Thailand returns to roots as food exports soar
Thailand is returning to its economic roots as a food producer, with overseas demand for rice, seafood, fruit and other edibles bolstering exports even as the Covid-19 pandemic dents production and shipments of manufactured goods.
— Bangkok Post
Gov’t May Lift All Pandemic Travel Restrictions This Weekend
Travel restrictions might be completely lifted this weekend as the country’s coronavirus caseload continues to wane, a senior official said Tuesday.
— Khaosod English
Phuket airport to reopen to domestic flights on June 15
Domestic flights to and from this southern island province will resume on June 15, the provincial communicable disease committee announced on Tuesday.
— Bangkok Post
Thailand records one new COVID-19 case and one death
A Thai student, who returned from Saudi Arabia and is currently in state quarantine in Thailand’s southern province of Songkhla, is Tuesday’s only new COVID-19 case, bringing cumulative infections in the country to 3,083.
— Thai PBS News
90% cut on land, building taxes
The cabinet has approved the cut of the tax on land and buildings by 90% of the amount due for the 2020 tax year to relieve people’s burden, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said.
— Bangkok Post
Whistleblower Soldier Says He Is Ready to Face Trial
A soldier who spoke out about the alleged corruption in the army said Tuesday he’s willing to face any legal repercussions for his actions.
— Khaosod English
PM says he won’t get involved in ruling Palang Pracharat internal politics
Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has distanced himself from the latest internal strife within the ruling Palang Pracharat party, as 18 members of the executive committee resign en masse to pave the way for the election of the new executive committee, party leader and secretary-general.
— Thai PBS News
Thailand’s House of Representatives approves 4 royal decrees
At the Parliament House, Bangkok, members of the House of Representatives met and voted to approve the following Royal Decrees: -May 31, 2020.
— Pattaya Mail
Students and workers call for lifting of Emergency Decree
Students have joined hands with labour organizations in submitting a letter urging the government to lift the Emergency Decree after the cabinet decided to extend it to 30 June.
— Prachatai English
Cabinet approves B290bn upgrade for U-Tapao airport
The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a bid by a consortium led by BTS Group Holdings Plc for an airport development project worth 290 billion baht.
— Bangkok Post
COVID not spreading undetected, task force says, vowing vigilance
Health officials today denied that the failure to detect new locally transmitted coronavirus infections means they aren’t trying hard enough.
— Coconuts Thailand
Thailand plans ‘travel bubbles’ when borders reopen
The government plans to create so-called “travel bubbles” through bilateral agreements designed to keep the novel coronavirus in check when Thailand’s borders are reopened.
— Bangkok Post travel
National poll says mental health problems on the rise
follow us in feedlyStress from finances as well as health worries has increased during the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Suan Dusit University poll. Researchers from the Bangkok university asked 1,239 people last week what their top concerns were, finding that mental health problems such as stress and anxiety have gotten much worse.
— The Thaiger
Chaturon casts himself a new political role
In his 34 years as a politician, Chaturon Chaisang has never been out of the spotlight. Despite being ousted by three coups, seeing his parties dissolved twice and being banned from politics once, the 64-year-old has never lost sight of his professed core aim – to restore democracy in Thailand.
— Thai PBS News
Farmers to hand back chemicals
Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Mananya Thaiset on Monday warned farmers to return their stocks of herbicide paraquat and pesticide chlorpyrifos within 90 days now that the ban on the two chemicals is in effect.
— Bangkok Post
Thailand considers revamping 2018-2037 national strategy
The Thai government is planning to make adjustments to its national strategy to keep abreast of changing social and economic trends caused by the global economic slowdown and the COVID-19 pandemic.
— Vietnamplus
Senate – Government should quickly restore country post COVID-19
The Senate is deliberating executive decrees aimed at boosting Thai economy post-COVID-19, proposed by the Cabinet, after they were approved at a meeting of the House of Representatives.
— Newsline (video)
Thailand begins herd immunity study in Pattani as the world questions the response to Covid 19
Thailand’s authorities have fared well in protecting the country against the Covid 19 virus but it is not yet clear how the kingdom will return to complete normality.
— ThaiExaminer.com
Thailand’s cancelled Songkran festival to add holidays in July
The cabinet discussed the effects of the third phase of business resumption while the culture minister planned long holidays in lieu of the Songkran holiday cancelled in April.
