Thailand morning news for February 12

Thailand morning news for February 12
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Thailand morning newsAl-Araibi walks free as Bahrain withdraws extradition request
BAHRAINI fugitive footballer Hakeem al-Araibi, who was facing an extradition trial in Bangkok since his detention in November last year, yesterday walked free after his country decided to withdraw its extradition request.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

Thai Raksa Chart party in disarray as special meeting of executives collapses
The Thai Raksa Chart party appears to be in disarray after a special meeting of its executive committee, scheduled for Monday evening, was abruptly cancelled due to the lack of…
— Thai PBS World

Mall or park? In crowded Bangkok, ‘last’ open space stirs debate
The fate of a large green space in the middle of one of the world’s most built-up cities is pitting communities and conservationists against developers and cash-strapped authorities in a battle that is increasingly common in Asia.
— Reuters

THAILAND’S ELECTION COMMISSION BLOCKS PRINCESS UBOLRATANA’S PRIME MINISTERIAL BID
Thailand’s royally appointed Election Commission on Monday formally blocked Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya’s prime ministerial bid, days after her brother King Maha Vajiralongkorn issued a rare order denouncing his sister’s unprecedented foray into politics.
— South China Morning Post

Plea to use pristine forests rejected
ENVIRONMENT Minister General Surasak Kanchanarat yesterday dismissed fresh calls from some forest community representatives for the utilisation of pristine forests in the latest forestland survey and demarcation, arguing that possible changes in the modest way of living of forest dwellers could affect the forest ecosystem.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

Chinese investors are spending billions on Thai property despite a turbulent political scene
Chinese investors have continued pouring their money into Thailand’s property sector even as the kingdom barrels toward an uncertain national election.
— CNBC

Stern action pledged as people defy burn ban
Officials are adopting a mixed approach to help deal with the toxic haze that has shrouded parts of the province, as local residents continue to ignore the ban on the outdoor burning of waste.
— Bangkok Post

Election Commission Meets to Discuss Disbanding Pro-Thaksin Party
BANGKOK — The fate of a political party allied to former leader Thaksin Shinawatra hangs in the balance as officials were meeting Monday to decide whether the party should be disbanded.
— Khaosod English

Smog set to ease, but summer brings water shortage fears
WINTER in Thailand will be over next week, the Meteorological Department announced yesterday. Even though the smog problem is expected to improve nationwide once winter ends, the arrival of summer brings along a new problem – water shortage.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

Hakeem al-Araibi: Thailand to free Bahraini footballer
The refugee Bahraini footballer Hakeem al-Araibi is set to return to Australia on Monday night after Thai authorities withdrew an extradition case against him.
— The Guardian

Thailand Faces Escalating Political Risk Ahead of General Election
Thailand’s political divisions are erupting again with just over a month to go to the first general election since a coup almost five years ago. Margo Towie reports on “Bloomberg Markets: Asia.”
— Bloomberg (video)

Healthcare co-payment plan opposed
Four major political parties have voiced disagreement over a co-payment proposal while stressing the Universal Healthcare Coverage (UC) scheme would be improved to ensure efficiency in and equal access to healthcare.
— Bangkok Post

Renewables to eat up 21% of Thailand’s energy mix by 2028
Strong government support is pushing reliance away from natural gas-fired power.
— Singapore Business Review

Farmer aid scheme topped up with B5bn
Another 5 billion baht has been added to finance the rice harvest and quality improvement scheme for farmers in the 2018-19 season.
— Bangkok Post

Phrae worst off as haze covers North, Northeast
Air pollution is threatening public health in provinces in the North and Northeast, with Phrae the worst affected on Monday.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

Gen Prawit dismisses rumour of military coup
Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan this morning dismissed a rumour in the social media of a possible military coup against the Prayut government.
— Thai PBS World

Draft Rice Act draws objection from industry
Rice industry employers and academics have opposed the draft Rice Act, claiming it would harm the Thai rice industry.
— Bangkok Post

Lampang battling fires, harmful dust
Forest fires that have been burning around Doi Phra Baht in Muang Lampang since Sunday night are contributing to the dense haze clinging to the province.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

