Thailand morning news for July 30, 2019

Thai-EU free trade talks set to resume after hiatus
Thailand is returning to the negotiating table for a Thai-European Union (EU) free-trade agreement (FTA) after the green light was given by the new government, according to Auramon Supthaweethum, director-general of the Trade Negotiations Department.
— Bangkok Post

Thailand tops development index in Southeast Asia
Thailand ranks top among Southeast Asian nations in an annual report gauging progress toward achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs.
— NHK World

Standard Chartered forecasts 3.3% growth for Thailand’s economy
Thailand’s economic growth is affected by various risk factors, including the effects of the trade war between the United States and China on exports and drought.
— Pattaya Mail

11 Bangkok students arrested over fatal knife attack
11 students have been arrested after Saturday’s fatal stabbing of a 21 year old student from the College of Industrial Technology at King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok.
— The Thaiger

DSI to renew efforts to collar fugitive rogue monk
The Department of Special Investigation will renew efforts to arrest the elusive Phra Dhammajayo, former abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya, after Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin ordered the DSI to step up its investigation in the multi-billion-baht Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative (KCUC) embezzlement case.
— Bangkok Post

PM Prayuth leads citizens in signing message of blessings for HM the King
BANGKOK, 28 July 2019 – Important figures and groups of people from many agencies have conveyed their blessings on the occasion of His Majesty the King’s birthday, today July 28, 2019.
— Pattaya Mail

Thailand approved to acquire Stryker infantry carriers
The U.S. State Department has approved a possible foreign military sale to Thailand of 60 Stryker infantry carrier vehicles, potentially making the southeast Asian kingdom the first non-U.S. user of the wheeled armored vehicle.
— Defense News

Weed cultivation ‘still illegal’
Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin has warned that the cultivation and use of cannabis or cannabis extracts, even for medical purposes, remains against the law unless special permission has been granted by the authorities.
— Bangkok Post

PM to supervise the DSI
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will directly supervise the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) instead of assigning one of his deputies to do it on his behalf, as was the practice in the past, Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said today.
— Thai PBS News

Tobacco giant lobbies Thai government to reverse vaping laws
Leading Thai cigarette importer Philip Morris Trading wants the new government and policymakers to start talking with the tobacco industry to find constructive solutions to reducing harm caused by smoking.
— The Thaiger

“No water crisis in the Chao Phraya basin” – Irrigation Department
Bhumibol Dam in Tak when full, now holding only 4% of capacity The Royal Irrigation Department is assuring farmers and residents in the central and north-east that there is no risk of Thailand of severe water shortages.
— The Thaiger

Supreme Court’s verdict on five UDD core members due on Wednesday
The Criminal Court is scheduled, on Wednesday, to read the verdict of the Supreme Court in a case involving seven core members of the red-shirt movement, known as the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), relating to the illegal siege of the residence of Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda in July 2007.
— Thai PBS News

Navy presses for 2nd Chinese sub
The Royal Thai Navy will press ahead with its plan to buy a second submarine worth 12 billion baht from China, according to a navy source.
— Bangkok Post

Probe sought into senators’ qualifications
Ruangkrai Leekitwattana, a former member of the dissolved Thai Raksa Chart Party, says he will on Tuesday petition the Election Commission (EC) to probe the eligibility of some senators and forward the case to the Constitutional Court to rule on the matter.
— Bangkok Post

B45m reservoir to benefit farmers in Ratchaburi
A 45-million-baht reservoir project royally initiated by His Majesty the King in Ratchaburi’s Pak Tho district will be built in order to help solve drought and poverty in the area, the Royal Irrigation Department (RID) said recently.
— Bangkok Post

After decades in Thailand, Myanmar refugees head home
Around 300 refugees are returning to south-east Myanmar, among them a family of four generations.
— ReliefWeb

Thai startups to capture a major chunk of healthcare market
The medical device market in ASEAN is predicted to be worth US$8.5 billion by 2021, and Thai entrepreneurs want to cut themselves a big slice of the pie.
— BSA (media release)

Jurin to attend RCEP in a bid to form world’s biggest trading bloc
Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit is scheduled to attend a ministerial conference on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in Beijing later this week, in a bid to form the world’s biggest trade bloc.

