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Thammasat Group Launches Sign-Up Campaign To Put Off PM Vote For 10 Months by TNR Staff Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat with leaders of coalition partners in May this year. Photo: Sanook.com THE United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration posted a message on its Facebook page today (July 25) calling on people to sign a petition in support of the eight parties in the Pheu Thai-led coalition standing firmly together until the tenure of this group of senators ends in 10 months’ time, Matichon newspaper said. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1301711-thammasat-group-launches-sign-up-campaign-to-put-off-pm-vote-for-10-months/

THE United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration posted a message on its Facebook page today (July 25) calling on people to sign a petition in support of the eight parties in the Pheu Thai-led coalition standing firmly together until the tenure of this group of senators ends in 10 months’ time, Matichon newspaper said. In the message that said “we believe that MPs will listen to the people’s voice” the Thammasat group urged the public to sign their petition for the eight parties to stay together until senators lose their power in joining MPs to vote for a prime minister in May 2024. The unelected senators had abstained from voting or voted against Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat for prime minister and denied a second chance for him to be named one in recent joint House/Senate meetings. by TNR Staff Top: Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat with leaders of coalition partners in May this year. Photo: Sanook.com Full story: https://thainewsroom.com/2023/07/25/thammasat-group-launches-sign-up-campaign-to-put-off-pm-vote-for-10-months/ -- © Copyright THAI NEWSROOM 2023-07-26 - Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

House Speaker Postpones Prime Ministerial Voting on July 27th By Tanakorn Panyadee National — House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha on Tuesday, July 25th, decided to postpone the prime ministerial voting originally set for July 27th. The move was made due to the Constitutional Court’s pending decision on the Office of the Ombudsman’s petition about Pita Limjaroenrat’s rejection for PM renomination on July 19th. Pita, leader and PM candidate for the Move Forward Party, was opposed by 394 parliamentarians for being re-nominated as a prime minister based on a parliamentary regulation. Full story: https://thepattayanews.com/2023/07/26/house-speaker-postpones-prime-ministerial-voting-on-july-27th/ -- © Copyright The Pattaya News 2023-07-26 - Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

to continue: Thailand Live Wednesday 26 July 2023 https://aseannow.com/topic/1301710-thailand-live-wednesday-26-july-2023/

PM votes suspended indefinitely as Constitutional Court asked to review last vote in parliament by Joseph O' Connor Hiatus may allow Pheu Thai to regroup amid strong signals that the party may be about to commit political suicide with the electorate by abandoning the democratic principle in the face of a growing clamour in establishment circles for a more urgent approach to forming a new government while key leaders in its alliance are calling for the eight party coalition to stand together and count down the clock until May 2024 when the Thai Senate’s power to vote on electing a prime minister expires under the controversial Section 272 clause of the Constitution. Thailand’s parliamentary process to elect its 30th Prime Minister was suspended indefinitely by Parliament President Wan Muhamad Noor Matha on Tuesday after a case was forwarded to the Constitutional Court the day before challenging last Wednesday’s vote in a joint session which blocked the nomination for a second time of Move Forward Party leader Mr Pita Limjaroenrat as Prime Minister. It comes amid increasing acrimony over the process and growing calls from among democratic activists and parties to the eight-party post-election alliance representing 62% of MPs and up to 75% of voters to hold fast and disengage from the process altogether until May 2024 as the Pheu Thai Party appeared over the weekend poised to cut the Move Forward Party adrift to form a government with parties associated with the outgoing government in order to win over enough votes from the Senate, a move which many political analysts consider a potential death knell for the party as a popular force in Thai politics. Full story: https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2023/07/25/voting-for-pm-suspended-by-speaker-constitutional-court-ombudsman/ -- © Copyright Thai Examiner 2023-07-26 - Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

Thailand prime minister selection meeting takes a raincheck by Petch Petpailin Parliament President, Wan Muhamad Nor Matha (Wan Nor). | Photo via Workpoint Today The President of the National Assembly of Thailand today officially announced the meeting in Parliament to choose the next prime minister has been postponed. The meeting, originally scheduled for Thursday, July 28, will be delayed until further notice. Wan Muhamad Nor Matha, also known as Wan Nor, explained that the meeting to select the next Thai prime minister has been cancelled until the Constitution Court can conclude whether Parliament‘s rejection of Move Forward Party (MFP) leader Pita Limjaroenrat’s PM renomination was proper, legal and justified. The Thai Ombudsman informed the Thai media yesterday that they had forwarded a complaint related to Parliament‘s rejection to the Constitution Court. However, no specific details were released regarding when the court would conclude its investigation on the matter. Full story: https://thethaiger.com/news/national/thailand-prime-minister-selection-meeting-takes-a-raincheck -- © Copyright Thaiger 2023-07-26 - Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

