Air pollution soars in Thai capital Bangkok, authorities issue warning
Authorities in Thailand’s capital warned people to wear face masks or stay indoors on Thursday (Dec 19) after choking air pollution returned to Bangkok following months of clear air in one of the world’s top tourist destinations.
— CNA
Thailand begins to prepare for a move to 5G technology, auction to be held next year
With the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) having started 5G testing, the government is confident that a 5G spectrum licence auction will be held next year.
— The Pattaya News
Campaigners Bare Plans to Challenge Prayuth’s Regime in 2020
Charter amendment, ending military conscription, and encouraging young opponents of the Prayuth Chan-ocha administration to come out in force on the streets are key issues that pro-democracy camp hopes to push for in 2020.
— Khaosod English
Thai Airways presents new recovery plan for board approval
Thai Airways president Sumeth Damrongchaitham says the national carrier will submit a 2020-2025 rehabilitation plan to the Board of Directors in January, with a separate purchasing plan for new aircraft also being put forward.
— The Thaiger
Govt eases fishing regulations after protests
Commercial fishermen across Thailand have decided to end their protests after the government pledged to assist with problems which they believed stemmed from measures taken to curb Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.
— Bangkok Post
Temperatures to Remain Very Cold for Northern Parts of Thailand
The Thailand Meteorological Department reported yesterday that high-pressure remains static, causing the North and the Northeast to remain cold. Cold weather temperatures ranging from 13-15 °C with morning fog will remain.
— Chiang Rai Times
Asia has longest working hours but least productive and healthy
Workers in Asia are known for their hardworking ethics which have contributed to its miraculous economic rise.
— HRM Asia
House committee chair apologizes for gay men kissing in parliament
Chairwoman of the House Committee on the Affairs of Children, Youth, Women, the Elderly, the Handicapped, Ethnic Minority Groups and Trans genders has offered an apology today (Thursday) for an incident, involving two gay men seen kissing at a media conference in parliament yesterday.
— Thai PBS News
Competition amongst discount airlines concerns Thai CAA
Thailand’s airlines are strapped for cash, facing serious competition and discounted airfares, and the Thai Civil Aviation Authority is closely watching their safety standards.
— The Thaiger
Govt pressed over land grab payouts
Transport officials are racing against time to pay compensation to several hundred villagers to end a year-long conflict over the expropriation of their land for the construction of the Bang Yai-Kanchanaburi motorway.
— Bangkok Post
Consumer Protection Board of Thailand opposes proposed tollway price increase
The Consumer Protection Board has voiced its objection to Don Muang Toll Way Company’s plan to increase the toll fee by 10 baht, effective December 22nd, on the grounds that it will adversely affect transport operators and consumers.
— The Pattaya News
Officers in shooting ‘mistake’ to surrender
Fourth Army Region commander Pornsak Poonsawat said that security officers who shot dead three civilians “by mistake” have been ordered to turn themselves in on Thursday.
— Bangkok Post
Purged FFP MP vows to keep her seat
Srinual Boonlue, a Future Forward Party MP for Chiang Mai who was recently expelled from the party for defying the party, said she has no intention to relinquish her MP status.
— Bangkok Post
Rabies poses a painful problem in Thailand
As the winter months drive foreigners from their chilly homes in the West to the attractions of Thailand, more and more people are returning home a bit traumatized from visiting the tropical paradise.
— Asia Times
Thai chicken exports to China set to rise amid swine fever outbreak
Thailand’s chicken exports to China are forecast to increase by 60% next year, a Thai industry association said on Thursday, as China seeks alternative meat supplies after an outbreak of swine fever nearly halved its pig herd.
— Thomson Reuters Foundation
“Taste, Shop, Spend” campaign triggered 24 billion baht public spending
The third phase of the government’s “Taste, Shop, Spend” campaign has successfully generated spending via the g-Wallet 2 e-payment application worth 13 billion baht.
— Newsline (video)
Thailand BOI Approves Revised Incentives to Promote Investment in the EEC Area
The Board of Investment (BOI) has agreed to extend and revise the investment incentives package for investment projects in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC).