Teaching coding to Thai kids good if teachers are equipped for new role – educational economist
Teaching of computer programming language in schools is a good idea, but schools, teachers and students must be prepared, otherwise the educational gap between privileged and under-privileged students will widened, according to Dr. Kiat-anant Luankaeo, an educational economist at Thammasat University.
— Thai PBS News

Sephora online users in Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand hit by data breach
Personal details of Sephora’s online customers in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand have been leaked, the international beauty retailer said on Monday (Jul 29).
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

Naruemon tipped to be govt spokeswoman
The government will appoint spokespersons on Tuesday, with Naruemon Pinyosinwat strongly tipped to lead the team.
— Bangkok Post

CNN calls Ang Thong marine park “ultimate destination”
CNN has published a video clip titled the “Ultimate KohSamui DayTrip: Thailand’s Ang Thong National Marine Park” on its website.
— NBT World (video)

Lorries to skirt jams via ocean route
Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob is preparing to help lorries avoid bad traffic on Rama II Road by ushering in a fleet of Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) ferries to carry them to southern provinces.
— Bangkok Post

2019 ASEAN Chairmanship Hosts Timely Energy Business Forum in Thailand, September 2019
Energy systems globally are being re-examined due to a combination of populist and geopolitical pressures.
— AEC News Today/ PR Newswire (media release)

Apocalyptic style red sky and burning pipe panics social media in Laem Chabang early this morning at Thai Oil company
The Thai Public Oil Company, LTD. in Laem Chabang today has issued an announcement to clarify after a Thai social media panic in which the sky turned red above the factory last evening.
— The Pattaya News

Pattaya posts warning sign on damaged Koh Larn bridge
After years of neglect, Pattaya finally posted a sign warning tourists that a busy Koh Larn beach is hazardously damaged.
— Pattaya Mail

102-year-old Thai pilgrim ready for Hajj
Mrs. Noh Lanai, a pilgrim from Thepha District, Songkla, aged 102, is the oldest pilgrim at the 2019 Hajj. She has travelled with her son from Medina to Makkah. However, as the Hajj approaches, she has been advised to use a wheelchair to conserve her energy for the ceremonies.
— Pattaya Mail

Equipment, IT system to be moved to new parliament building
The Secretary-General of the House of Representatives has announced the cancellation of the meetings of Members of the House of Representatives and senators next week as equipment and the IT system will be relocated to the new parliament.
— Pattaya Mail

Seaside building in Chon Buri subsides, tenants flee
A seaside building containing 16 rooms for rent in Muang district subsided on Monday afternoon, forcing tenants to flee for their own safety. Nobody was injured.
— Bangkok Post

LINE to bring online grocery shopping to Thailand by the end of this fiscal year
The service — Line Man Grocery — will allow customers to have food and other items delivered, said Phichet Rerkpreecha, the CEO of Line Thailand.
— The Pattaya News

Head of Thai Tourism Authority claims third quarter tourism is estimated to be up 9% year over year if it continues current trend.
The head of the Tourism Authority of Thailand has painted a very rosy picture of foreign and domestic tourism in Thailand.
— The Pattaya News

UPDATE: ‘Flight of the Gibbon’ ride in Chiang Mai open again
We have been contacted by the Flight of the Gibbon management and assured that the popular zipline attraction is open again and sorted out from its previous problems.
— The Thaiger

Tourism app TagThai to offer full range of services in October
TagThai, a tourism application supported by 49 public and private agencies, is set to offer full service sometime in October after six months of delay.
— Bangkok Post

Feature photo John Le Fevre

This week’s Thailand morning news feature photo focuses on World Day against Trafficking in Persons, July 30.

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 July 30 added by John Le Fevre on July 30, 2019
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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.