Prawit denies that he is quitting politics File photo: Prawit Wongsuwan Palang Pracharath boss Prawit Wongsuwan denied widespread reports today (Tuesday) that he intends to quit politics, saying “I have never said that I will.” Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1301681-prawit-denies-that-he-is-quitting-politics/

A JOINT HOUSE/SENATE meeting, earlier scheduled for the upcoming Thursday to pick a prime minister following the May 14 election, was yesterday (July 25) indefinitely put off. Joint House/Senate Session To Pick PM Put Off Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1301709-joint-housesenate-session-to-pick-pm-put-off/

A JOINT HOUSE/SENATE meeting, earlier scheduled for the upcoming Thursday to pick a prime minister following the May 14 election, was today (July 25) indefinitely put off. House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha said he has indefinitely postponed the joint House/Senate session from Thursday, pending a ruling of the Constitutional Court on last week’s floor resolution to deny Move Forward Pita Limjaroenrat a second chance to be named and voted prime minister. Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat over a background of the Thai Parliament meeting chamber. The Office of the Ombudsman has petitioned the Constitutional Court to judge whether any existing parliamentary rules could possibly overrule the constitution’s sections and clauses pertaining to the naming and voting of a prime minister. In July 19’s joint session, a majority of lawmakers successfully turned down a sustained bid for the Move Forward leader to be named and voted prime minister after he had failed to make it at the first go earlier this month. By Thai Newsroom Reporters Top: House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha. All photos: Matichon Full story: https://thainewsroom.com/2023/07/25/joint-house-senate-session-to-pick-pm-put-off/ -- © Copyright THAI NEWSROOM 2023-07-26 - Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

Move Forward suspends security team member The Move Forward party has suspended a member of Pita Limjaroenrat’s security detail, after online investigators revealed that he, Srisuriyane Srikamonpakdi, has been convicted of kidnapping and blackmail and was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2011. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1301664-move-forward-suspends-security-team-member/

The Move Forward party has suspended a member of Pita Limjaroenrat’s security detail, after online investigators revealed that he, Srisuriyane Srikamonpakdi, has been convicted of kidnapping and blackmail and was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2011. Secretary general Chaithawat Tulathon said another bodyguard has already been assigned to Pita, while the party conducts a thorough background check on Srisuriyane. Chaithawat said that, being from a contractor, the party neither knew of nor checked his background. After the history of Srisuriyane went viral, supporters of Move Forward offered moral support, referring to him as “Brother Ton”. Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/move-forward-suspends-security-team-member/ -- © Copyright Thai PBS 2023-07-25 - Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

Thai state revenues total ฿1.95 trillion in the first 9 months of this fiscal year The Finance Ministry has collected about 1.95 trillion baht in total revenues during the first nine months of the 2023 fiscal year, beginning last October, which is 136 billion baht more than the target, according to Pornchai Thiraveja, director-general of the Fiscal Policy Office and spokesman for the Finance Ministry. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1301662-thai-state-revenues-total-฿195-trillion-in-the-first-9-months-of-this-fiscal-year/

The Finance Ministry has collected about 1.95 trillion baht in total revenues during the first nine months of the 2023 fiscal year, beginning last October, which is 136 billion baht more than the target, according to Pornchai Thiraveja, director-general of the Fiscal Policy Office and spokesman for the Finance Ministry. The Revenue Department has collected about 1.59 trillion baht, representing a 4% increase over the same period last fiscal year and 11.1% above the assessment. Most of the revenues were derived from corporate and personal income and value-added tax collection, with additional revenues from mobile phone concessions, profits from investment projects and the sale of government bonds, said Pornchai. Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thai-state-revenues-total-฿1-95-trillion-in-the-first-9-months-of-this-fiscal-year/ -- © Copyright Thai PBS 2023-07-25 - Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

Learning to float and swim prevents the risk of drowning Drowning is one of the major causes of death worldwide with over 2.5 million deaths reported in the last decade, according to statistics compiled by the World Health Organization. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1301661-learning-to-float-and-swim-prevents-the-risk-of- drowning/

