Thailand morning news for January 15

Thailand morning news for January 15
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Thailand morning newsThai military junta to cancel general elections; 5th delay since 2014 coup
The Thai military junta on Monday signalled that the long-postponed general elections will be delayed yet again, the fifth delay in less than five years.
— Devdiscourse

A reduction of 100 million+ plastic bags at 7-eleven stores in one month
More than 100 million plastic bags have not bee used at Thailand’s 7-eleven stores in the past month, valued at more than 20 million baht.
— The Thaiger

Asean industrial 4.0 plan first priority for Thailand
IN ITS FIRST move as this year’s Asean chair, Thailand is pushing for a cohesive regional industrial 4.0 development plan and to implement guidelines on non-tariff measures across the region.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

Polluted Air Blankets Bangkok Prompting Thai Authorities to Urge People Indoors
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha has urged those living in the Thai capital, Bangkok, to stay indoors as the city’s air pollution reached dangerous levels.
— Time (video)

Thailand among countries ‘ready for 4th industrial revolution’
Thailand is one of top three countries in region at a stage of development to incorporate 4th industrial revolution (4IR) technologies.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

Thai Raksa Chart member moves to oust Prayut
A Thai Raksa Chart member has taken the first step to oust Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha as prime minister on the grounds he owns Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages, as well as a website, which he claims are mass media.
— Bangkok Post

Too Scared to Return Home, Myanmar Refugees in Thai Camps Face an Uncertain Future
When her first child—a daughter—was born, Pa Pa Win dreamed of a grand wedding for her many years down the line, with a big celebration in their village in Myanmar’s Mon State.
— Irrawaddy

Agencies ‘not taking air pollution seriously’
GOVERNMENT agencies yesterday launched all-out efforts to battle the persistent smog, as dust particles continued to blanket the capital, even as a WHO report said air pollution killed more people than Aids and malaria combined.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

Industry 4.0 set to add $50bn in productivity
Thailand’s manufacturing sector could see incremental growth of US$50 billion in productivity gains over the next decade by embracing Industry 4.0 technologies, according to a study by Cisco and A.T. Kearney.
— Bangkok Post

Political activity continues with poll gauging reactions to possible change of election date
Thailand’s political parties have continued their campaigns to attract votes, showing no signs of concern that the general election date may change.
— NNT

Thaksin returns to limelight with launch weekly podcast
POLITICAL SCIENTISTS yesterday said the latest move by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to show his vision through a weekly podcast “Good Monday”, could invite comparisons between the Shinawatra and the pro-junta camps ahead of the upcoming election.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

Dangerous levels of PM 2.5 measured across Bangkok
Particulate Matter, or PM 2.5, levels have risen to health threatening levels across Bangkok and its vicinity with Muang district of Nakhon Pathom the hardest hit at 79 micrograms per cubic meter.
— NNT

Man hunted for murder of his wife and four in-laws
Police were on Monday hunting a man they allege shot dead his wife and four in-laws on Sunday before fleeing and changing vehicles in another province.
— Bangkok Post

Southern MP candidates murdered
A couple who were MP candidates of the Thai Nation Power Party were shot dead at home in Kabang district on Sunday night and police suspected a political conflict or the works of insurgents.
— Bangkok Post

Royally bestowed items delivered to Pabuk victims
The volunteer center, under the patronage of His Majesty the King of Thailand, has delivered royally-bestowed packages to the victims of Tropical Storm Pabuk in Nakhon Si Thammarat province.
— NNT

Haze puts city on red alert
Authorities are set to deploy two aircraft with artificial rainmaking technology to attempt to create downpours in the east of Bangkok Tuesday evening, with the aim of clearing the air in one of the worst-hit quarters of the city.
— Bangkok Post

Pattaya ranked fourth healthiest city in the entire world
The study, carried out by UK travel site TravelSupermarket, saw Chiang Mai ranked in second place and Pattaya ranked fourth out of 100 other cities around the world.
— The Thaiger

130,000 refugees languish in Thailand
When her first child – a daughter – was born, Pa Pa Win dreamed of a grand wedding for her many years down the line, with a big celebration in their village in Myanmar’s Mon state.
— Bangkok Post

Thai appeals WTO ruling favoring PH’s cigarette case
Thailand has appealed the World Trade Organization (WTO) Appelate body ruling upholding an earlier decision for the country to correct the discriminatory tax treatment on imported cigarettes from the Philippines.
— Manila Bulletin

Tension mounts over poll creep
Pro-democracy activists are demanding that a general election should take place no later than March 10 to avoid a possible violation of the 150-day deadline.
— Bangkok Post

Global Citizens fellow aspires to improve health care discrepancies in Thailand
When Emma Gillette got into a motorcycle accident while studying abroad in Thailand in 2017, she was thrown into Thailand’s medical system and saw the disparities between the health care provided to rural and urban communities.
— Daily Bruin

Franchise ventures see rapid growth
Thailand’s franchising business is thriving, with more than 50 food and services chains planning to explore opportunities in Thailand this year, says a franchise consultancy.
— Bangkok Post

Pattaya boosts marketing to Chinese tourists
Pattaya has contracted with Alipay Business Group to lure Chinese tourists back to Pattaya.
— Pattaya Mail

Price controls ‘will hit healthcare’
The Private Hospital Association is calling for the state to bring all public hospitals under the jurisdiction of the Medical Facilities Act of 1988 in response to the government’s proposed price controls on medical services.
— Bangkok Post

An overview of Thailand’s healthcare sector
One of the fast-growing sectors that have been identified in Thailand is healthcare and it is expected to be a key driver of the country’s economy.
— Healthcare IT News

