Thailand morning news for May 21, 2020

Fate of emergency decree to be decided Thursday
Officials will decide on Thursday on the future of the emergency decree, which is due to end on May 31, National Security Council secretary-general Somsak Roongsita said on Wednesday.
— Bangkok Post

More trouble for ailing Thai Airways as Airbus calls in its debts
Even as struggling national flag carrier Thai Airways strives to come up with blueprint for financial recovery, Airbus is calling in its debts on 30 aircraft rented by the airline.
— The Thaiger

Thai central bank cuts policy rate by 25 basis points to 0.50%
The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of Thailand has cut the benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points, to a new record low of 0.50%, with immediate effect….
— Thai PBS News

18 year old daughter allegedly raped multiple times by father
Thai media report that an 18 year old girl was raped multiple times over 8 years by her own father.
— The Thaiger

Domestic car sales plunge 65% in April
Domestic car sales shrank for an 11th straight month in April, tumbling 65.02% from a year earlier to 30,109 vehicles, as the coronavirus outbreak dampened demand, the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) said on Wednesday.
— Bangkok Post

Large sea turtle found dead on Pattaya area beach
A 15 years old sea turtle was found dead on Pattaya beach today. Pattaya marine rescue workers were notified from tourists that a large sea turtle was found dead on a Pattaya area beach this afternoon.
— The Pattaya News

Last Covid-19 patient in Songklanagarind hospital sent home
A hospital on the front lines fighting Covid-19 in the Hat Yai district of the southern province of Songkhla has released its last remaining Covid-19 patient.
— The Thaiger

Thailand leads SE Asia markets higher on rate cut
Most Southeast Asian stock markets rose on Wednesday, with Thailand leading the pack, after the Bank of Thailand cut its benchmark interest rate to a record low to cushion the economy from the coronavirus impact.
— Bangkok Post

Focus shifts from Covid-19 to political challenges facing Prayut govt
As coronavirus-related restrictions ease and people gradually resume their normal lives, Thai politics is all set to heat up again.
— Thai PBS News

Former National Office of Buddhism officials given heavy prison terms
Former director of the National Office of Buddhism (NoB), Panom Sornsilp, and three other former senior officials were yesterday handed heavy prison sentences, after they were found guilty of corruption in connection with temple funds by the Criminal Court for Corruption Cases.
— Thai PBS News

Thai Airways: Up in the Air
The national carrier is flying into turbulence, and its woes are being compounded by a near-standstill in global air travel.
— ISEAS

Opposition wants more time to debate 1.9 trillion baht loan decrees
The Opposition has voiced objection to the duration of the three-day parliamentary debate on the Government’s three executive decrees, to seek 1.9 trillion baht in loans, claiming that they need more time because of the huge amount of indebtedness the loans create.
— Thai PBS News

Thailand says it expects COVID-19 vaccine next year after tests in mice
Thailand expects to have a vaccine for the novel coronavirus ready next year, a senior official said on Wednesday (May 20), after finding positive trial results in mice.
— CNA

‘The Terminal’ BKK Edition: Stranded Nigerians living in airport since March
Three Nigerian nationals living inside Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport nearly two months have been surviving on the generosity of airport employees.
— Coconuts Thailand

10 years and still counting: Activists gather to seek justice for 2010’s dead
A small crowd gathered early Tuesday evening around Ratchaprasong intersection to commemorate the scores killed when massive street protests were put down violently by the army on May 19, 2010.
— Coconuts Thailand

Thailand detains 15 Rohingya migrants for illegal entry
Police in Thailand have arrested 15 Rohingya Muslims on charges of illegal entry and are investigating the possibility that they could be victims of human trafficking.
— CNA

Former foreign minister Surapong dies of cancer
Former foreign minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul died of liver cancer at Siriraj Hospital on Wednesday. He was 67.
— Bangkok Post

COVID-19 to stay for 1-2 more years, public cooperation key to success
The Chief of the Thai Red Cross Emerging Infectious Diseases Clinical Center (TRC – EIDCC) at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital has warned members of the public that the ‘second wave’ of the COVID-19 outbreak will likely happen.
— Newsline (video)

People continue to contribute to food bank campaign across Thailand
Thais from all walks of life have continued to contribute to the food bank program, sharing food to people in need during the time of the COVID-19 outbreak.
— Newsline (video)

Most parts of PDPA to be deferred by a year
The cabinet has agreed to postpone the enforcement of most chapters of the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) by a year to give the public and private sectors time to prepare their internal processes and ease the financial burden they are shouldering during the coronavirus pandemic.
— Bangkok Post

Thailand leads ASEAN in 5G rollout due to pandemic
The novel coronavirus pandemic has prompted Thailand’s major telecom operators to rev up deployment of fifth-generation technologies, making it the first country in the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations to have commercial 5G services.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)

KBank app handling transfers in 12 currencies
Kasikornbank is doubling the number of foreign-denominated currencies to 12 in KBank’s international money transfer service via mobile banking app K Plus, covering 30 countries.
— Bangkok Post

“Thai Chana” app does not violate personal data
The government’s Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) insists that the “Thai Chana ” application does not intrude users’ personal data.
— Newsline (video)