Drowning is one of the major causes of death worldwide with over 2.5 million deaths reported in the last decade, according to statistics compiled by the World Health Organization. To raise global awareness of the loss of life, the UN General Assembly Resolution of April 2021 set July 25 as the annual World Drowning Prevention Day. Globally, children aged 1-4 years are the group with the highest drowning rates, followed by youngsters aged 5-9 years. This sad loss of life has also been observed in Thailand, with the Public Health Ministry reporting that in the past 10 years, drowning caused 35,915 deaths, or an average of 10 deaths per day. Of this number, 7,374 or at least two per day are children. Alarmingly, the number of deaths rose significantly during the COVID pandemic. WHO continues to raise awareness about drowning. The key message couldn’t be clearer: Anyone can drown, but no one should. To mark World Drowning Prevention Day, Sondee School, a small primary school in Ayutthaya, with support from the Sod-Nian Kurmarohita Foundation and the Thai Life Saving Society recently held a three-day activity to teach its young students the basics of swimming. Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/learning-to-float-and-swim-prevents-the-risk-of-drowning/ -- © Copyright Thai PBS 2023-07-25 - Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

Thailand’s tourism deficit with Japan For the first time since reliable records have been kept, Thailand is experiencing a tourism deficit with Japan, according to statistics for the first 6 months of 2023, revealed the governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Yuthasak Supasorn. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1301660-thailand’s-tourism-deficit-with-japan/

For the first time since reliable records have been kept, Thailand is experiencing a tourism deficit with Japan, according to statistics for the first 6 months of 2023, revealed the governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Yuthasak Supasorn. The number of Thai tourists who went to Japan between January and June 2023 (497,700) exceeded that of the Japanese tourists visiting Thailand (326,347). The Japanese government’s COVID-19 border controls, which were only relaxed in May, are thought to be the cause of the decline in those coming to Thailand, as Japanese might still be hesitant to travel outside their own country. Such a decline paved the way for Korean tourists visiting Thailand to overtake the Japanese, with 757,767 Koreans arriving in the first half of 2023. Koreans now rank fourth in international tourist numbers, behind Malaysia, China and Russia. Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thailands-tourism-deficit-with-japan/ -- © Copyright Thai PBS 2023-07-25 - Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

Chiang Mai court convicts dog killer: A justice victory for popular campus pet by Nattapong Westwood Picture courtesy of KhaoSod In Chiang Mai, a man who killed a beloved dog has been sentenced to six months in prison for animal cruelty. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1301659-chiang-mai-court-convicts-dog-killer-a-justice-victory-for-popular-campus-pet/

The Three Poles of Thai Politics and Pheu Thai’s Prospective Grand Coalition by Ken Mathis Lohatepanont “They say the momentum of history was ever thus, the empire, long divided, must unite; long united, must divide.” So states the first line of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1301658-the-three-poles-of-thai-politics-and-pheu-thai’s-prospective-grand-coalition/

“They say the momentum of history was ever thus, the empire, long divided, must unite; long united, must divide.” So states the first line of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. We are used to thinking about Thai politics as divided between two camps. But the momentum of history is pointing to new unions and divisions that are shaping our new political landscape. Pheu Thai leader Cholanan Srikaew, in an interview, recently explained that the “largest party” in the current parliament is actually the current conservative bloc, composed of 188 votes. Move Forward, on the other hand, has 151 seats, making it the second biggest party, while Pheu Thai has 141, meaning that it is third. He was immediately criticized online for faulty logic — the conservative camp, after all, is composed of several parties. But it perhaps illustrates how Pheu Thai itself views the three-camp nature of Thai politics, and the choice it must make between the other two. Move Forward and Pheu Thai, after all, was always in an unnatural partnership: an arranged marriage generated by the shared goal of replacing Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, rather than a true synergy of ideology. Aside from the question of whether it can support Prayut, who overthrew the previous Pheu Thai government, the latter party has more in common — both in terms of belief and personnel — with a party like, say, Palang Pracharath, than it does with Move Forward. by Ken Mathis Lohatepanont Full story: https://www.thaienquirer.com/50288/the-three-poles-of-thai-politics-and-pheu-thais-prospective-grand-coalition/ -- © Copyright Thai Enquirer 2023-07-25 - Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