— PR Newswire (media release)
‘Ripper’ claims ‘fit of rage’ led to murder
Police are not convinced serial killer Somkid Pumpuang did not plan to murder a 51-year-old Khon Kaen woman, after he confessed to the crime on Thursday.
— Bangkok Post
Anti-dumping shields for steel renewed
The government has extended the anti-dumping duty on cold-reduced carbon steel, both coiled and uncoiled, from China, Vietnam and Taiwan for the next five years to curb supply from the three markets.
— Bangkok Post
Bangkok’s balancing act: Is Thailand really in lockstep with China?
Last month in Bangkok, after meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha compared Thailand to an ant and China to a lion: “A tiny ant can sometimes help a big lion or elephant.”
— Asean Today
Thailand’s peace process needs external help for fresh start
After four years of fruitless talks, a peace dialogue to end a separatist insurgency in southern Thailand may be set to gain traction.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)
Officials look to jump-start Efta talks
The European Free Trade Association (Efta), a regional trade bloc and free trade area consisting of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, is keen to revive free trade agreement (FTA) talks with Thailand.
— Bangkok Post
University gets US funding to preserve Lanna architecture
The United States on Wednesday granted US$150,000 (4.5 million baht) to Chiang Mai University’s Centre for the Promotion of Arts and Culture to conserve traditional Lanna architecture in the northern province.
— Bangkok Post
Govt to begin maize pricing subsidy payments by year’s end
According to the Commerce Minister, farmers enrolled in the government’s maize pricing guarantee scheme will receive their first subsidy payment by the end of this month.
— Newsline (video)
Court upholds life term for Lao drug smuggler Xaysana
The Appeal Court has upheld a sentence of life imprisonment for Lao drug kingpin Xaysana Keopimpha for smuggling 1.2 million speed pills into the country in 2016.
— Bangkok Post
DPM Wissanu Licensing Facilitation Act benefits public
Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Wissanu Krea-ngam has delivered a speech marking the fourth anniversary of the Licensing Facilitation Act, saying the law has benefited the people and improved government agencies’ performance.
— Newsline (video)
Thailand: TV stations join no single-use plastic bags campaign
The Department of Environmental Quality Promotion (DEQP) of Thailand has signed an agreement with eight TV stations to discourage the availability of single-use plastic bags by censoring scenes showing the bags in programmes, while major shops and stores will officially discontinue offering these bags from January 1.
— Vietnamplus
New Years Travellers Warned to Arrive 3 Hours Early to Airport
Immigration will deploy staff at all counters to ease passenger congestion. The immigration offices will work with the airport agency and airlines to assist travelers to get through immigration as quickly as possible.
— Chiang Rai Times
12 Innovative Thai Products, Services and Organizations Honoured International Innovation Awards 2019 in Singapore
Enterprise Asia announced the winners of the International Innovation Awards (IIA) 2019 in Singapore.
— Viet Nam News
Temporary Thai Tsunami Orphanage Becomes a Permanent Home
An orphanage in southern Thailand has been Watana Sittirachot’s home since 2004, when a deadly tsunami killed hundreds of thousands of people, including many of his family members, in one of the biggest natural disasters in recent history.
— The New York Times
Govt plans to hold auction for 5G operation licenses next year
The government is confident that a 5G spectrum licence auction will be held next year, as it recognizes the importance of the 5G technology in the digital era.
— Newsline (video)
CMSB gives OK to extended night trading
The Capital Market Supervisory Board (CMSB) has approved extending the night trading session for derivatives products, specifically gold, to a 3am close, plausibly taking effect in next year’s first quarter.
— Bangkok Post
Government to provide details about Yingluck’s assets seizure
The government would provide details of legal process to counter fugitive former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s grumble about “double standards” in confiscating her assets, Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said on Tuesday.
— Pattaya Mail
Krungsri wins Best Bank for SMEs award from Asiamoney for second consecutive year
Mr. Sayam Prasitsirigul (center), Krungsri Head of SME Banking Group, Mrs. Chulida Tanpetcharat (far right), Krungsri Executive Vice President, Commercial Credit Products Division, and Ms. Mantinee Akarasern (far left), Krungsri Senior Vice President, Commercial Marketing Division received Best Bank for SMEs in Thailand award for the second consecutive year from Asiamoney, Asia’s leading financial magazine at Asiamoney Best Bank Awards 2019.
