Thailand morning news for October 4

Thailand morning news for October 4
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Thailand morning newsThailand will stick to 2019 date for general election, deputy PM says
There will be no delays to a general election planned in Thailand for 2019, the deputy prime minister said on Wednesday, amid the concerns of government critics and the opposition that it could be pushed back.
— Reuters

Analysts say strong baht reflection of nation’s good economic performance
A Bloomberg report has indicated the Thai baht has become the strongest currency among 12 Asian countries and the second strongest among emerging markets behind only Mexico.
— News Today (video)

Education Ministry ‘cleaning up own nest’ with 50 graft cases
Heads are finally set to roll at the Ministry of Education as the cabinet has decided to transfer three senior officials amid a probe into alleged malfeasance in relation to the construction of an aquarium and marine research centre in southern Songkhla province.
— Bangkok Post

50% drop in Chinese tour groups arriving in Phuket
The number of Chinese tour groups arriving in Phuket is down by half over safety worries and serious efforts are needed to restore confidence and bring them back, the Phuket Tourism Association has warned.
— Bangkok Post

Dengue Outbreak in Thailand Expands 19% in One Month
Thailand’s ongoing Dengue virus outbreak has now been confirmed in 39,268 cases, from 77 provinces during 2018.
— Precision Vaccinations

PM Prayut invites public to join activities in remembrance of the late beloved monarch
The Prime Minister, Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha, is inviting all sectors, including the general public residing in and outside Thailand, to remember the benevolence of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej by organizing religious rites and activities to mark His Majesty’s passing on October 13th, in accordance with guidelines that have been adopted since 2017.
— NNT

Thailand disturbed by sharp decline in Chinese tourists, turned off by series of unfortunate events
Chinese tourist arrivals in Thailand are tumbling, dragging down overall visitor growth in the Southeast Asian nation and dimming the outlook for an economy that relies on spending by holidaymakers.
— South China Morning Post

NLA to deliberate all six provincial election laws on Thursday
The National Legislative Assembly is scheduled to deliberate all draft laws related to provincial and local elections on Thursday.
— NNT

Call for further power plants
Business operators have high expectations that the country’s energy policymakers will soon open licence granting for waste-to-energy power plants with a combined capacity of 300 megawatts.
— Bangkok Post

Mixed reactions to Finance Ministry’s cigarette tax hike proposal
The Finance Ministry’s plan to seek the Cabinet’s approval on a new rise in excise taxes that will result in the retail prices of cigarette being raised by 2 baht per pack has drawn mixed reactions.
— Thai PBS World

Offer VAT refunds in malls, says retail body
THE THAI Retailers Association (TRA) is to appeal to the Revenue Department to reconsider five locations it has proposed for value-added tax (VAT) refunds to foreign tourists other than at airports, TRA president Worawut Oonjai said yesterday.
— The Nation

Hospitals close to collapse: official
PUBLIC HEALTH Ministry permanent secretary Dr Sukhum Kanchanapimai yesterday admitted that the country’s hospitals were overwhelmed, following an outspoken doctor’s comment that the condition was “close to collapse”.
— The Nation

Upstream dams a threat to tomatoes, farmers
THAILAND’S finest tomato production areas along Mekong River in the northeastern region have suffered serious impacts from dams in the lower Mekong River Basin, causing financial distress for the local farmers and threatening their livelihoods.
— The Nation

Thailand’s stateless people struggle as legal nobodies
When Noknoi attended high school in northern Thailand, she dreaded roll-call every morning, when the teacher would call her first name and then say “nahm somut”, or “made up name” – the standard suffix for stateless children.
— South China Morning Post

New Commando Unit to Monitor ‘Threats’ to Monarchy
The government on Monday announced the formation of a new police force tasked with protecting the monarchy.
— Khaosod English

Thailand to give Indonesia five million baht in relief aid
The Thai government will give Indonesia a sum of five million baht in initial relief aid in the wake of an earthquake and tsunami in that country.
— News Today (video)

Interpol red-list Russian nabbed in Pattaya
A Russian man, wanted on an Interpol red warrant, is now in custody after police caught up with him in Pattaya yesterday.
— The Nation

Min of Energy to ensure diesel remains under 30 baht per liter
The Ministry of Energy has confirmed it has implement measures to ensure diesel prices remain under 30 baht per liter.
— NNT

Thai banks put up fight against telcos in e-wallet war
Thai banks are not letting up without a fight against telcos and independent players in the country’s heating e-wallet war as they are poised to grow their market share from a little over 6.25% in 2016 to dominate half of the market by 2022, according to Morgan Stanley.
— Singapore Business Review

Connecting tourism with wisdom of the Thailand King
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Director of the Office of the Governor, Ms. Thapanee Kiatphaibool, has expressed thanks to 50 ambassadors from 28 countries for joining a variety of activities in 5 tourism routes of “The Project of Connecting Tourism with King’s Wisdom.”
— ETN

