Tell PM to stop weapons purchases, end corruption: academic’s message to country’s richest
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s open letter seeking support from the country’s richest has drawn harsh criticism from netizens while an academic urged him to scrap weapons purchases and get rid of corruption.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
Air pollution in Bangkok falls to lowest level in 2020
Bangkok recorded the lowest air quality index in 2020 today, according to aqicn.org. The website data show that Bangkok air quality index (AQI) had a PM2.5 level of only 53 micrograms per cubic metre (μg/m3) on average.
— The Thaiger
Unemployment soars to 700,000 as factories close
The number of people claiming unemployment benefits has almost doubled to 700,000 people from December last year, with 140,000 registering in March alone.
— Bangkok Post
32 new COVID-19 infections today but no fatalities
Thailand’s new COVID-19 infections today fell slightly to 32, from yesterday’s 33, and no deaths were reported for the second consecutive day.
— Thai PBS News
Medical professor cautions against prematurely claiming COVID-19 is under control in Thailand
Dr. Prasit Watanapa, dean of the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, has warned it is still too soon to conclude that the country is better controlling the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
— Pattaya Mail
GPO seeks raw materials from China to build up depleting stocks of antiviral drug
The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) has contacted China to procure antiviral drug chemicals to make Favipiravir in order to treat Covid-19 patients in the country.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
Un-milled Thai rice fetches highest price in 10 years
The price of un-milled Thai rice, for the 2019-2020 crop year, has increased to between 10,800 and 11,000 baht per tonne, which is the highest in about a decade.
— Thai PBS News
Six years after rights activist Billy disappeared, justice remains elusive
Amnesty International has urged authorities to ensure that the family of Karen human rights activist Billy learn the truth of what happened to him after he was last seen in the custody of Kaeng Krachan National Park officials on April 17, 2014, saying his suspected killing should not go unpunished.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
Government moves to clarify that it is not seeking cash from the kingdom’s richest business leaders
Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam and government spokeswoman Narumon Pinyosinwat have reacted to online criticism following the announcement by Thailand’s Prime Minister on Friday night that he is seeking advice and guidance from 20 of the country’s richest business leaders as the government maps out an economic comeback.
— ThaiExaminer.com
Thailand’s Covid-19 mortality rate among lowest in the world
The Covid-19 mortality rate in Thailand is at 1.7 per cent, which is almost four times lower than the global average, while the recovery rate is at 62.5 per cent, the Ministry of Public Health said.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
Coronavirus KO: Thai fighters in despair as rings fall silent
Training in masks, two metres apart, Thailand’s professional fighters are battling a new reality — shuttered gyms and cancelled tournaments after the coronavirus pandemic left them suddenly out of work.
— RFI
Construction sector teeters under Covid-19 fallout
The nationwide lockdown and curfew have hit the construction industry in Thailand very badly, said Angsurat Areekul, president of the Thai Contractors Association.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
Egg farmers’ SOS to government
Eggs are in oversupply again. This time egg farmers are urging the government to lift the ban on exports, otherwise egg farms might have to shut down due to high costs
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
Daily new cases must fall below 10 to contain Covid-19
To keep the spread of Covid-19 at bay, daily new cases have to be in single digits, the spokesman of the government’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) said, urging people to continue wearing masks and observe social distancing even if some lockdown restrictions are eased at the end of this month.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
Number of Covid-19-free provinces in two weeks increases to 33
The situation in Thailand has started to get better as the number of provinces without a new case in the last 14 days increased by four to 33.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
Hundreds of Thais from Malaysia arrive without proper documentation
Nearly 300 Thai people returning from Malaysia were found to have entered Su-ngai Kolok without proper documentation.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
Chonburi Government releases new order regarding food charity events-police MUST be informed in advance
The Chonburi Government has released a new order, effective today, regarding food charity in events in the Chonburi area, which includes Pattaya.
— The Pattaya News
Thailand plans flight to repatriate 100 citizens from Vietnam
The flight would take Thai citizens and tourists in Vietnam back home at a time of travel restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
— The Hanoitimes
1,787 Covid-19 patients fully recover, discharged from hospital
Let’s kick things off with the latest development of the novel coronavirus.
— NBT World (video)
Thailand adjusts fruit distribution plan as exports suffer from COVID-19
Thai Ministry of Commerce is putting more emphasis on domestic markets for fruit sales this year, as the export sector is suffering from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
— Pattaya Mail
Myanmar-Thailand border drops $2.32 million this financial year
Myanmar-Thailand border trade has dropped by $24.27 million and stands at US$2.13 billion between 1 October and 3 April in this fiscal 2019-2020, according to the Global New Light of Myanmar.
— Mizzima
Vegetable garden program to help cope with COVID-19
A program to promote planting garden vegetables over a 90-day period has been initiated in southern Thailand to help the region deal with the impact of the coronavirus.
— NBT World (video)
Myanmar-Thailand border drops $2.32 million this financial year
Myanmar-Thailand border trade has dropped by $24.27 million and stands at US$2.13 billion between 1 October and 3 April in this fiscal 2019-2020, according to the Global New Light of Myanmar.
