40 provinces face heavy rain from Typhoon Mangkhut
Forty provinces have been warned to brace for heavy rain and possibly very heavy rain today and the next few days as an indirect effect from super Typhoon Mangkhut which hit the Philippines this morning.
— Thai PBS World
THAI to deploy larger planes to HK for stranded passengers
Thai Airways International will use larger aircraft to transport its passengers affected by flight cancellations in Hong Kong as Typhoon Mangkhut ripped through the city.
— Bangkok Post
Thailand in need of 53,000 in fishing industry
The government considers labor shortages in the fishery sector an urgent issue and is serious about easing this problem, as Thailand is one of the top exporters of fishery products in the world.
— News Today (video)
ToR for slate of transport projects set for fast track
With poll countdowns starting, the government has vowed to rev up approving terms of reference (ToR) for the planned infrastructure projects worth 300-400 billion baht within four months.
— Bangkok Post
More rain between Sept 17 and 19
The northern and northeastern regions can expect more rain between September 17th and 19th.
— NNT
Southeast Asian cyber-security center opens in Thailand
A cyber-security center opened in Thailand on Friday to train personnel from countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to help combat cyber threats in the attack-prone region.
— ABS-CBN News
Avalanche of bills seeking NLA approval
The Finance Ministry is pushing about 80 bills, including those involved with imposing taxes on digital platform operators and the land and buildings tax, to lawmakers for passage before next year’s general election.
— Bangkok Post
Suvarnabhumi Airport introduces self-service immigration kiosks
Hong Kong travelers can now pass through customs faster at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, using newly-introduced self-service immigration kiosks.
— NNT
Copyright owners to get piracy relief
The Intellectual Property Department (IPD) is seeking to amend the Copyright Act to allow copyright owners to remove pirated content from websites without having to go through time-consuming court proceedings.
— Bangkok Post
Thai police arrest Malaysian woman in connection with human trafficking syndicate
A 35-year-old Malaysian woman was arrested by the Thai police in Sungai Golok, near Kelantan, in connection with a transborder human trafficking syndicate.
— Yahoo News/ Bernama
Call for revamp of new motorway blueprint
The Ministry of Transport should revise the design of the elevated six-lane road on the Bangkok-Chon Buri motorway to reduce costs, construction time, pollution and land expropriation, an academic at King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL) says.
— Bangkok Post
NLA won’t accept new draft laws after issuance of election decree
The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) says it won’t accept new draft acts once the election decree has been issued.
— NNT
NCPO slams UN report calling Thailand ‘shameful’
Thailand was placed on the list of 38 “shameful” countries in a report issued by the United Nations assistant secretary-general for human rights because of irrelevant information, National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) spokeman Col Winthai Suwaree said on Sunday.
— Bangkok Post
Four years is all we have
HUMANITY HAS only about four years left to stabilise global temperatures and save the world from environmental catastrophe stemming from extreme climate change, scientists have warned.
— The Nation
Thailand benefited from products with geographical indications
Revenue from products with geographical indications (GI) of Thailand this year is projected to stand at 4 billion baht (about 123 million USD), said the country’s Ministry of Commerce.
— Vietnam Plus
More than 20 sea turtles killed by debris
Big piles of garbage floating in the sea have become a killing zone for 23 sea turtles, which were found dead or nearly dead on two beaches in Phuket and Phangnga provinces over the past two months, according to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.
— Bangkok Post
Lampang hill tribes receive farming equipment
Lampang province has given farm and construction equipment to ethnic communities, allowing them to have more sustainable jobs and income.
— NNT
Nigerian students for 2018 World Robot Olympiad
Some Nigerian students are set to represent the country at the 2108 World Robot Olympiad in Thailand after coming out tops at the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) Nigeria held in Lagos.
— Pulse.ng
Five key themes for investors in the upcoming years
Angry societies, infrastructure, technology, silver economy and millennial values will be the five key investment themes for investors in the upcoming years, said Pornchai Prasertsintanah, Thailand’s country manager and head of South Asia Equities of Credit Suisse Securities (Thailand) Ltd.
