Thailand morning news for September 21

Governor admits Bangkok still faces flood risks
Bangkok still has to watch out for possible flooding while massive run-offs from upper Thailand are expected to pass the capital through Chao Phraya River in the aftermath of Typhoon Mangkhut and the monsoon will continue for a month or two.
— Thai PBS World

Safety warning issued to Chinese tourists after drownings in Thailand
The Chinese embassy in Bangkok has issued a safety warning to tourists travelling to Thailand during next month’s “Golden Week” holiday, after six drowning incidents involving Chinese visitors there in August.
— South China Morning Post

DHL brings e-commerce COD to Malaysia, Thailand, & Vietnam
E-commerce exporters in China and Australia, consumers in Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, and DHL eCommerce are all expecting benefits from the introduction of a Cross Border Cash-on-Delivery (COD) system by Deutsche Post DHL Group.
— AEC News Today

Assessment reports of Pak Lay and Pak Beng dam found to be identical
Plagiarism has been detected in the Transboundary Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (TBESIA) as well as Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA) of the proposed Pak Lay Dam project in Laos.
— The Nation

1 dead, 4 wounded in roadside ambush in southern Thailand
Suspected insurgents killed one person and wounded four others in a roadside ambush in southern Thailand, a region where a Muslim separatist rebellion has been active for more than a decade, police said Thursday.
— StarTribune

KBank-Visa to pilot blockchain-based B2B payments
Kasikornbank on Thursday became the first Thai financial institution to join the Visa B2B Connect pilot program.
— The Nation

Thailand drops royal insult charges for burning royal portraits
A Thai appeals court has dropped royal insult charges against six people jailed for setting fire to portraits of Thai kings, it said, but they will still have to serve lengthy jail terms for damaging public property.
— Reuters

PromptPay transfers grow sixfold in Q2
Waiving fees for digital transactions since late March has not only substantially boosted banks’ online transactions but also individual money transfers via the PromptPay platform, which surged sixfold in the second quarter.
— Bangkok Post

NLA accepts draft labor protection bill for deliberation
The National Legislative Assembly has agreed to accept the draft labor protection bill for deliberation.
— NNT

Thai Airways needs 100bn for upgrade, says chairman
Thai Airways International has to pay hefty bills to rejoin the ranks of the world’s premium airlines.
— Bangkok Post

Thai August auto sales jump 27.7 pct y/y – federation
* Thai domestic car sales in August jumped 27.7 percent from a year earlier to 86,780 units, after a 25.7 percent increase in July, the Federation of Thai Industries said on Wednesday.
— Reuters

Thai Vietjet becomes the first airline in Thailand to take delivery of new Airbus A321
Thai Vietjet has taken a new Airbus A321 under its wing that is the sixth in its fleet and the first of its kind in the country.
— The Nation

Camvi Facial Recognition Tech Used to Secure ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
Palo Alto-based Camvi Technologies has revealed a high-profile deployment of its facial recognition technology: In a collaboration with Singapore access control specialist Zoom Tech, the company’s technology was used to secure the 51st ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting last month.
— FindBiometrics

Damage from forest abuse hits B100 billion
More than 23,000 suspects have been arrested since 2015 on suspicion of engaging in illegal logging and poaching wild animals, costing the state an estimated 100 billion baht in losses, a government official said Thursday.
— Bangkok Post

Thailand orders four more H225M helos
Thailand has ordered four more H225M (previously designated EC725) multirole helicopters to augment the eight already procured, Airbus Helicopters announced on 20 September.
— Janes

Illegal booze ads ‘rampant’ in markets, says DDC
Several outdoor markets in Bangkok and its surrounding provinces have been exploited as spaces for illegal point-of-sale advertisements for alcoholic beverages, the Department of Disease Control (DDC) said Thursday.
— Bangkok Post

Are Thai regulations hampering industry innovation and limiting options for child nutrition?
Thai regulators and industry have been “engaged in very serious discussion” over which types of products for children should be allowed to be registered and sold as dietary supplements, as current regulation may be hindering innovation.
— Food Navigator-Asia

BoT shouldn’t hike interest rates this year: Apisak
The Bank of Thailand should not raise interest rates this year as the baht is strong, inflation remains low and a trade war is a concern, Finance Minister Apisak Tantivorawong said on Thursday.
— Bangkok Post

