Thailand Morning News For January 19

Thailand Morning News For January 19
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Thailand morning newsNO BAHT INTERVENTION
Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak insists that Thailand will not intervene in the baht’s movement, while inviting the United States to monitor the situation.
— The Nation

Modest variable minimum wage hike comes under criticism from workers and employers
ACADEMICS and workers believe a consistent nationwide “flat rate” hike for the minimum wage should be in place instead of the variable Bt5 to Bt22 daily wage increase that comes into effect on April 1 after Cabinet approval.
— The Nation (annoying popups)

Workers, bosses joust over minimum wage increases
Workers and employers are still not satisfied with increases in the minimum daily wage following seven hours of talks involving a tripartite wage committee.
— Bangkok Post

B20bn slated for digital plan
The government is set to invest 20 billion baht in infrastructure projects in fiscal 2018 as part of its ambitious digital development plan.
— Bangkok Post

EEC commission to present range of projects to PM
The Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) Management and Development Commission is to propose that the Prime Minister consider declaring 19 more areas industrial promotion zones to accommodate 1.3 trillion baht in projected investment; it is also to present plans for 168 infrastructure development projects within the EEC.
— NNT

Thailand recommends daily minimum wage hikes up to 7 percent
Thailand’s Central Wage Committee has recommended that the daily minimum wage be increased by 7 percent to 330 baht ($10.33) in its two most industrialised provinces, Chonburi and Rayong.
— Reuters

BOT to establish new Market Conduct regulations within the next couple of weeks
The Bank of Thailand will soon establish a new Market Conduct regulations to regulate the management of savings, credit & debit cards and personal & real estate loans of financial institutions, in order to maximize customer benefits.
— NNT

Deferred MP election bill could delay poll
FEARS OF A delay in the promised election have risen following a reported attempt by the committee vetting the draft bill on MP election to stay its enforcement until 90 days after promulgation.
— The Nation (annoying popups)

Energy Minister: No plan to cut down PTT, EGAT roles
The Energy Minister, Siri Jirapongphan, said the government has no plans to weaken the roles of PTT and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), both of which positioned to help enhance national energy security.
— NNT

PTT unveils Bt1.54 tn war chest
PTT GROUP will spend Bt1.54 trillion from 2018-22 under an ambitious programme to boost its production capacity, move into new businesses and pursue mergers and acquisitions.
— The Nation

That was 2017. This is 2018. Thai Economy
Rising overseas demand for goods and services pushed Thailand’s GDP towards five-year highs in 2017, with business-friendly fiscal policies and planned spending on infrastructure expected to support further expansion in 2018.
— Phuket Gazette

13m need training for economic upgrade, experts say
THAILAND NEEDS to turn 13 million people into skilled workers in order to upgrade the economy and escape the middle-income trap, said local and international economists.
— The Nation

Education Ministry to get tough on corruption
The Ministry of Education is poised to sign on to cooperate with the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to perform graft checks in tandem with disciplinary evaluations.
— NNT

NBTC expands auction to nine blocks
The telecom regulator says it will triple the number of bandwidth slots for the planned auction of the 1800-megahertz spectrum to nine blocks to attract bids from more companies.
— Bangkok Post

DPM Prawit denies claims of Thailand’s being hub of fake passports
A deputy prime minister in charge of security has denied claims that Thailand is being the production hub of fake passports.
— News Today (video)

SCB to help steer Sasin into digital future
Siam Commercial Bank has signed a memorandum of cooperation with Chulalongkorn University’s Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration regarding integrated learning and development of the digital platform-based ecosystem in educational institutions.
— The Nation

Private-run bus service launched with 5-day free trial run
The first private-run bus service between Bang Phli district of Samut Prakan and Ramathibodi hospital in Bangkok’s Ratchathewi district was launched on Tuesday (Jan 16) for a five-day free trial run.
— Thai PBS

Govt to increase elderly schools to 2,600 in 3 years
The government is preparing to increase the number of elderly schools to more than 2,000 across the country in accordance with the 20-year national strategy.
— NNT

Thai Amata plans 15.5 bln baht investment in Vietnam
Thailand’s largest industrial estate operator Amata Corporation Pcl on Thursday said it will invest 15.5 billion baht ($485.59 million) in Vietnam to develop smart industrial estates.
— Reuters

Digital Minister explains national digital development at first MEET the PRESS
The Digital Economy and Society Minister, Pichet Durongkaveroj, elaborated the plan to implement digital technology for national development in the first MEET the PRESS event hosted by the government.
— NNT

Phramongkutklao hospital’s bomber given an addition of 78 years’ jailterm
An ex-engineer who was earlier sentenced to 26 years’ imprisonment for planting a home-made bomb at a dispensary waiting room of Phramongkutklao Hospital last year was on Wednesday (Jan 17) found guilty in three more bombing cases and given 78 years and 30 months’ jailterm.
— Thai PBS

Sex-toy scene film shoot on Khao San halted
Bangkok police have taken legal action against a Pattaya-based film company for putting up a stall selling sex toys for filming purposes on Khao San Road, following complaints from local businesses.
— Bangkok Post

Thai Siam Commercial Bank profit misses expectations
Thailand’s second largest lender by assets, Siam Commercial Bank (SCB), reported a net profit of 43.1 billion baht ($1.35 billion) for its 2017 fiscal year on Thursday, down 9.4 percent from 47.5 billion baht in 2016.
— Reuters

NSB chief: More rogue cops directed drug traffic
The Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB) is digging deeper into a drug-trafficking scandal that allegedly points directly to a highway police officer.
— Bangkok Post

Land in forest zones allocated for poor people in Mae Hong Son
The government is preparing to allocate more than 11,000 Rai of land for poor people in the form of cooperatives in six forest zones in Mae Hong Son province.
— News Today (video)

Thai Government launches ‘Smart Visa’ program
The Government has introduced the ‘Smart Visa’, giving privileges to foreigners working or investing in Thailand, in order to attract more skillful individuals from abroad who can contribute to the Kingdom.
— News Today (video)

TAT launched TTF 2018, promotes domestic tourism
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) YESTERDAY has launched the 38th Thailand Tourism Festival (TTF), which encourages people to visit local destinations.
— News Today (video)

 

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.

 

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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.

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