— The Nation
Fishing for new workers
The Labour Ministry’s recent move to recruit additional migrant workers through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) system is a boost for the commercial fishing sector, which has suffered from a labour shortage.
— Bangkok Post
REPORT: Family clinics inject hope for stressed public health system
IT’S COMMON enough when seeking outpatient services at large public hospitals to arrive at 5am for a queue token for an appointment to see a doctor sometime around 2pm.
— The Nation
Government continues debt settlement program
The government is committed to helping the low-income earners especially those in the agricultural sector get out of debt.
— News Today (video)
Mixed reactions to Digital ID draft law
CYBER EXPERTS are weighing the pros and cons of a draft law about digital identification that will allow government agencies to collect citizens’ digital ID.
— The Nation
Thailand: Election Countdown Begins
Thailand’s military junta should immediately lift restrictions on civil and political rights so that upcoming national elections can be free and fair, Human Rights Watch said today.
— Human Rights Watch
Thai parties cleared to ‘organise’ but still no gatherings allowed
Thailand’s leader on Friday relaxed the ban on political activities, paving the way for the general election tentatively set for next February.
— South China Morning Post
BOI approves 160 billion baht in investment
The Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) has approved 160 billion baht’s worth of investment with 150 billion baht going to Thai Oil Plc in support of its aspirations to create a transport hub and aviation city.
— Pattaya Mail
Thai Designer Adds Spice to NY Fashion Week
When Thunyatorn “Cheng” Ng speaks about Thai fashion and style, she tears up.
— VOA News
Royal Turf Club of Thailand closes for good
Curtain was finally down today for the Royal Turf Club of Thailand, commonly known as the Nang Loeng racecourse, after 102 years in service as a venue of horse racing and legal betting since it was opened by then King Vajiravudh on December 18, 1916.
— Thai PBS World
Young elephant electrocuted in Thailand
A young male elephant was electrocuted in Thailand after stumbling into a drain and crashing into a restaurant sign, police said Saturday (Sep 15).
— Channel NewsAsia
US says Thai company helped blacklisted Iran airline
The U.S. government on Friday imposed sanctions on a Thailand-based company it says provides services to an Iranian airline that Washington accuses of supporting terrorist activities directed by Iran’s government.
— ABC News
Roadmap to digital society in the work
The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society is drawing up a road map towards creating a “paperless and cashless society” in line with government policy.
— The Nation
Government offices doing away with the need for ID photocopies
Officials have announced that in keeping with the Thailand 4.0 agenda and national development strategies, photocopies of identification cards and home registrations will no longer be needed when engaging with state offices.
— Pattaya Mail
Over 20 sea turtles dying off Phuket and Phang-Nga in two months
One of Thailand’s best known marine biologists is alerting us about the carnage for Phuket’s turtle population over the past two months.
— The Thaiger
Yasothon promotes The Toomka Lantern Festival
Yasothon province is promoting the Toomka Lantern Festival, which is the only one in Thailand to celebrate the end of Buddhist Lent. The festival will be held on 19 – 24 October 2018.
— Pattaya Mail
Coral reefs: divers volunteer as ‘gardeners’ to restore dying corals in Thailand
In contrast to many of Thailand’s most popular islands, Koh Ha’s charms lie exclusively beneath the water.
— South China Morning Post
Retailers urged to gain consumer insights via technology
Retailers need to create more value for consumers by using the proper equipment, data and technology, according to Will Yunfei Wu, project manager for RetailEX Asean, the largest annual international trade exhibition and conference in Southeast Asia.
— The Nation
Feature photo The Road Less Travelled
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.
John Le Fevre
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.
Latest posts by John Le Fevre (see all)
- COVID-19 in Asean: update for July 26 — 16 mln case barrier breached, Vietnam records community transmission – July 26, 2020
- COVID-19 in Asean: update for July 25 — new high for daily infections, 16 mln infection barrier to break today – July 25, 2020
- COVID-19 in Asean: update for July 24 — Asean tops 230,000 cases, nudges 90,000 active – July 24, 2020
- Thailand morning news for July 24 – July 24, 2020