COVID-19 patient plasma therapy yields favorable outcome
Songklanagarind Hospital has reportedly treated a COVID-19 patient successfully using plasma, delivering antibodies from a recovered patient to help improve the condition of another patient in very bad health.
— Newsline (video)

94y jail term for ex-Buddhism office chief
The jail term for ex-Buddhist office chief Phanom Sornsilp rose to 94 years when a court sentenced him for repeated embezzlement of temple funds.
— Bangkok Post

Thailand to build desalination plant to serve industrial production
The Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) is planning to invest in a water desalination plant to supply the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) in response to ongoing and future droughts.
— Vietnamplus

FTI supplies Hospital Medical Innovations for COVID-19 Patients
Although the number of new COVID-19 patients is reducing every day, many sectors are still maintaining their effort to eliminate the disease.
— Newsline (video)

Gov’t Online English Lesson Ridiculed for Multiple Errors
An online English learning class broadcasted by the government was met with ridicule on social media Wednesday for the teacher’s serial mispronunciations.
— Khaosod English

Thai prisons to reopen for visitors at the start of June, says Department of Corrections
The Thai Justice department, in conjunction with the Department of Corrections, announced today they will reopen for visitors effective from the first of June.
— The Pattaya News

Thai Airways union backs down, supports bankruptcy restructuring
The Thai Airways workers union will not oppose the government’s plan to reduce holdings in the airline and petition for restructuring through the bankruptcy court, the union’s president said on Wednesday.
— Bangkok Post

Temple closes to mark decade since redshirt crackdown
A Bangkok temple, where 6 people were shot and killed by the military during the 2010 “redshirt” political protests, has closed during the tragic event’s 10 year anniversary.
— The Thaiger

Security guard stabbed to death in Samut Prakan
A female motorbike taxi driver has allegedly stabbed a security guard to death after a quarrel at a parking building in Samut Prakan, just south of Bangkok.
— The Thaiger

Tracing Website Now Includes Info of 5 Million People
A Thai chef in state quarantine after returning from Bahrain tested positive for the coronavirus, the spokesman for the government’s pandemic response team said Wednesday.
— Khaosod English

Thai Airways must ‘stand on its own feet,’ PM says of bankrupt national airline
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha has defended the “difficult decision” to send the national carrier to bankruptcy court in a carefully worded English statement.
— Coconuts Thailand

Gov’t Stockpiles Anti-Viral Drugs in Case of 2nd Wave Outbreak
Thailand’s Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) said in a press briefing on Tuesday that it is currently stockpiling about 400,000 doses of anti-viral drug Favipiravir, in case a second wave of COVID-19 outbreak erupts.
— Khaosod English

Baht is Asia’s top outperformer on tourism rebound bet
After lagging other Asian currencies for most of the year, Thailand’s baht has staged a sharp rebound to outperform its peers.
— Bangkok Post

Organic rice gets trade boost
The Commerce Ministry has registered a domain for Thai farm and food products, TraceThai.com, with local organic rice chosen as the pilot product given its high value, strong market demand and export potential.
— Bangkok Post

National 5G Committee welcomes 26 members
The 26-member National 5G Committee has been formed with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha as chairman to coordinate the nation’s 5G development in line with the digital economy roadmap.
— Bangkok Post

Cleaning Khaosan Road
Workers from the Phra Nakhon district office and volunteers conduct a thorough cleanup of Khao San following the popular tourist road’s refurbishment. Photos | Pattarapong Chatpattarasill
— Bangkok Post

‘Hygienic’ Carts Launched for a Better Street Food Culture
New street food carts unveiled Wednesday by a university come with a promise to make the food culture cleaner and more friendly to the environment.
— Khaosod English

Pattaya police chief battles Thailand’s Iron Chef in cook-off for the needy – VIDEO
Police in Pattaya are doing more than continue their project to cook food for the needy and unemployed: yesterday they had an upbeat cook-off between the police chief and a famous Thai TV chef.
— The Thaiger

New normal: Shopping at malls a lonely experience as Bangkok emerges from COVID-19 lockdown
Jenjira Mitakhot did not expect to hang out with her friend across a divider when they revisited Central World for the first time in nearly four months.
— CNA

5 dead in high speed Surin crash
5 are dead after a pickup truck traveling at high speed crashed into a Mitsubishi Pajero in Issan’s Surin province yesterday.
— The Thaiger

Chon Buri pedestrian dies in hit-and-run incident
A hit-and-run incident early this morning has left an unidentified male pedestrian, believed to be Thai, dead in Chon Buri’s Banglamung district.
— The Thaiger

Universities Set up Funds for Students Affected by COVID
Prominent universities around Thailand are taking action to help students whose livelihood has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
— Khaosod English

‘Tesla of Thailand’ keeps factories running in virus lockdown
Thailand’s biggest electric-vehicle venture has stayed mostly in gear during the Covid-19 pandemic, with Energy Absolute Plc (EA) ontinuing construction on a lithium-ion battery plant and vehicle development.
— Bangkok Post

Feature photo Spiew Skch
This week’s Thailand morning news feature photo focuses on feeding those impacted by COVID-19 #FeedThePeople

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 May 21 added by John Le Fevre on May 21, 2020
View all posts by John Le Fevre →

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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.