Thailand morning news for November 5

Thailand morning news for November 5
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Thailand morning newsWHO approves Thailand’s anti-HIV Efavirenz
The World Health Organization (WHO) has certified Thailand’s anti-HIV drug Efavirenz developed by the Government Pharmaceutical Organization.
— Thai PBS

Building a blockchain hub in Thailand
Though countries in Asia Pacific are racing to build their own cryptocurrency hubs — Jeju Island in South Korea or Cagayan in the Philippines are among them — they are arguably playing catch-up: Thailand has one of the most prosperous cryptocurrency ecosystems in the region, thanks in large part to the government.
— Bangkok Post

Tourism revenue next year may drop by 50 billion baht as growth target missed
The Tourism Authority of Thailand’s projection of 11.5 percent growth in tourist arrivals next year may not be met, resulting in a revenue loss of about 50 billion baht unless Thailand can lure back more Chinese tourists.
— Thai PBS

PM praises young whistle-blower who exposed cheats in fund for destitute people
Prime Miniser Prayut Chan-o-cha has congratulated Ms Panida “Nong Bam” Yotpanya after she was admitted as a staff of the Office of the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission, according to government spokesman Putthipong Punnakan.
— Thai PBS

Girl dies of measles as outbreak spreads in deep South
PATTANI: A nine-month-old girl has died of measles, raising the death toll from the disease in the southern border provinces to more than a dozen.
— Bangkok Post (annoying pops)

NLA to deliberate draft law on government welfare next week
The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) is scheduled to convene two sittings in the coming week, with one matter set to be the deliberation of a draft law on government welfare.
— News Today (video)

Celebrities mourn Vichai at elaborate funeral
The funeral of King Power and Leicester City football club chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha was held on Saturday, with well-known figures mourning the duty-free mogul.
— Bangkok Post

Experts express scepticism over free and fair election
AS THE COUNTRY counts down towards the next general election, speakers at a panel discussion yesterday widely held the opinion that a free and fair national vote without the influence of the ruling junta seems unlikely.
— The Nation (annoying popups)

Leicester City owner’s Buddhist funeral starts in Thailand with royal honor
The funeral of Thai billionaire and Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, killed in a helicopter crash a week ago, got underway at a Bangkok temple on Saturday with a Buddhist bathing rite using water bestowed by the Thai King.
— Reuters

Cops take new tack as crime goes global
Tackling Thailand’s reputation as being a safe haven for transnational criminals, the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) has vowed to step up cooperation with its counterparts in other countries to track criminals fleeing to and from Thailand.
— Bangkok Post

Thailand Sets Stringent Benchmarking For Its MICE Venue Standard to Guarantee Quality and Safety
Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) and 17 partners are accelerating Thailand MICE Venue Standards (TMVS) certification to reach a target of 490 MICE venues by end of the year. Currently, there are 315 venues certified, while TCEB and its partners on the TMVS board will approve another 175 establishments by year-end to reach the target.
— AEC News Today/PR Newswire (media release)

HM to open Suvarnabhumi airport bike track
His Majesty the King will preside over the official opening of a 23.5-kilometre cycling lane at Suvarnabhumi airport on Nov 23, it was announced on the airport’s Facebook page.
— Bangkok Post

500,000 meth pills seized in Chiang Rai
Half a million methamphetamine pills were seized in an operation to intercept drugs being smuggled into the country across the border with Myanmar in Mae Fa Luang district of this northern border province early Sunday.
— Bangkok Post

900,000 speed pills, 3kg of crystal meth seized
Police seized 900,000 speed pills and 3kg of crystal methamphetamine and arrested two drug smugglers, one of whom was shot and wounded in a brief gunfire, in Muang district early Saturday.
— Bangkok Post

2018 Annual Session of Global Forum on Human Settlements Calls for Urban Innovation
The Global Forum on Human Settlements 2018 successfully convened as an observance of the World Cities Day 2018 between 30-31 October at UN Conference Center, Bangkok.
— AEC News Today/PR Newswire (media release)