Air pollution rise in northern Thailand attributed to 149 controlled forest fires
The Nation Concern grows as the air pollution problem in the North and North-east regions of Thailand threatens to affect the health of the public.
— The Thaiger

Smog set to ease, but summer brings water shortage fears
WINTER in Thailand will be over next week, the Meteorological Department announced yesterday. Even though the smog problem is expected to improve nationwide once winter ends, the arrival of summer brings along a new problem – water shortage.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

Rare pink dolphin spotted greeting tourists in the Gulf of Thailand (PHOTOS)
A rare pink dolphin was spotted playfully greeting tourists off the Gulf of Thailand this weekend.
— Coconuts (paywall)

TRA predicts flat spending in first half
The Thai Retailers Association (TRA) predicts flat consumer spending in the first half, despite bullish consumer sentiment from the planned general election and the value-added tax refund for Chinese New Year shopping.
— Bangkok Post

Time bomb found in Poipet casino, herds of gamblers run back over Thai border (VIDEO)
A bomb was reportedly discovered last night at the Golden Crown Casino in Cambodia’s Popiet City — right across the border — which sent herds of spooked Thai gamblers running back to the land of smiles.
— Coconuts (paywall)

Ministry using ‘Quality of Love’ QR Code from Feb 14 to give health advice to couples planning a family
The Public Health Ministry will provide 10 key pieces of information for quality family creation via the Quality of Love: Phro Rak Jeung Yakhai Roo (We love you, we want you to know) QR Code, from Valentine’s Day on Thursday on wards.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

Education Ministry wants Thai students’ English improved
Education Minister Teerakiat Jareonsettasin asked the Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC) to improve the standards of English teaching and learning in Thai schools.
— NBT World (video)

Thanathorn pledges more cash for all
The Future Forward Party on Sunday boasted its welfare state policy will entitle all members of the public to more than twice the amount of state welfare that low-income earners currently receive.
— Bangkok Post

Min of Interior oversees preparations for coronation ceremony & election
The Minister of Interior has urged local administrations to make preparations for the coronation ceremony and to ensure peace and order during the election.
— NNT

Academics push for a welfare state
The country should embrace a welfare state which can be made possible by having a secure source of financing and tax reform, a forum was told.
— Bangkok Post

SCG expanding services, products in Cambodia
SET-LISTED Siam Cement Group (SCG) plans to expand new service solutions and retail operations in Cambodia to tap opportunities in the country’s growing construction industry and changing consumers’ behaviour, its Cambodia country director, Somwang Manpimonchai, said.Â
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

Alleged firing of commanders of three armed forces dismissed as fake news
The government today dismissed what was purportedly an announcement by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) relieving the commanders of the three armed forces as fake.
— Thai PBS World

Rail to boost Lao, Thai trade nomies
THE frequency of Lao and Thai people visiting each other’s country will increase, and so will the growth of trade and cooperation in product development.
— Phnom Penh Post

Transit, EEC projects buoy developers
Listed property companies plan to invest more than Bt100 billion in land purchases this year for the development of condominiums and low-rise residential projects in Bangkok and the provinces.
— The Nation (very annoying pop-ups)

Dept of Industrial Promotion to pilot creative industrial village project
The Department of Industrial Promotion (DIP) has accelerated the development of creative industrial village projects to promote 215 new tourist destinations in 77 provinces across the country.
— NNT

APAC Realty to buy Indonesian ERA master franchisor for up to $13.9m, ties up for Thai master franchise
Real estate agency APAC Realty is acquiring the ERA master franchisor for Indonesia for up to $13.85 million in cash and also taking direct ownership of the Thailand ERA master franchise through a partnership.
— The Straits Times

Forbes Thailand Alternative Investments 2019
Forbes Thailand, the Kingdom’s top business magazine featuring inspirational stories about successful entrepreneurs and top executives, in conjunction with TISCO Wealth, a comprehensive wealth management service of TISCO Financial Group, Thailand’s leading financial and investment concern, organised “Forbes Thailand Alternative Invest¬ments 2019: Investment Opportunities in Well-being Mega Trend & Advancement in Regenerative Medicine and Anti-Aging” on January 31, 2019, at The Athenee Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Bangkok.
— Bangkok Post

