Thailand Morning News For May 14

Thailand Morning News For May 14
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Thailand morning newsThai junta’s slow investment spending could drag on growth
Erratic delivery of public investment has left Thailand plodding behind faster-growing Southeast Asian economies, yet regulations introduced by the military-led government have made it even harder for state agencies to spend this year.
— Reuters

Thai activists drop protests, vow to resume if deal with junta fails
A Thai anti-government movement vowed on Sunday to resume its protests unless the ruling junta keeps the promises it made in return for the group agreeing to end more than a week of demonstrations ahead of a coup anniversary later this month.
— Reuters

First digital bank branch launched
Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD) launched BIBD NEXGEN, its new digital banking concept, at The Mall, Gadong.
— The Nation

Cryptocurrency law takes effect
The royal decree to regulate digital asset-related transactions came into force on Sunday after it was published in the Royal Gazette.
— Bangkok Post

CIMBT forecasts weaker baht in Q2
CIMB Bank Thai (CIMBT) forecasts a weaker baht this quarter, weighed down by persistent foreign capital outflows following US policy rate hikes.
— Bangkok Post

PM calls for urgent reform in five sectors
Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has called for the implementation of five reform imperatives which he expects will produce concrete results in the next eight months.
— NNT

Prayut tops people’s choices for prime minister: Poll
Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha is the most popular choice for the post of prime minister under the current election law, followed by Khunying Sudarat Keyurapan of the Pheu Thai Party, according to an opinion survey by the National Institute of Development Administration or Nida Poll.
— Bangkok Post

Thailand to host APA next year
A subcommittee of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) convened a meeting recently to prepare related agencies for the hosting of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA) next year.
— NNT

Party-Hard Thailand Is Going After Rehab Tourists
Thailand, a tropical paradise known as a place to let loose, these days is starting to get another reputation: as a low-cost option for foreigners looking to dry out.
— Bloomberg

GSB targets B10bn more in loans to bolster SME finances
The state-owned Government Savings Bank (GSB) aims to extend a further 10 billion baht worth of loans to small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) startups this year to broaden their access to financing.
— Bangkok Post

Who’s scared of Alibaba?
Arrival of e-commerce giant will intensify competition thus sharpening the industry and leading to increased investment, say Thai logistics leaders.
— The Nation

Tourism Authority of Thailand wins ‘Best Wedding Destination’ award
Thailand recently won a ‘Best Wedding Destination’ award from India-based Wonderlust Magazine, an accolade that celebrates the achievements of the people and enterprises making a difference in their respective sectors.
— IOL

Rise of the robots, at last
It’s been almost a lifetime wait for robotics guru Djitt Laowattana, but automation and robotics systems are beginning to reshape the country.
— Bangkok Post

Siemens plans high efficiency power
GERMAN technology powerhouse Siemens, which has been involved in power generation in the Thai market for nearly 40 years, sees high-efficiency power plants as the trend for the country’s energy sector, which could lower electricity price and also be environmentally friendly.
— The Nation

Rail expansion, modern lifestyle boost strengths of condo market in Bangkok
Given the attributes of the rail expansion and the lifestyle of modern people who increasingly desire convenience that in 2017, there were 62,751 new units entering the market, an increase from the previous year of 19 per cent, according to a report by Knight Frank Thailand Research,
— The Nation

Thousands deported from Thailand in April
Thai authorities deported thousands of illegal Cambodian migrant workers through the Poipet International Border Checkpoint last month in Banteay Meanchey province.
— Khmer Times

Hua Hin condo owners fined for short-term rentals
HUA HIN, Prachuap Khiri Khan: The Hua Hin Provincial Court has ordered owners of two luxury condominiums in Hua Hin resort district to pay fines worth nearly 30,000 baht for leasing their residential units on an illegal short-term basis to Thai and foreign tourists.
— Bangkok Post

Thailand set to debate Medical Marijuana
A draft narcotics code drawn up by the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) which will permit medical research on the effects of cannabis on humans will be put before the Cabinet next week.
— The Pattaya News

Thailand to cut sugar exports in 2018
Thailand, the world’s second biggest sugar exporter after Brazil, has decided to cut its exports of raw sugar by at least 500,000 tonnes this year, as a swelling global surplus has led to sharp falling prices.
— VietnamPlus/ VNA

Israeli Fabrics Company Avgol Sold for $314 Million to Thailand’s Indorama Ventures
Control of Israel’s Avgol is being sold at a generous 1.7 billion shekels ($480 million) valuation to the Thai industrial group Indorama Ventures, the companies said on Sunday, sending the shares sharply higher.
— Haaretz (annoying popups)

International balloon fest underway in Hatyai
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and Hat Yai City Municipality are jointly holding an International Balloon Festival in Hatyai featuring hot air balloons from different countries at Chira Nakhon Stadium in Hat Yai district of Songkhla province.
— NNT

Gun Violence In Thailand:- A Problem That Can’t Be Solved?
When Sunantha Ratchawat was hit, her body went numb. It was dark inside the bar, popular with young Thais drinking and dancing and on this night, it was crowded. Music – American hip hop – was blasting through the venue’s speakers.
— Khon Kaen Times

Pilots warn of weak taxiways at Bangkok’s busy airport
A pilots’ organization is warning that soft ground conditions at Bangkok’s main international airport, a major regional hub, can cause its taxiways and aircraft parking positions to buckle or otherwise fail.
— Pattaya Mail

Fire and rain: Thais launch home-made rockets to welcome monsoons
Huge home-made rockets tore through the clouds Sunday as folk bands played for crowds at a rollicking festival in rural Thailand aimed at encouraging the beginning of the monsoon season.
— Coconuts Bangkok

 

Feature photo Asian Development Bank

 

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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