Heavy rain in Narathiwat prompts warning
The meteorological office of this southern province has warned people to prepare for possible flash floods, landslides and river overflows after heavy rain during the past four days.
— Bangkok Post

Political restrictions likely to be lifted on November 26
The National Council for Peace and Order is expected to lift political restrictions in order to allow political parties to fully engage in political activities on November 26, according to an informed Government House source.
— Thai PBS

BOT says Q3 economy improves in most regions
The Bank of Thailand (BOT) reports Thailand’s economy has improved in most regions but the slowdown in the southern agricultural sector has affected private rates of consumption.
— NNT

Govt to provide harvesting machines, expects record high rice prices
The Commerce Ministry will help provide farmers with sufficient harvest machines at a reasonable cost in November-December to gather all rice crops in time.
— Bangkok Post

Army denies graft in helicopter purchases
Activist Srisuwan Janya has insisted he will petition the Office of the Auditor-General (OAG) today (Nov 2) to investigate the Royal Thai Army’s procurement of Italian-made helicopters at prices he believes were inflated.
— The Phuket News

Italian Muay Thai Boxer Dies Week After Bangkok KO
Christian Daghio, 49, lost consciousness and had been in a coma after he was knocked down in 12th round against Khondon Saithonggym, 36, for the WBC Asia Silver Heavyweight for under-175 pounds on Oct. 26 in Rangsit, Pathum Thani province.
— Khaosod English

Thailand’s English proficiency deteriorates
The new edition of EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI), a ranking compiled annually by Swedish education company EF Education First, revealed that English proficiency in Thailand is getting worse.
— Investine

Reform undertakings progressing as planned
A government-appointed committee on the mobilization and reform of public administration recently held its 9th meeting to brief members on the progress of reform undertakings.
— News Today (video)

Majority indifferent to ‘Prathet Ku Mee’: Nida Poll
A majority of people say they haven’t watched the video or heard the song “Prathet Ku Mee” (What My Country’s Got), and most who have say they are indifferent to it, according to an opinion survey by the National Institute for Development Administration, or Nida Poll.
— Bangkok Post

WHO recognizes anti-HIV drugs produced in Thailand
The Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) has led a group of press members to observe the production of anti-HIV drugs, Efavirenz, which has been verified by the World Health Organization (WHO).
— News Today (video)

Finding ways to beat farm debt
The farm sector has been a driving engine behind the country’s economic growth, but at the same time, debt among farmers keeps rising.
— Bangkok Post

Burmese Migrant Women at Risk in Thailand
It’s difficult in Thailand, but in Burma there is no opportunity either,” says Kaung Tip Kyio, a 23-year-old young woman who migrated from eastern Shan state to Thailand in 2014 to work as a cashier and attend school.
— The Diplomat (paywall)

Bookings Surge at Chiang Mai Hotels for Cool Season
Chiang Mai hotels are already 70 percent to 80 percent booked for the next four months, and Noppadol Jaripak of the provincial tourism industry council said the majority of those booking the 50,000 hotel and resort rooms are tourists from Europe and North America.
— Khaosod English

Two Chinese nabbed for stealing bags at Suvarnabhumi airport
Two Chinese tourists have been arrested at Suvarnabhumi international airport as they were leaving Thailand with luggage stolen from other passengers.
— NNT

National Library becomes key digital hub
A recent survey by the Thai Publishers and Booksellers Association found that 88% of Thais read and spend an average of 37 minutes a day reading.
— Bangkok Post

Thailand ranks 27th on ease of doing business report
According to the World Bank’s Doing Business 2019 report, Thailand ranks 27th among 190 economies in the Ease of Doing Business (EODB) ranking.
— News Today (video)

Yacht on fire in Phuket, all nine tourists rescued
A catamaran caught fire on Saturday evening at Ao Kung bay in Thalang district. All nine foreign passengers were rescued.
— Bangkok Post