Transport Ministry demands clarification on Suvarnabhumi Airport Terminal 2 project
The Ministry of Transport has ordered Airports of Thailand (AOT) to clarify the Suvarnabhumi Airport Terminal 2 project.
— NNT

Closure of Maya Bay in Krabi to visitors extended indefinitely
The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has extended the closure of Thailand’s famous Maya Bay in Krabi province to visitors indefinitely to allow the damaged marine ecosystem to fully recover.
— News Today (video)

Maya Bay closure draws ire from tour firms
The closure of the world-class tourist site, Maya Bay in Krabi, to visitors was extended indefinitely to allow the damaged marine ecosystem to fully recover, drawing immediate protests from tour operators.
—- Bangkok Post

Missing Key Blamed for Flood in Northern Bangkok
Parts of northern Bangkok were left flooded for several hours because city staff couldn’t find the key to a waterpump, Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang said Tuesday.
— Khaosod English

China ‘okay’ about fracas at airport
Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon denied the Chinese government has issued a warning to its citizens against visiting Thailand following an airport security guard’s alleged assault on a Chinese tourist.
— Bangkok Post

Grand tourism plans for EEC
Thailand has devised a tourism development plan for the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) with a five-year public and private budget of about Bt200 billion.
— The Nation

Retailers object to VAT refund locations
The Thai Retailers Association and participating retailers are preparing to file a court appeal on the location of VAT refund counters, on the grounds that they are not conveniently situated for tourists.
— NNT

AoT defends move to build new terminal
The Transport Ministry has announced Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) has “nothing to prove” in the construction of Suvarnabhumi airport’s planned second passenger terminal, following criticism from engineers and architects citing the authority has deviated from the airport’s original master plan.
— Bangkok Post

Crime victims club lodges complaint against lawyer Sittha over ‘bribe’
THE HELP Crime Victims Club yesterday lodged a complaint with police against a high-profile lawyer for allegedly demanding Bt500,000 from a couple as a bribe.
— The Nation

MOU signed to promote local stores
Five governmental units have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the promotion of family-run stores. The agreement will implement online technology to manage operating costs and inventory, and sharpen their competitive edge, in line with the administration’s Thailand 4.0 initiative.
— NNT

Many people visit Buriram to see Moto GP
Charter flights have landed in Buriram carrying visitors and racers to Moto GP 2018, which is expected to generate some 600 million baht to the northeastern province.
— News Today (video)

FDA seizes ฿30m worth of illegal weight-loss products, food supplements
A large amount of weight-loss products and food supplements containing the banned additive, sibutramine, have been seized during raids on four premises in Bangkok and neighboring provinces on Wednesday (Oct 3).
— NNT

IT conference to held at Impact
Impact Exhibition Management Co, Ltd and Deutsche Messe AG (DMAG), organiser of trade technology and digital exhibitions, are jointly presenting the first Cebit Asean this month in Bangkok.
— The Nation

Cleantech Solar to power Thailand’s largest, leading wine company, Siam Winery, with Solar Energy
Cleantech Solar, the regional leader in solar energy solutions for corporate customers in Asia, enters into a 20-year rooftop solar Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Siam Winery to deploy a 1 MWp on-site rooftop solar system.
— PV-Magazine

ONWR says rainy season coming to an end despite reports of flooding
The assessment of the National Water Resources (ONWR) office, is that rainfall is now easing in the country, and that close management of Bhumibol and Sirikit dams is needed to ensure that water supplies last through the dry season.
— NNT

ThaiBev restructures to power Asean beer push
THAI Beverage Plc (ThaiBev), Thailand’s biggest beverage producer, yesterday announced a major strategic reshuffle of executives under a revamped management structure that will back the company’s growth ambitions for its beer business in the Asean region.
— The Nation

Police Commission holds extraordinary meeting to reassign high level posts
The National Police Commission has held an extraordinary meeting to appoint high ranking officers to fill posts left by those participating in an early-retirement program.
— NNT

Transport Ministry plans to build new airport in Satun
The Department of Airports reported that the Ministry of Transport is planning to develop a new airport in the southern province Satun, with the feasibility study to be completed in September next year.
— NNT

Counter Service picked provider
The Revenue Department of Finance Ministry has selected Counter Service Co Ltd as the provider of VAT refund service for foreign tourists, from three firms applying for the service, the department’s deputy spokesperson Pinsai Surassavadi said yesterday.
— The Nation

Cabinet approves tax incentives for establishment Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Thailand
Nattaporn Jatusripitak, an adviser to the Office of the Prime Minister, said the cabinet yesterday (Oct 2) approved tax incentives for the establishment of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Thailand, thanks to the strong trade growth between both sides.
— NNT

Tesco shares slump as poor results in Thailand and Poland affect UK business
Weak trading in Thailand and Poland took the shine off accelerating sales growth in Tesco’s main UK business, with shares in Britain’s biggest retailer falling sharply after it missed first-half profit forecasts.
— BusinessDay

 

Feature photo mattmangum

This week’s Thailand morning news feature photo acknowledges World Habitat Day, October 1.

 

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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