THAILAND LIVE Thailand Live Friday 20 Dec 2019

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Air pollution soars in Thai capital, authorities issue warning

By Jiraporn Kuhakan

 

FILE PHOTO: The sunset in Bangkok on a poor air quality day in the Thai capital, January 30, 2019. REUTERS/Jorge Silva/File Photo

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Authorities in Thailand’s capital warned people to wear face masks or stay indoors on Thursday after choking air pollution returned to Bangkok following months of clear air in one of the world’s top tourist destinations.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1139556-air-pollution-soars-in-thai-capital-authorities-issue-warning/

 

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Search for missing kayak couple broadens into new areas

By The Phuket News

 

The search for the missing couple last seen kayaking off Yanui beach continues into new areas. Photo: Supplied
 

PHUKET:-- A further team was dispatched earlier today (Dec 19) as the search for the missing couple last seen kayaking on Dec 7 off Yanui beach continues and broadens into new areas.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1139549-search-for-missing-kayak-couple-broadens-into-new-areas/

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Patong Tunnel hoped to open 2026, says EXAT Chief

By The Phuket News

 

EXAT Governor Suchart Chonsakpipat at the meeting in Phuket yesterday (Dec 18). Photo: PR Dept

 

PHUKET: Suchart Chonsakpipat, Governor of the Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT), which is overseeing the project to construct the tunnel through Patong Hill, has reavealed that – if all goes according to plan – construction of the long-awaited Patong Tunnel could commence as early as mid-2022.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1139535-patong-tunnel-hoped-to-open-2026-says-exat-chief/

 

 

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Innovation to tackle flooding at industrial estates

By The Nation

 

 

The Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) collaborated with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Chichibu Chemical in the construction of a Plastic Rainwater Storage Structure (PRSS) to prevent damages from inundation at industrial estates in Thailand, starting with a pilot run at Latkrabang Industrial Estate in Bangkok on Thursday (December 19).

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1139577-innovation-to-tackle-flooding-at-industrial-estates/

 

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FTAs serving Thai interests well, five years of statistics reveal

By The Nation

 

Auramon Supthaweethum

 

Thailand’s exports to countries with whom it has free trade agreements (FTAs) has grown by 3.31 per cent on average compared with only 0.75 per cent growth to countries without FTAs from 2014 to 2018, according to Auramon Supthaweethum, director-general of the Department of Trade Negotiations.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1139578-ftas-serving-thai-interests-well-five-years-of-statistics-reveal/

 

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Phitsanulok sees red

By The Nation

 

 

Phitsanulok, the historic city in lower northern Thailand, is all done up in shades of red from falling maple leaves and the pinkish tints of Nang Phaya Sua Krong or Thai Sakura (Prunus ceramides D. Don). That makes it a great place to experience Mother Nature at her best in the cool weather enveloping Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1139580-phitsanulok-sees-red/

 

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Revenue tightens code on e-commerce transactions 

By The Nation

 

Ekniti Nitithanprapas

 

The Revenue Department has revised the Revenue Code on tax collection from e-commerce transactions of businesses not based in Thailand, bringing fairness to the process, said director-general of the Revenue Department Ekniti Nitithanprapas.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1139585-revenue-tightens-code-on-e-commerce-transactions/

 

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Belgian Detry on fire in Thailand Masters

By Lerpong Amsa-ngiam
THE NATION

 

Thomas Detry (Photo by Jirawat Srikong)

 

Pattaya - Belgium's rising golf star Thomas Detry took Pattaya's heat in his stride to shoot a stunning 63 and grab the opening-round lead in the star-studded Thailand Masters at the Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club on Thursday.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1139586-belgian-detry-on-fire-in-thailand-masters/

 

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Deputy PM Wissanu delivers policy statement to PAEC

 

   

BANGKOK(NNT) - Government agencies usually perform internal audit activities and provide related reports to their supervisors, tasks that go all the way up to prime ministerial level.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1139588-deputy-pm-wissanu-delivers-policy-statement-to-paec/

 

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Phra Nangklao Hospital opens first medical cannabis clinic

 

 

The Phra Nangklao Hospital, which is under the supervision of the Ministry of Public Health, opened its first medical cannabis clinic yesterday.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1139589-phra-nangklao-hospital-opens-first-medical-cannabis-clinic/

 