— Mizzima
Thailand Corporate Profit Outlook Is Bleakest in Southeast Asia
Estimating and comparing companies’ results in the first quarter since the Covid-19 outbreak is more a guessing game than a science. By any measure, though, the outlook for Thailand Inc. is more bleak than for peers across Southeast Asia.
— Bloomberg
Thailand’s Former WHO Chief Calls for New Virus Testing Strategy
Thailand faces a call for a different testing approach to help guide decisions about reopening its economy following a drop in daily coronavirus infections.
— Bloomberg
Songkhla Zoo emphasizing mental health of animals under COVID-19 lockdown
Songkhla Zoo in the southern province of Songkhla has made known it is still fully caring for its animals despite being shut down during the coronavirus outbreak, keeping animals relaxed and free of stress.
— NBT World (video)
Millions of Orchids Are Being Thrown Out by Top World Exporter
As global tourism collapses, so does the orchid industry in top exporter Thailand, where the flowers are regarded as a symbol of hospitality.
— Bloomberg
Bangkok Hospital Pattaya harnesses AI to diagnose Covid-19
Bangkok Hospital Pattaya is the first hospital in Southeast Asia using artificial intelligence to analyze medical scans to diagnose Covid-19.
— Pattaya Mail
Public, private organizations providing relief amid COVID-19
Various agencies across the nation have provided assistance to people coping with the coronavirus, passing out relief supplies and donating food.
— NBT World (video)
Thammasat Opens Laboratory for Quick Testing of COVID-19 to Support Other Hospitals
Thammasat University has offered laboratory testing in Allied Health Sciences in order to support hospital work, delivering accurate and fast results.
— QS WOW News (media release)
“Thailand’s Covid-19 death rate is a quarter of the world average, recovery rate is high”
A spokesman for Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health claimed that the country’s mortality rate from Covid-19 is about a quarter of the world average at just 1.7%, while the recovery rate has climbed past 69%.
— The Thaiger
Another 100 Thais return from Malaysia via Songkhla checkpoint
About 100 Thais who had been stranded in Malaysia returned to Thailand on Sunday (April 19) at 9am via the 24-hour Customs, Immigration and Quarantine checkpoint in the Sadao district of Songkhla province.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
Ubon Ratchathani tightens entry for visitors to province
Every person entering Ubon Ratchathani via land, air or water must report to communicable disease control officials and remain in quarantine as required by Department of Communicable Disease Control.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
Chula virologist appeals for blood plasma donations to treat Covid-19 patients
Covid-19 is a new disease caused by a virus, so there is no specific treatment, Dr Yong Poovorawan, an expert virologist at Chulalongkorn University, said while advocating the use of plasma to treat patients.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
Covid-19 wipes out 95 per cent of currency exchange business
Currency exchange businesses have been severely affected by the Covid-19 crisis, with transactions down almost 95 per cent in value from last year.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
Over 850,000 apply for low-interest loans from GSB
Government Savings Bank (GSB) reported on Saturday (April 18) that as of 7am, 853,169 people had applied for low-interest loans with total value of Bt21.348 billion.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
Covid-19 can be contracted by touching objects
The Department of Disease Control has warned of the risk of Covid-19 being transmitted through the use of bags.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
Officials say handout budget ample
The Finance Ministry says the government’s planned budget allocation of 550 billion baht to finance a monthly 5,000-baht cash handout scheme is ample to pay those adversely affected by the coronavirus outbreak, as well as fund the government’s measures to contain the contagion.
— Bangkok Post
SRT board endorses B10bn section bids
The board of the State Railway of Thailand has endorsed the winning bids for two sections of the Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima as part of the government’s high-speed railway project.
— Bangkok Post
TDRI predicts coronavirus may push Thailand’s poor 18.9 million
A researcher at Thailand’s economic think-tank, the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), has predicted that the number of poor people in Thailand might grow three-fold to about 18.9 million if…
— Thai PBS News
Commerce Ministry ready to hand over 10% of its budget
The Commerce Ministry has allocated 10 per cent of its budget to help with the government’s battle to alleviate the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak, Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit said on Friday (April 17).
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
HM the King approves B1.9tn plan to limit coronavirus impact
His Majesty the King has approved laws to implement spending measures worth 1.9 trillion baht to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus on the economy.
— Bangkok Post
Central malls ready to open on May 1 if government gives the green light
Central Group is prepared to reopen its shopping malls on May 1 if the lockdown order is lifted by the government.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
Virus outbreak forces more layoffs at Thai Lion Air
Thai Lion Air is reducing its workforce again amid the freezing of its business due to the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
— Bangkok Post
Nakhon Si Thammarat merchants defy warnings to open flea market
Residents of Nakian subdistrict in Nakhon Si Thammarat province defied official warnings from the local government and held a flea market during Ramadan.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
Pattaya sees a very different Wan Lai this year due to the Covid19 Coronavirus
Today is April 19 in Pattaya, traditionally known as Wan Lai in the area and is in normal years the culmination of a week long ever escalating and growing celebration to commemorate the Thai New Year, known as Songkran.
