay off their informal debts and increase their income.
— NNT

A conversation with activist summoned 18 times for “attitude adjustment”.
An activist with the Assembly of the Poor on the issue of the Pak Mun Dam, Krissakorn Silarak has been summoned to military bases 18 times. Krissakorn spoke of the experience of his mother and coworker throwing their telephones in frustration with military pressure.
— Prachati English

Governors to help in safe-guarding forests through satellite technology application
All provincial governors will be given a user’s name and a password so that they can log into a new application developed by the Geo-informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (Gistda) in cooperation with the Royal Forest Department to monitor forest cover throughout the country which will help in its protection from encroachers.
— Thai PBS

No time frame set for probe into Prawit’s luxury watches
The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) won’t set specific timeframe for authorities to investigate the deputy prime minister, Gen Prawit Wongsuwan, over his possession of several luxury wristwatches that were not declared as required by the anti corruption law.
— Thai PBS

Officials break open three safes seized from Victoria Secret massage parlour
Officials found wads of cash, documents, credit cards and keys inside three safes belonging to Victoria Secret massage parlor after they were broken open by locksmiths using safe drilling tools.
— Thai PBS

Feature photo Parinya Jaipang

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 January 16 added by John Le Fevre on January 16, 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.