— Pattaya Mail
Thailand’s farm-to-table resilience featured in food export jump
Thailand is returning to its economic roots as a food producer, with overseas demand for rice, seafood, fruit and other edibles bolstering exports even as the Covid-19 pandemic dents production and shipments of manufactured goods.
— The Business Times
Thai investor confidence rises, policy rate seen on hold – surveys
Investor confidence in Thailand’s financial markets over the next three months has hit its highest level this year, helped by the sooner-than-expected easing of a coronavirus lockdown, a capital market association said on Tuesday.
— Reuters
Thai exports to shrink 8% this year, baht climb a concern, say shippers
Thailand’s exports are still expected to contract 8 per cent this year as the coronavirus pandemic hits global trade, with a recent rise in the baht adding to the pressure, a Thai shipping association said on Tuesday.
— The Business Times
Panel okays rubber price initiative
The National Rubber Policy Committee yesterday agreed in principle to the second phase of the rubber price guarantee scheme, but told the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry to lower its budget to 30 billion baht from 43 billion.
— Bangkok Post
Thailand ranks 8th for protecting children’s rights under pressure due to COVID-19
Ministry of Education disclosed that Thailand has been ranked 8th on the ‘KIDSRIGHTS INDEX 2020’ for the country’s protection of children’s rights under pressure due to COVID-19. The KidsRights Index covers five domains with a total of 20 indicators.
— Pattaya Mail
Phuket closes COVID-19 field hospital
The Phuket provincial administration has closed down its first field hospital in the city’s town hall previously established to accommodate recovering COVID-19 patients, as the outbreak situation in the province has improved significantly.
— Newsline (video)
Thai Vietjet offers 1-year complimentary travel to medical staff
Thai Vietjet, the new age carrier, presented to H.E. Anutin Charnvirakul, Deputy Prime Minister, at the office of Ministry of Public Health, the airline’s official offer of complimentary flights to medical staff who have joined in the combat against COVID-19.
— Bangkok Post
Thailand Extends Visas for Migrant Workers until July 31
The Thai cabinet on Tuesday approved visa extensions until July 31 for about 1 million migrant workers from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar to ease potential labor shortages as the country’s economy reopens.
— Benar News
Thailand’s other pandemic
May* stood impassively over the lifeless body of her estranged husband. A pistol clinched tightly in her trembling right hand.
— Bangkok Post
Nine Thai department stores, shopping centres first to get ‘SHA’ Health Certification
Nine of Thailand’s biggest department stores and shopping centres are the first to be awarded the “Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration: SHA” certificates.
— Pattaya Mail
UPDATE 1-Thai central bank says economic outlook uncertain amid virus outbreak
Thailand’s economic outlook is highly uncertain because of the coronavirus’s impact on the global economy, with risks to the outlook tilting downward, the central bank said on Tuesday.
— Reuters
SRT setting sights on encroachers to boost safety
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has announced it is taking tough action against encroachers on its land in Bangkok to ensure safety for the general public in adjacent communities.
— Bangkok Post
Re-energising Thai-US relations
In the 12 weeks since Michael George DeSombre took up the post of US ambassador to Thailand, he has penned three articles and conducted several rounds of interviews, praising Thailand’s extraordinary roles in public health, the Mekong sub-region and global and regional supply chains.
— Bangkok Post
Massage, spa businesses to register on Government’s website
Massage and spa businesses are now ready to reopen in the third stage of the easing of social restrictions, imposed earlier to help limit the spread of COVID-19.
— Newsline (video)
Govt to allow scrutiny panel
The ruling Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) has no objection to calls for a special House committee to be formed to scrutinise the Covid-19 economic recovery spending, said chief government whip Wirach Ratanasate on Monday.
— Bangkok Post
Lottery sellers and street vendors in Thailand in need of spaces, locations
Lottery sellers and street vendors met with a PMO Minister, asking for government assistance and remedies for the disruptions they are suffering as a result of the State of Emergency.
— Pattaya Mail
Thailand hosts 6th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games next year
The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) released the dates for the 6th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG), set on May 21-30, 2021 at Bangkok and Pattaya cities in Thailand.
— CNN Philippines
Chinese man arrested for growing cannabis in warehouse
A Chinese man was arrested in Bangkok’s Bang Kapi district on Tuesday and charged with growing 1,000 cannabis plants in a warehouse for online sale.
— Bangkok Post
Tourists Trickling Back to Thailand’s Empty Beaches
With the threat of coronavirus declining each day, tourists are now making way back to Thailand’s beaches and islands.
