Thailand Morning News For June 4

South Korea to boost investment in Thailand
In line with its Thailand 4.0 goals, the Land of Smiles has been on an active lookout for foreign investors willing to finance projects under this initiative. South Korea, recently expressed keen interest in doing so at a recent seminar celebrating 60 years of South Korea-Thailand diplomatic relations.
— The Asean Post

TMB Analytics raises economic forecast following positive factors
TMB Analytics has raised this year’s economic forecast following a number of positive factors.
— NNT

Construction of Thai-Chinese high-speed rail to start fully next year: Thai official
The construction of a Thai-Chinese high-speed rail between Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima in northeastern Thailand is expected to get fully started early next year, following biddings later this year, said Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith on Friday.
— Xinhuanet

Still room to spend after populist cap
Some 10% of this year’s budget is still available for the government to spend on populist policies after the Fiscal Policy Committee, chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, capped payment liabilities incurred from pork barrel spending at 30% of
— Bangkok Post

Revenue Department set to become Digital RD in 2020
The Revenue Department (RD) is preparing to apply new technologies to its operations, in a move to become a digital organization within the next two years.
— News Today (video)

Housing and person loans up, reflecting consumer confidence
BANKS’ HOUSING and personal loans set high growth on consumer confidence for the first four months of this year, while Bank of Ayudhya’s loan growth target is set at 8 per cent and Krungthai bank’s loan growth estimate is targeted at 6-7 per cent.
— The Nation

Carnage: An analysis of Thailand’s road safety
Every 22 minutes, a human being dies on Thailand’s roads. At 24,000 deaths a year — the equivalent of a small city — traffic ends more lives prematurely in this country than strokes, Aids, any single kind of cancer, pneumonia, or diabetes.
— Bangkok Post

Thailand pledges stronger agricultural assistance
Thailand on Thursday pledged to assist Cambodia in identifying and delimiting high potential agricultural land in the Kingdom, further strengthening cooperation in the sector between the two Asean neighbours.
— Khmer Times

Government slammed over satellite proposal
Political activist Srisuwan Janya launched a public campaign Sunday against the Defence Ministry’s new satellite project, accusing the government of attempting to incur up to 91.2 billion in public debt to fund the satellite procurement project.
— Bangkok Post

PM Prayut admires Asia’s first automobile testing center establishment in EEC
The Prime Minister, Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha, has praised the establishment of the national automobile and tyre testing center, the first of its kind in Asia.
— NNT

Suthep breaks his promise, returns to active politics
VETERAN politician Suthep Thaugsuban, whose street protests against the Yingluck Shinawatra government paved the way for the 2014 coup, yesterday did a dramatic U-turn, breaking his famous vow to never return to politics.
— The Nation

Acing the logistics of e-commerce
Increasing e-commerce transactions driven by rapidly changing consumer behaviour combined with the entry of giant e-commerce platforms through local partnerships has intensified competition among logistics and parcel delivery services, challenging existing players in the domestic market.
— Bangkok Post

Sex stings ‘breach women’s rights’
Crackdowns on human trafficking are welcomed but stings on sex workers should be made illegal because they violate human rights, sex work advocates say.
— Bangkok Post

Solution to plastic waste lies in burning it for energy, says ministry
AUTHORITIES are leaning towards burning plastic waste and getting industry involved in choosing policies as they seek to improve the management system for the persistent pollutant that fouls both land and water environments.
— The Nation

Phuket airport renovation project completed
Phuket International Airport General Manager Petch Chancharoen took local press members on tour to an upgraded domestic terminal as part of an airport renovation project.
— News Today (video)

BMW to push PHEVs in Thailand
BMW Thailand is placing high hopes on electric cars, seeing a promising outlook amid a growing market globally as well as locally.
— The Nation

Tech talent a worry as start-ups change gear
Tech start-ups should gear themselves to advanced and deep tech if they want to have a long-term social impact, according to industry watchers.
— The Nation

Pattaya City officials cracks down on Street Food Carts
Pattaya City Officials are declaring war on street carts in areas where they are restricted.
— The Pattaya News

Feature photo John Le Fevre

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 June 4 added by John Le Fevre on June 4, 2018
View all posts by John Le Fevre →

Bio
Latest Posts

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.