Thailand morning news for November 27

Border & cross border trade to fall just shy of 1.5 trillion baht target
Thailand’s border and cross border trade during the first 10 months of this year exceeded 1 trillion baht, but the Department of Foreign Trade (DFT) still believes it will fall short of the 1.5 trillion baht target for the year.
— NNT

TMB: Exports to weaken
Next year Thailand’s economic growth and exports are anticipated to be below this year’s rates, mainly because of heightening external risks, says TMB Analytics, a research unit of TMB Bank.
— Bangkok Post

THAI expects Cabinet nod next month for purchase of new aircraft
SUMETH Damrongchaitham, president of Thai Airways International, said he expects the Cabinet to approve the airline’s proposal to purchase new aircraft by next month.
— The Nation

Agribusiness slow to adopt tech, far from 4.0
Only 3% of the agricultural and food processing industry is considered part of the digitally-focused 4.0 era, despite being a crucial component of the economy and employing 15 million people, according to the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC).
— Bangkok Post

New Year package for SMEs
The Industry Ministry has committed to issuing a New Year’s package for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups in December.
— Bangkok Post

Dispirited atmosphere reported at application sites for Senators
A dispirited atmosphere was reported today at application sites for independent and organization-nominated Senators.
— NNT

Prosecutor confident of conviction as Premchai poaching case hearing resumes
THE PUBLIC prosecutor’s office is confident that corporate chief Premchai Karnasuta and his alleged accomplices will be found guilty in the black panther poaching case, as the Thong Pha Phum Provincial Court begins examining the evidence and witnesses today after weeks of delays.
— The Nation (annoying popups)

Fishing sector calls on Govt to provide more support
Operators in the fishing sector have called on the government to provide more support, and protection of Thai laborers.
— NNT

Drunken Aussie tourist admits he wasn’t robbed at gun point in Phuket
An Australian tourist, who had claimed he was robbed at gunpoint after being dropped off by a taxi, finally admitted that he was drunk and lost his belongings.
— The Thaiger

Cargill investing $70m in local output
US agricultural processor Cargill has announced investment of US$70 million (2.31 billion baht) in Thailand to expand production in Nakhon Ratchasima, Samut Songkhram and Phetchaburi provinces.
— Bangkok Post

Disabled Commuters Sue Bangkok’s MRT For 16.8M Baht
Four years after they won a historic case against the BTS Skytrain, a network of commuters with disabilities said they will file a lawsuit Tuesday over inaccessibility on Bangkok’s MRT subway system.
— Khaosod English

Government’s solutions to informal debt offer a new start
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Gen. Prawit Wongsuwon has instructed government units to assist informal debtors as a matter of urgency. Meanwhile, the government has vowed to continue to tackle the problem of informal debt after good progress was made recently.
— News Today (video)

Treasury Department’s land scheme ready in a few years
The Treasury Department’s land development scheme worth 70 billion baht will be ready for investment within the next 1-2 years, says director-general Amnuay Preemonwong.
— Bangkok Post

Wissanu says December-7 meeting will clear up political uncertainty
Uncertainty about the election date and when exactly political restrictions will be lifted to allow parties to engage fully in political activities will be cleared up at a meeting scheduled for December 7 between political parties and the so-called “Five Rivers” that include the government and the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).
— Thai PBS World

Two Chinese men, two Thai women arrested in complex credit card scam
Two Thai women and two Chinese men have been arrested for allegedly using people’s credit card data to make false purchases worth Bt23 million.
— The Nation (annoying popups)

Street vendor rules ‘hurting tourism’
City Hall’s efforts to regulate the use of pavements is damaging one of Thailand’s biggest tourism draws, an expert at Chulalongkorn University’s Urban Design and Development Centre (UCDC) has warned.
— Bangkok Post

CUPT launches website to help students plan higher education
The Council of University Presidents of Thailand (CUPT) has launched a new website, mytcas.com, to help senior high school students due to take the Thai University Central Admission System (TCAS) examination in 2019.
— NNT

Public, private sectors must do more to support rising number of Thai seniors, says Thonburi Healthcare chief
Thailand is one of the countries with the fastest rates of ageing-citizen growth in Asia – reportedly second only to China – while the public and private sectors’ preparations to support the rising number of seniors are not yet sufficient, Thonburi Healthcare Group chairman Dr Boon Vanasin said earlier this month.
— The Nation (annoying popups)

Junta ponders executive decree to resolve marijuana deadlock
The National Council for Peace and Order is mulling invoking Article 44 of the interim Constitution to resolve the problem over marijuana patents, said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in his capacity as the council chairman.
— Thai PBS World

Phuket’s Crab Bank turned into seafood processing learning center
Ban Tha Chat Thai Crab Bank in Phuket has been upgraded as a learning center for seafood processing, creating more jobs for local villagers.
— NNT

Debt moratorium for millions of villagers waiting Cabinet approval
The National Village and Urban Community Fund Office will soon ask the Cabinet to approve a three-year debt moratorium for members of the Village Fund, a government source said on Sunday.
— The Nation

TAT continues to promote second-tier cities in 2019
Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) reported that tourists have continued to visit the 55 second-tier provinces, and the TAT will continue to promote these destinations next year.
— NNT

UTCC and SME Bank discuss how businesses can adopt 4.0 technologies
The University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC) and SME Development Bank have begun discussing ways in which more businesses could adopt 4.0 technologies.
— NNT

Social Development Ministry kicks off campaign against domestic violence
The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security has launched a caravan against violence towards children, women and family members, kicking off a call to no longer tolerate, ignore or engage in violence after statistics placed Thailand among the world’s top ten for domestic violence.
— News Today (video)

ACIEC 2018 returned
The ASEAN (Bangkok) China Import & Export Commodities Fair (ACIEC 2018) returns to Impact Muang Thong Thani for its eighth edition from November 16 to 18.
— The Nation

Improvements to university entrance system to go live on Dec 1
The Council of University Presidents of Thailand (CUPT) has unveiled improvements to the Thai University Central Admission System (TCAS), which will go live on December 1st.
— NNT

Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister continues to promote use of rubber in public agencies
The Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister, Krissada Boonyarat, has continued to promote the use of rubber in government agencies to help tackle low rubber prices
— NNT

MOAC to hold Word Soil Day in honor of late King
The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC) plans to hold World Soil Day across the country in honor of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, viewed as soil scientist.
— NNT

Feature photo John Le Fevre

This week’s Thailand morning news feature photo acknowledges International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, December 2

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 November 27 added by John Le Fevre on November 27, 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.