The Thai capital market sector announces “Collaboration in the fight against investment frauds” by Tarin Angskul BANGKOK (NNT) - The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) in collaboration with alliances in the capital market sector, business organizations, and government agencies declared the intention of“collaboration in the fight against investment fraud" on July 24, 2023. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1301654-the-thai-capital-market-sector-announces-“collaboration-in-the-fight-against-investment-frauds”/

BANGKOK (NNT) - The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) in collaboration with alliances in the capital market sector, business organizations, and government agencies declared the intention of“collaboration in the fight against investment fraud" on July 24, 2023. The alliances consist of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Federation of Thai Capital Market Organizations (FETCO), Thai Bankers’ Association (TBA), Thai Listed Companies Association (TLCA), mai-listed Company Association (maiA), Association of Thai Securities Companies (ASCO), Association of Investment Management Companies (AIMC), Capital Market Development Fund (CMDF), Anti-Fake News Center Thailand (AFNC), and Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB). The collaborative initiative is aimed to exchange information, to examine and detect fake news, and to campaign to alert the public to be equipped with immunity and realization not to fall victims to scammers. In addition, experts are invited to participate in a seminar to share their opinions and experiences with highlights of solutions to clamp down on investment frauds under the topic "Getting smart to avoid investment scams with immunity to fraud". The guest speakers compriseWetang Phuangsup, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES), Vikrom Kromadit, Chairman of Amata Corporation pcl, Pichet Sithi-Amnuai, Chairman of ASCO, Chavinda Hanratanakool, Chairman of AIMC, and Rongrak Phanapavudhikul, SET Senior Executive Vice President. SET President Pakorn Peetathawatchai said that these days, investment scams are rampant on social media. Fraudsters typically impersonate well-known organizations, executives and celebrities to gain credibility, then lure the victims to invest, as a result causing damages not only to those victims but also the economy and society on a large scale. Therefore, SET, as the country’s investment platform, in collaboration with the entities in the capital market sector, has initiated a project so-called “Collaboration in the fight against investment fraud.”. In the first phase, all partners will collectively communicate by revealing the related facts, pointing out fake news, while providing knowledge to build immunity for investors and the public to shield them from being victims of scammers, via partners’ channels and media in a variety of formats that can reach the wider public. In the next phase, there will be an integration of operating system among the capital market sector and government agencies, to develop a process to stop fraudulent investment cases faster with more efficiency. Acting SEC Secretary-General Thawatchai Pittayasophon said that online investment scam is one of threats which damage many people by falsely using name or logo of SEC, organizations, companies, and individuals related to the capital market on social media. SEC realizes the larger-scale scams at present and has taken actions in many aspects to continuously safeguard investors and people to provide them with sufficient information to keep themselves safe. SEC is very delighted to see the launch of the project “Collaboration in the fight against investment fraud”, indicatingthe earnestness of all sectors to collectively prevent investment scams. FETCO Chairman Kobsak Pootrakool said that investment scams have started to increase more and more. Problem-solving and prevention cannot be managed by such victimized persons or organizations alone. It should not be considered a problem of a particular organization but it must be carried out throughout process starting from deterrence to suppression simultaneously. Notably, it’s a good starting point that various organizations in the capital market and the government sectors concertedly drive the project “Collaboration in the fight against investment fraud”, so as to help solve the problems, reduce economic losses and prevent people from becoming victims of scammers. TBA Chairman Payong Srivanich said that TBA and member banks are aware of impacts from threat of financial and investment fraud, especially “ponzi scheme” hidden in the name of “savings” or “investment” which deals a severe blow to economic system. TBA in coordination with related agencies to continuously introduce measures to combat against fraudulent financial activities. As per the preventive measures, banks, for example, cancelled sending SMS and email with links; mobile banking alerts are sent to account owners; and facial scan is required for mobile-banking money transfer worth more than THB 50,000 (approx. USD 1,459) per transaction or exceeding THB 200,000 per day per account or increasing each transfer limit to THB 50,000 or more. For the detective measures, banks have developed “Central Fraud Registry” to detect suspicious transactions and mule accounts in order to prevent and limit losses more quickly. Under the responsive measures, banks are required to set up a hotline call center, available 24 hours, seven days days a week, to faster handle with problems for financial fraud victims. Moreover, they prioritize creating protective shield by enhancing “financial literacy” to all groups of people. However, protection must “start with yourself”. People must constantly check financial transaction data, analyze and verify information thoroughly every time before investing, and always keep up with financial fraud news to be aware of deception and avoid being victimized. TLCA President Angkana Tepprasertwangsa said that many listed companies have been exploited by fraudsters, causing damage to the victims. At the same time, listed companies are also the victims, particularly in terms of credibility. TLCA realizes such problems and will communicate to listed companies to join the campaign to create understanding among the public, along with taking legal steps in certain cases. maiA President Wirat Sukchai said that given the current situation of investors being conned by fraudsters, there must be guidelines to protect entrepreneurs from being tricked by scammers to deceive money from the public, by keeping the public well-informed, while taking legal actions against the wrongdoers. At the same time, individuals must protect their own money not to be deceived, by observing various propaganda techniques and promises of impossible returns. maiA will collectively create immunity for both listed companies and the general public so as to reduce potential losses from such investment scams. ASCO Chairman Pichet Sithi-Amnuai said that it is a good thing that nowadays people are interested in learning and investing more to meet their financial goals. However, they have to choose investment choices carefully as many fraudsters hide in the online world, especially social media. Therefore, people must verify whether the company in which they are going to invest is legitimate as well as analyzing whether the information and the promised returns are credible or not. ASCO and securities companies will jointly communicate and notify via omni-channels continuously. AIMC Chairman Chavinda Hanratanakool, said that at present, there are many fraudulent advertisements inviting people to invest in mutual funds with returns that look too good to be true, within a short period of time. Such advertisement has nothing to do with the investment management companies. The investment management business operators must be authorized by the SEC only, and the advertisement inviting people to invest in mutual funds must be subject to the rules set by the SEC. Therefore, individuals who see fraudulent advertisements to persuade them to invest in various mutual funds by impersonating any company or executive, don’t be lured into believing. CMDF President Chanant Charnchainarong said that one of CMDF’s key missions is to enhance knowledge and understanding about the capital market, investment, as well as the capital market development for investors and the general public. CMDF has supported funding for public education projects through a variety of media that can reach people of all genders and ages, including the project on immunization in investment scams to the public that will be disseminated soon. The public is welcome to "jointly fight against investment fraud": check, point out and share if you have seen an invitation to invest with unrealistic high return, within a short period of time, or using leading organizations and celebrities as testimonials. Don’t be lured into investing and examine the information carefully by inquiring directly to the organization referred to, or check the list of the individuals, business operators, or financial services to make sure they have been granted license by the regulators. by Tarin Angskul Source: https://thainews.prd.go.th/en/news/detail/TCATG230725095829418 -- © Copyright NNT 2023-07-25 - Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