— The Pattaya News
Back to business – time for Thailand’s tourist industry to get ready
Tourism is a vital part of Thailand’s economy. And as the country emerges into the post-Covid world, getting tourists back to the country will be an essential springboard to the rest of the Thai economy.
— The Thaiger
4 pro golfers, 131 students allowed to return to Thailand
4 of Thailand’s most successful international golf champions, including Ariya Jutanugarn, her sister Moriya and Kiradech Aphibarnrat arrived home last night after weeks trapped in the US.
— The Thaiger
Thai Lion Air ready to fly domestic routes in May
Thai Lion Air is ready to reopen domestic routes by May 1 and assured it had no intention to go out of business.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
8 Thai women finally return home from Myanmar via Mae Sot
Eight Thai women who had worked in Myanmar returned to Thailand via Mae Sot district of this northern border province on Sunday morning.
— Bangkok Post
15 curfew breakers arrested in Chon Buri for drinking, gambling and playing snooker – VIDEO
Police in Chon Buri have reported the arrest of yet another 15 curfew breakers for drinking, gambling and playing snooker during the during the hours of the national curfew.
— The Thaiger
Navy delays sub purchases as it slashes budget by a third
All ministries in the Thai government have been instructed to contribute 10% of their 2020 budgets to the fight against Covid-19.
— The Thaiger
Migrant workers left out in Thailand’s fight against COVID-19
May Oo Sen is among millions of people in Thailand who have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
— CNA
Krabi confirms two new Covid-19 cases
Krabi has two additional cases of Covid-19 infections — an American tourist, aged 49, and his Thai wife, aged 33, provincial governor Lt-Colonel ML Kitibadee Prawit said on Saturday (April 18).
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
Wissanu denies government ‘begging’ for money by reaching out to tycoons
Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam on Saturday clarified that the open letters the government would write to 20 of the richest Thais was not an exercise in begging for money.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
Four new BTS stations ready to open in June
Test runs to four new BTS Skytrain stations beyond Kasetsart University station (N13) have started since April 8, Manit Techa-apichoke, president of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration-owned Krungthep Thanakhom Co, said.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
TAT expects 16m international tourists
Thailand is likely to close this year with only 16 million international tourists and 60 million domestic trips, far below the pre-coronavirus targets of 40 million and 172 million respectively, according to Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
— Bangkok Post
Ministry launches mobile fruit stores to roam capital
The Commerce Ministry yesterday introduced Thong Fah low-priced mobile fruit stores in pickup trucks, the latest move to dispose of abundant fruit during the harvest season.
— Bangkok Post
91 branches for merged bank
TMB-Thanachart Bank, the consolidation of two banks, plans to launch 91 co-location branches this year, paving the way for the banks to complete their integration processes.
— Bangkok Post
Going home to Isaan: the end of the line for the “COVID-19 spreaders”
The exodus of Isaan people fleeing the COVID-19 outbreak in Bangkok was, in part, a result of government incompetence.
— Isaan Record
CP Group launches its first face mask factory
Thailand’s agro-industrial giant, the Charoen Pokphand Group, yesterday presented the first batch of 100,000 surgical face masks, produced in its own factory, to Chulalongkorn Hospital.
— Thai PBS News
120 Thais Marooned in US by Coronavirus Ask to Come Home
More than a hundred Thais, including students, in the United States are pleading to be allowed to travel back to their homeland.
— Khaosod English
The Soul of Molam (15) – Masters of the khaen and the future of disappearing molam styles
The molam we know today stems from a century-old Lao tradition that is being transformed by its mingling with central Thai forms and international styles.
— Isaan Record
Lottery postponements to hit state coffers
Postponing the state lottery will not only affect the incomes of large and small traders, but also the government who will lose out on remittances from the Government Lottery Office (GLO).
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
Monk defrocked and arrested after allegedly shooting man in the testicles
A monk at Wat Mongkhol Nimit in Samut Prakan, just south of Bangkok, has been defrocked and arrested for shooting another man who was living at the same temple.
— The Thaiger
Crowd at Don Muang who gathered for food donations told to monitor symptoms
A crowd of people who recently picked up food donations in the Don Muang district of Bangkok will have to observe their own symptoms, as they are deemed a group at risk of being infected with Covid-19.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
Stores to get health stamp of approval
The Department of Health is going to issue electronic certificates to ensure public hygiene standards after the government allows businesses and shops to operate as normal.
— Bangkok Post
Six crewmen rescued from sea after trawler sinks
The last two members of a fishing boat that sank off Chumphon province on Wednesday (April 15) were plucked from the sea and rushed to hospital on Friday (April 17), bringing a successful end to the rescue mission.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
A city silenced
Downtown Bangkok that used to be a hub of activity is now eerily quiet even on weekends due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
— The Nation (very annoying popups)
Feature photo Faculty of ICT, Mahidol University
This week’s Thailand morning news feature photo focuses on International Girls in ICT Day, April 23
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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About Thailand morning news.
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Thailand morning news for April 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.
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- 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