Gay couples to ‘live more freely’ with Thai civil unions
Luke Cassady-Dorion believed marriage was for “boring” straight people until he met the man he wanted to spend the rest of his life with – Tae. But Thailand, where they live, does not permit same-sex marriage.
— Khmer Times

Police captain arrested for theft at police headquarters
A 41-year-old police captain was arrested and then sacked for theft from a colleague’s car and from police headquarters in Bangkok on Saturday morning.
— Bangkok Post

Ex-PM proposes interim government
Former Prime Minister Gen. Chavalit Yongchaiyudh has suggested an interim government be formed before the general election is held.
— NBT World (video)

“Thailand Investment Year” Sets to Accelerate Economic Shift and Boost Economic Growth
Thailand is making a remarkable move to stimulate big investments in technology-advanced targeted industries that will drive economic transformation and support investors’ success.
— AEC News Today/ PR Newswire (media release)

Politico Wants Prayuth Disqualified From Election Race
BANGKOK — An opposition politician on Monday sought to bar junta chairman Prayuth Chan-ocha from running in the March 24 election.
— Khaosod English

Police Seek Perpetrators of Fake Junta Order Removing Army Chief
Police were looking Monday morning for whoever was behind a forged Royal Gazette announcement that Army Chief Gen. Apirat Kongsompong and other armed forces leaders had been removed by the junta leader.
— Khaosod English

Schools to drop 3 allowances for enrolment
MOST STATE schools will drop three special conditions for admission as part of an effort to end corruption.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

VR startup nabs funding to leap into esports
Thailand-based virtual reality startup Infofed has received an undisclosed co-investment from Singapore venture capital fund KK Fund and Thai events marketing platform EventPop Shows.
— Tech in Asia

Positive economic impacts from Malaysia-Thailand friendship bridges
The development of two ‘friendship’ bridges along the Malaysia-Thailand border in the state will help to stimulate the economic growth for the two nations.
— New Straits Times

Poll: Thais want better living standards
Dusit Poll reports that Thai people want better standards of living after the election.
— NNT

Department of Foreign Trade organizes award program to promote innovation in agriculture
The Department of Foreign Trade (DFT) has organized the 2019 Agri Plus Award to support the use of technology to develop agricultural products.
— NBT World (video)

A new round of Southern peace talks gives hope but the Junta is stalling during the election campaign
Peace talks to end the long-running conflict in Thailand’s southernmost provinces hit a stumbling block last week when Thailand’s new peace negotiator failed to attend a scheduled meeting.
— The Thaiger

Dusit D2 Nairobi to reopen in June following terrorist attack
Following the attack on its premises last month, dusit D2 Nairobi has announced it will reopen in June and resume its function as a major business, leisure and social hub with new dining concepts and an enhanced design.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

Illegal foreign cigarettes flooding in as new local tobacco taxes loom
Growers of tobacco in Thailand, and those selling cigarettes and tobacco products, are feeling the pinch as illegal foreign cigarettes flood the local market.
— The Thaiger

Failed Phuket restaurateur Ugolini arrested on B280mn tax evasion, fraud
Ugolini was arrested at his rented accommodation at Sathorn Square on Sala Daeng Rd, in Silom, at 9pm last Friday (Feb 8), Immigration officers confirmed to The Phuket News today
— The Phuket News

Boom Boom on the border
The attractions of Thailand’s southern border town usually become apparent after sunset On one side of the Thai/Malaysian border is Sungai Golok, on the Malaysian side it’s the town of Rantau Panjang.
— The Thaiger

Injured three metre king cobra caught in Krabi
PHOTOS: Krabi Pitak Pracha Foundation An injured three metre king cobra has been caught in Krabi today, the fourth king cobra caught in the past month in Krabi. Krabi Pitak Pracha rescue workers were notified that a snake was hiding inside a house in Krabi City. A rescue worker used a snake snare …
— The Thaiger

 

 

Feature photo ILO in Asia and the Pacific

This week’s Thailand morning news feature photo acknowledges International Day of Women and Girls in Science, February 11.

 

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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