Koreans held in Pattaya online gambling raid
Four South Korean men and a Thai woman were arrested in Pattaya on Friday evening for allegedly hosting online gambling.
— Bangkok Post

PETA campaign ends elephant polo
The Thailand Elephant Polo Association will not seek permission for a 2019 King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament according to a PETA report released Wednesday.
— TTR Weekly

Sontirat mulls CPTPP membership
Thailand is studying the pros and cons of joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) that is due to take effect on Dec 30, said the Commerce Ministry.
— Bangkok Post

UNICEF recognizes Sansiri as its first Selected Partner in Thailand
UNICEF has recognized property developer, Sansiri , as its first Selected Partner in Thailand and south east Asia as a result of its efforts to help promoting child rights for the past eight years.
— News Today (video)

Destruction for seized cars
The Customs Department plans to destroy seized luxury cars that have broken down to prevent importers who smuggled them from buying them back at cheap prices, says the department head.
— Bangkok Post

Refining tourism’s essentials
For the tourism and sports minister, the first priority is transforming Thailand’s tourist spots into higher-quality destinations.
— Bangkok Post

Utokapat Foundation sees improvement in water management
Utokapat Foundation Under the Royal Patronage of His Majesty the King is satisfied with the country’s improved water management system.
— News Today (video)

IFEC seeks endgame with Wichai
The board of directors of embattled Inter Far East Energy Corporation Plc (IFEC) has sent letters to IFEC’s six subsidiaries, aiming to set up a shareholder meeting within 30 days to make changes in the executive structure and authorised signatories.
— Bangkok Post

Jiangxi Tourism Promotion Event Held in Siam Square
On Nov. 3, 2018, the tourism promotion event sponsored by the Department of Culture and Tourism of Jiangxi with the theme of “One Hour Travel Around Jiangxi” was held in Siam Square, Thailand. Jiangxi is a famous tourism city in China.
— AEC News Today/PR Newswire (media release)

Rice farmers to flourish
Rice farmers are expected to enjoy higher rice prices in the 2018-19 harvest, thanks to robust import demand and the lack of huge state stockpiles.
— Bangkok Post

Distressed-asset manager plans B23bn IPO
Bangkok Commercial Asset Management Plc, the country’s biggest distressed asset manager, is planning an initial public offering that could raise at least 23 billion baht, people with knowledge of the matter said.
— Bangkok Post

Gaming takes over IT at Commart 2018
Gaming is dominating the IT market in the fourth quarter this year, with a 20% share of the total IT market and a large portion of the display at Commart Work 2018, a computer fair where all the major brands showcase their PCs.
— Bangkok Post

How a rap video could become the fault line of Thailand’s long-awaited elections
A music video that criticizes Thailand’s military government has become a big hit in the Southeast Asian nation, indicating that public frustration with more than four years of military rule is mounting ahead of upcoming nationwide elections.
— CNN

Refugees: collateral damage in Thailand’s illegal migrant crackdown
Fatima, 48, thought she would find safety in Thailand when she fled war-torn Syria almost six years ago.
— South China Morning Post

DKSH adds 3 brands in path to double size
DKSH Thailand Ltd, the market expansion service provider, plans to double the size of its luxury and lifestyle business in Thailand over the next two years.
— Bangkok Post

20 more AccorHotels for Thailand by 2020
The development is to cope with growing tourism in Thailand for both international and domestic markets.
— Bangkok Post

NPD suspends Kaeng Krachan road project
The National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department (NPD)has suspended a project to lay a concrete road inside the Kaeng Krachan National Park in Phetchaburi following strong opposition.
— NNT

The Dark Underworld of Thailand’s Foreign University Students
Thirty years ago, Thailand hosted very few international students. Today, the number has grown upwards of 30,000 when one counts all grades and short-term exchange students.
— The Phuket News

 

Feature photo John Le Fevre

This week’s Thailand morning news feature photo acknowledges World Science Day for Peace and Development, November 10.

 

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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