— Khaosod English
Rescue worker dies in Korat crash
A member of a local charity foundation rescue unit, Hook 31, was killed when the pickup truck he was driving crashed into the rear of a trailer truck in Non Sung district on Tuesday afternoon.
— Bangkok Post
Culture Ministry proposes holidays from July 4th to 9th for Songkran celebrations
Thailand’s Ministry of Culture will propose, to the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), the declaration of special public holidays, from July 4th to 9th, for belated Songkran celebrations, which were postponed from mid-April due to the coronavirus pandemic.
— Thai PBS News
Thailand and Taiwan will open up to Italian apples
With local authorities having approved the preparatory Memorandum of Understanding. Italian companies are ready to start exports to the two large Asian markets.
— Fresh Plaza
Thai netizens in stitches over 158,000 baht Gucci “Granny” dress
A158,000 baht dress, described by the fashion house Gucci as, “a ready-to-wear silk taffeta dress with a detachable cape” is being mocked by Thai fashionistas who point out the similarity to traditional outfits worn by older Thai women.
— The Thaiger
Phone hackers empty out woman’s bank account
A pharmacist’s phone was hacked. That was bad enough, but then 430,000 baht was taken from her bank account last Friday, only leaving behind 70 baht. It was the woman’s life savings.
— The Thaiger
Government denies any link between contact-tracing app and spam messages
The spokesman for the Thai government’s Covid-19 task force is urging more people to use its contact-tracing technology, denying there is any connection between it and a recent influx of gambling spam many phone users have complained about. Dr. Taweesilp Wisanuyothin says the app is easy to use and a vital tool in the fight to control any further spread or “second wave” of the Covid-19 virus.
— The Thaiger
Elderly Thai man dies after infected at Malaysian mosque meetup
An 80-year-old man who attended a religious gathering in Malaysia died on Monday of COVID-19 in Narathiwat province, according to the provincial officials.
— Coconuts Thailand
Priorities much? Thai school only wants masks in ‘polite’ colors
Education officials tiptoed back with their hands in the air from one school’s radioactive instructions that female students only wear face masks in “polite colors.”
— Coconuts Thailand
Village head killed in rail crossing crash
A village head was killed when his pickup truck was by a Phitsanulok-bound passenger train at a railway crossing in Phayuha Khiri district of Nakhon Sawan on Tuesday morning.
— Bangkok Post
Thai Restaurant in Minneapolis, Protected by Black Volunteers, Lends a Hand
Save for one shattered window, Khun Nai Thai Cuisine in Minneapolis was protected from looting by a group of volunteers, which include black Americans and Jamaican-Americans.
— Khaosod English
Investors cautious amid uncertain outlook
Investor confidence for the three months into August remains in neutral territory as bullish hopes based on government stimulus are weighed down by listed companies’ performance and ambiguous economic recovery.
— Bangkok Post
‘Bored’ Bangkok man connects patrons to bars closed by pandemic
What pet project have you accomplished while stuck at home during the pandemic? One Bangkok man used his time to call nearly 300 bars in Bangkok and Singapore, one by one every day for weeks, to ask how they were getting by.
— Coconuts Thailand
Songkran in July? New dates floated for postponed holiday
Officials are eyeing next month for reinstating traditional New Year’s holidays after they were postponed due to the pandemic.
— Coconuts Thailand
Temple Ordered to Repaint Mural Depicting Meme Celeb
Officials on Monday instructed a temple in the central region to remove a picture of a celebrity on its religious murals, saying it was “inappropriate.”
— Khaosod English
Bangkok man shoots, injures friend
AThai man has shot his best friend in Bangkok over the weekend after he found out his friend had an affair with his ex-wife. The 34 year old man, reported as ‘Paratkorn’, found photos of his wife and friend, 31 year old Pongsitthat. In a fit of rage, he shot and injured Pongsitthat.
— The Thaiger
Antique Treasure Mall is Back, But Many Customers Aren’t
Bangsue Junction, Bangkok’s leading indoor vintage mall, reopened on Friday after a two months hiatus due to government’s anti-coronavirus measures. But customers have yet to return.
— Khaosod English
Chartered Flight Brings Thai Mangosteen to Chinese Customers
A charter flight has sent 15 tonnes of mangosteen from Thailand to Lanzhou, capital of northwest China’s Gansu Province.
— Khaosod English
Feature photo Volunteer Thailand
This week’s Thailand morning news feature photo focuses on the Thai culture of helping neighbours
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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#Independentmedia
Governance, not government; policies not politics.

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