Aggressive marketing sales offer plum deals for property buyers
LISTED AND non-listed property firms are launching special promotion campaigns to boost sales in the first quarter of this year before they are hit by a new Bank of Thailand (BOT) mortgage measure, effective April 1.
— The Nation (very annoying pop-ups)

Foreign teacher nabbed over rapes
A English-language teacher from Pakistan was arrested Monday on suspicion of rape after the parents of several young female students filed police complaints against him earlier in the week.
— Bangkok Post

Debate on CP rail-link offer today
THE selection committee of the Bt224.5-billion high-speed railway project will today discuss a “special proposal” from Charoen Pokphand Group (CP Group) and its allies, while State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has called for a two-week extension to the negotiation period before contract signing.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

Thai prosperity depends on smarter education reform
Thailand is in temporary limbo. The current government, which came to office in May 2014 via the country’s 12th military coup, has promised elections in February 2019.
— East Asia Forum

Thai peace team open to special status idea for Thailand’s deep South
The Thai government’s peace negotiation team said it would take all proposals into consideration, including an idea for a special administrative status for the deep South.
— Eleven/ Asia News Network

Six houses destroyed by fire
Six houses at Sapan Hin were destroyed by fire last night (Jan 13), with another six properties also damaged by the blaze.
— The Phuket News

Thai visitors unfazed by Japan levy
Thai outbound travel to Japan is set to continue growing this year despite the new departure tax, or sayonara levy, charged to all passengers leaving the country.
— Bangkok Post

BKK authorities short on solutions to smog
Khaosod English is reporting today that authorities were scrambling to respond to worsening smog in the capital city.
— The Thaiger

Thailand Has A Mixed Record When It Comes To Asylum Seekers and Refugees
The case of a Saudi woman who took refuge in a Bangkok hotel room as she sought asylum in a third country has highlighted Thailand’s checkered history of dealing with similar cases.
— NPR

Industrial rubber masterplan being proposed for Rayong
The Rubber Authority of Thailand (RAOT) has mapped out a masterplan to increase annual rubber exports from Bt250 billion to Bt800 billion, while establishing a rubber industrial estate in Rayong province, part of the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC).
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

Treasury wants to buy all those coins you don’t want
Mobile coin exchange units are hitting the roads to encourage people to swap the loose change they have collected for easier to handle banknotes, so the coins can be recycled.
— Bangkok Post

Mortgage Curbs Are Sapping Bangkok’s Once Booming Condo Market
A leading Thai residential developer is scaling back its ambitions for new projects this year, as mortgage curbs and a weaker economy dim the outlook for Bangkok’s once-booming condominium market.
— The Edge Markets

STARTING TOMORROW, SMARTPHONES BECOME THAI DRIVER’S LICENSES
Forgetting one’s driver’s license at home won’t be a problem starting tomorrow when they go digital.
— Khaosod English

28 arrested over bogus marriages
Police have rounded up 28 people in a crackdown on a marriage scam for Indian nationals seeking to stay in the country on a long-term basis.
— Bangkok Post

Thailand set to deploy rainmaking planes as pollution chokes Bangkok
Thailand is set to deploy rainmaking planes to seed clouds in an effort to tackle the increasing levels of pollution that has choked the capital in recent weeks.
— All India Radio

CP Foods unveils sustainable packaging to reduce plastic waste
Thailand-based food producer Charoen Pokphand Foods (CP Foods) has unveiled a sustainable packaging policy, as part of efforts to minimize the plastic usage across its business worldwide.
— Compelo

‘Riskiest’ places to travel revealed by medical insurer
The ‘riskiest’ world destinations have been revealed by travel medical insurance providers Get Going.
— CIT

PTTEP unit chosen to find oil in UAE
PTTEP MENA Ltd, a subsidiary of PTT Exploration and Production Plc (PTTEP), and its strategic partner Eni Abu Dhabi BV, a wholly owned subsidiary of Italy-based oil and gas company Eni, have won concessions to two exploration blocks known as Offshore 1 and Offshore 2 from the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) following that country’s first-ever open block licensing round.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

‘Too many cables’ blamed for high-voltage blowout
Too many cables hanging off a single power pole have been blamed for high-voltage power cables arcing and sending out intense sparks in Kamala today (Jan 14), raising concerns of people in the area suffering electric shocks.
— The Phuket News

PM Prayut orders rapid solution to Bangkok air quality problem
The Prime Minister, Gen Prayer Chan-o-cha, has ordered relevant authorities to provide the general public with knowledge on ways to protect themselves from air pollution.
— NNT

BURNING SUGARCANE STALKS CONTRIBUTES TO SMOG: ACTIVISTS
Fields of burned-out sugarcane husks wrapped in flames are one of the major sources of smog, environmental activists say.
— Khaosod English

Commerce Min promotes GI campaign in Chiang Rai
The Ministry of Commerce is keen to add value to local products through its geographical indication (GI) campaign.
— NNT

Minister visits Chiang Rai to listen to problems
Prime Minister’s office Minister Kobsak Pootrakool , traveled on Saturday to Chiang Saen district in Chiang Rai province, to follow up on the government’s projects and listen to the local people’s problems ahead of the Cabinet’s meeting next week.
— NBT World (video)

Government restoring Talumphuk Cape
Government agencies are working hand in hand to restore Talumphuk Cape in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Pabuk.
— NBT World (video)

HOW TO SNAG DISCOUNTED GOODIES AT BANGKOK’S SUPERMARKETS (AND FIGHT FOOD WASTE)
Finding affordable, delicious cheese in Thailand that you didn’t make yourself – is likely to end with you staring at the imported dairy section in expensive supermarkets.
— Khaosod English

 

Feature photo Luma Health

 

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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