Natural Resources and Environment Minister orders probe into international capitalist behind illegal logging
The Natural Resources and Environment Minister, Gen. Surasak Karnjanarat, has ordered relevant agencies to investigate and take legal action against an international capitalist group supporting illegal logging activities, following the bust of “Mulan” timber trade network.
— NNT

Corruption before and after the NCPO
When the military junta in Thailand, also known as the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), seized power on 22 May, 2014, one of the main reasons it gave for doing so was to address the high levels of corruption plaguing the country under then-Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
— The Asean Post

THAI Smile lifts standard of in-flight service
Newly created international breakfast menu and eco-friendly packaging to be first introduced on flights to India
— The Nation

It is not all Fed: Domestic debt risks may spur more Asia rate hikes
Some Asian economies running large external surpluses, including Thailand and South Korea, might be forced to tighten monetary policy soon as high household debt pose a bigger financial risk than the U.S. Federal Reserve’s steady pace of rate hikes.
— Reuters

HORROR ASSAULT Outrage as girl, 4, is gang-raped by three male pupils in a school toilet in Thailand
A FOUR-YEAR-OLD girl has been gang-raped by teenage pupils in a toilet at a school in Thailand, it has been reported.
— The Sun

THAI plans swift upgrade of fleet to reverse losses
THAI AIRWAYS International must revamp its business strategy and quickly finalise a multibillion-baht plan to buy new jetliners in order to tackle chronic losses, says deputy premier Somkid Jatusripitak.
— The Nation

GSB to launch over-the-counter deposit service to promote savings
In a bid to encourage savings in the country, the Government Savings Bank (GSB) will soon begin accepting money deposits at convenience stores, with fees to be waived for young people.
— News Today (video)

JD.com desperate for Thai products
JD.com, a leading Chinese e-commerce company, is looking for as many Thai products as possible to sell on its online platform.
— Bangkok Post

Two Men Jailed for Life For Mall Bombing
A southern court sentenced two men to life in prison Thursday for engineering a car bomb attack that injured more than 50 people.
— Khaosod English

Call for broadband infrastructure sharing
AS THE construction of a broadband infrastructure costs a fortune, Myanmar should encourage telecom operators and Internet service providers (ISPs) to make collective efforts for broadband investment, said a technical expert at the two-day Myanmar Connect 2018.
— Bangkok Post

Faster immigration clearance for Thais arriving in Singapore
Eligible Thai passport holders will soon be able to clear immigration faster when they arrive in Singapore.
— Thai PBS World

Nok’s former CEO launches OTA
Ex-Nok Air supremo Patee Sarasin has unveiled his own online travel agency (OTA) as he aims to expand the Thailand-based travel venture to the global market in four years.
— Bangkok Post

TAT criticises operators of suspended Pattaya-Hua Hin ferry
The Tourism Authority of Thailand is criticising the operator of the Pattaya-Hua Hin ferry service over the suspension of boat trips on the grounds that it is low season and too few passengers.
— The Thaiger

Huawei allots B700m for local public cloud services
Huawei Technologies Thailand is investing 700 million baht to provide local public cloud services in Thailand, projecting a market value of 48 billion baht in 2021.
— Bangkok Post

North to face cold season sooner and longer dry spell
Cold season will come sooner to the northern region which will experience longer period of dry season due to less than normal accumulated rainfall estimated at just 50 percent of the normal level, said Mr Methi Mahayotnant, director of the northern meteorological centre, on Thursday.
— Thai PBS World

The Tourism Authority of Thailand Launches “Joyful Chanthaburi” Route to Showcase the Local Thainess
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) recently launched a new tourism route in Chanthaburi province under the concept “Joyful Chanthaburi”. This new route will provide the tourists with an unforgettable experience of local Thainess.
— AEC News Today/ PR Newswire (media release)

Central Pattana put on credit alert
Tris Rating has given Central Pattana Plc (CPN) an AA and put the company’s rating on credit alert with a developing implication.
— Bangkok Post

Hua Hin completes laying shark net off beach
Hua Hin authorities have finished installing a shark net off the beach where a Norwegian was attacked during his swim five months ago.
— Bangkok Post

City Hall joins flap over pigeon-feeding
City Hall is vowing to impose a three-month jail term and a 25,000-baht fine on people who violate the law by feeding pigeons in public places amid concerns over their increasing number and serious health risks.
— Bangkok Post

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.

Thailand morning news for September 21 added by John Le Fevre on September 21, 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.