— Bangkok Post
High Household Debt Hindering Auto Sales in Thailand
The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) reported yesterday that monthly auto sales have decreased six months in a row.
— Chiang Rai Times
An Giang province hosts Vietnam-Thailand trade fair
Thousands of consumer goods made in Vietnam and Thailand are being exhibited at a trade fair in Long Xuyen city in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang.
— Vietnamplus
Former asst head, son arrested for laundering drug money
A former assistant village head and his son accused of duping residents into open bank accounts to launder drug network money have been arrested in Chiang Mai.
— Bangkok Post
Beauty behind bars: Recycled lipstick becomes symbol of dignity for women inmates in Thailand
The Thai organisation Beauty Behind Bars sends recycled lipstick to prisons. Members of the group hope to brighten up the lives of women who are living behind bars in Thailand.
— South China Morning Post (video)
PTT, Centel ready Vietnam cafe venture
PTT Plc and Central Plaza Hotel Plc (Centel) — have announced a joint venture to operate PTT’s coffee shop brand Cafe Amazon in Vietnam with a combined investment of US$3.5 million.
— Bangkok Post
Anti-drink-driving lobby launches legal centre to help victims
A key anti-drink-driving advocacy group on Thursday launched a centre to provide drink-driving victims with legal assistance and advice in dealing with irresponsible and dishonest drivers.
— Bangkok Post
18 year old crew remains missing after boat collision off Phuket yesterday, one dead
The Royal Thai Navy continued searching off Phuket’s east coast today for 18 year old Kittipong ‘Boy’ Samunboot, a crew who fell overboard in yesterday’s collision between a tour boat and a large luxury yacht off Koh Khai Nok.
— The Thaiger
Activists propose amendments to same-sex marriage bill in Thailand
Activists from Togetherness for Equality and Action are broadening their push for an amendment to the Civil and Commercial Code that would to allow people to legally marry, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.
— The Thaiger
Why is Thailand’s PropTech market so valuable…
The explosive growth in the economy has now placed Thailand as the second largest economy in Southeast Asia.
— The Thaiger
Isaan human rights defenders between fight or flight
Over 300 people gathered at Ubon Ratchathani University on Monday to discuss the state of human rights in the Northeast and the country.
— Isaan Record
Austrian man arrested in Pattaya on one day overstay and doing a bill runner at local hotel
Chonburi immigration acted on a warrant issued by the Pattaya court yesterday and arrested a 60 year old Austrian.
— The Pattaya News
High school class closed for a week after fatal shooting
A class at a high school in Nonthaburi province, near Bangkok, has been suspended until December 23rd after a student shot one of his peers dead in the classroom yesterday…
— Thai PBS News
Large python rescued after being stuck in drain in Sri Racha
A large python has been rescued after getting stuck in a water drain in Sri Racha yesterday.
— The Pattaya News
Review: Unanswered Questions At King Taksin’s Old Palace
Visiting the royal residence of King Taksin the Great would remind Thais of many unsettled questions from the bloody history.
— Khaosod English
Partial solar eclipse visible on December 26th from 14 Thai provinces
A partial solar eclipse will be visible on December 26th from 14 provinces of Thailand, with the best views of the phenomenon will be from Betong district of the southern border province of Yala.
— Thai PBS News
Thai tourism officials hire fortune teller (it’s not what you think)
A celebrity fortune teller has been engaged to promote the “Positive Energy” campaign being run by the Tourism Authority of Thailand to promote domestic tourism.
— The Thaiger
15 years on, a look back at the Boxing Day tsunami
Dec 26 marks 15 years since a 9.1 magnitude quake off the coast of Indonesia’s Aceh province triggered a tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and nine other countries.
— CNA
Large water monitor caught after eating chickens in Sri Racha
Sri Racha – A large water monitor has been caught after eating a local villagers chickens in Sri Racha yesterday afternoon, December 18th, 2019.
— The Pattaya News
Feature photo John Le Fevre
This week’s Thailand morning news feature photo focuses on International Migrants Day, December 18.
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).
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Thailand morning news for December 20 added by John Le Fevre on
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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