Cabinet To Approve Extra Holiday Leading To 6-Day Break by TNR Staff Holidaymakers enjoying themselves at Phuket’s Kata beach. Photo: Alla Y (CC BY-SA 2.0) THE Cabinet Secretariat will propose to the Cabinet meeting today (July 25) that Monday July 31 be declared a special holiday leading to a six-day break from July 28 to August 2 in order to stimulate the tourism and service sectors, TV Channel 7 said this morning. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1301652-cabinet-to-approve-extra-holiday-leading-to-6-day-break/

THE Cabinet Secretariat will propose to the Cabinet meeting today (July 25) that Monday July 31 be declared a special holiday leading to a six-day break from July 28 to August 2 in order to stimulate the tourism and service sectors, TV Channel 7 said this morning. Thailand celebrates His Majesty King Rama X’s 71st birth anniversary on July 28 while significant Buddhist events Asarnha Bucha and Khao Phansa (Buddhist Lent) fall on August 1 and 2. by TNR Staff Top image: Holidaymakers enjoying themselves at Phuket’s Kata beach. Photo: Alla Y (CC BY-SA 2.0) Full story: https://thainewsroom.com/2023/07/25/cabinet-to-approve-extra-holiday-leading-to-6-day-break/ -- © Copyright THAI NEWSROOM 2023-07-25 - Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

Mid-air drama: Unruly passenger instigates chaos on Thai Airways flight to Frankfurt by Samantha Rose Picture courtesy of My Pride My THAI Facebook. In mid-air drama on a Bangkok-Frankfurt Thai Airways flight, a brawling passenger on board resulted in German police intervention upon landing. The swift and professional handling of the situation by the airline staff received applause from passengers. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1301651-mid-air-drama-unruly-passenger-instigates-chaos-on-thai-airways-flight-to-frankfurt/