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Consumer Protection Board opposes toll fee increase

 

 

The Consumer Protection Board has voiced its objection to Don Muang Toll Way Company’s plan to increase the toll fee by 10 baht, effective December 22nd, on the grounds that it will adversely affect transport operators and consumers.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1139590-consumer-protection-board-opposes-toll-fee-increase/

 

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OPINION

Thailand's peace process needs external help for fresh start

Fifteen-year insurgency in Malay-Muslim south has cost 7,000 lives

Matt Wheeler

 

Security investigate the checkpoint which was attacked by insurgents in Pattani on July 24: any talks will face formidable hurdles.   © Reuters

 

After four years of fruitless talks, a peace dialogue to end a separatist insurgency in southern Thailand may be set to gain traction.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1139591-thailands-peace-process-needs-external-help-for-fresh-start/

 

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Gunman attacks Russian security service HQ in Moscow, kills employee

By Anton Zverev and Andrey Ostroukh

 

Police officers are seen near the Federal Security Service (FSB) building after a shooting incident, in Moscow, Russia December 19, 2019. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov

 

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A gunman opened fire on the headquarters of Russia's FSB security service in central Moscow on Thursday evening in a rare shooting incident that the FSB said had left at least one of its employees dead.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1139594-gunman-attacks-russian-security-service-hq-in-moscow-kills-employee/

 

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Exclusive: Less than half of all Americans want Trump ousted post-impeachment - Reuters/Ipsos poll

By Chris Kahn

 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Battle Creek, Michigan, U.S., December 18, 2019. REUTERS/Leah Millis

 

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Less than half of all Americans say President Donald Trump should be removed from office following his impeachment by the U.S. House of Representatives, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Thursday, presenting a challenge for Democrats who will seek his ouster in a U.S. Senate trial.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1139595-exclusive-less-than-half-of-all-americans-want-trump-ousted-post-impeachment-reutersipsos-poll/

 

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Top Republican calls on U.S. Senate to correct 'toxic' impeachment case

By Susan Cornwell and Patricia Zengerle

 

A jogger runs along the Washington Monument at sunrise following the U.S. House of Representatives previous-day vote to impeach U.S. President Donald Trump, in Washington, U.S., December 19, 2019. REUTERS/Tom Brenner

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top Republican in the U.S. Senate on Thursday called on his fellow senators to correct what he called the "toxic" impeachment of President Donald Trump, sending the strongest signal yet that lawmakers will not remove Trump from office.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1139596-top-republican-calls-on-us-senate-to-correct-toxic-impeachment-case/

 

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Exclusive: US probe of Saudi oil attack shows it came from north - report

By Humeyra Pamuk

 

A comparison of vertical gyroscopes (L) involved in the September 14, 2019 attack on an Aramco oil facility in Saudi Arabia and from the Shahed-123, displayed in the Iranian Materiel Display, are shown in this handout image provided by a U.S. government source. U.S. government/Handout via REUTERS

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said new evidence and analysis of weapons debris recovered from an attack on Saudi oil facilities on Sept. 14 indicates the strike likely came from the north, reinforcing its earlier assessment that Iran was behind the offensive.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1139599-exclusive-us-probe-of-saudi-oil-attack-shows-it-came-from-north-report/

 

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Lawmakers blast Trump after president insults late lawmaker Dingell

By Susan Heavey

 

Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich, acknowledges the audience during a luncheon in Southgate, Michigan February 24, 2014. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook/Files

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Thursday defended Donald Trump's verbal assault against former Democratic Representative John Dingell, as members of Congress blasted the Republican president for insulting another veteran lawmaker after his death.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1139600-lawmakers-blast-trump-after-president-insults-late-lawmaker-dingell/

 

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Prosecutors oppose early prison release for ex-Trump lawyer Cohen

By Brendan Pierson

 

FILE PHOTO: Michael Cohen, U.S. President Donald Trump's former lawyer, leaves his apartment to report to prison in Manhattan, New York, U.S., May 6, 2019. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon

 

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Michael Cohen, a former personal lawyer for U.S. President Donald Trump, should not be released from prison early for cooperating with authorities, federal prosecutors told a judge Thursday, saying he had repeatedly lied to them.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1139601-prosecutors-oppose-early-prison-release-for-ex-trump-lawyer-cohen/

 

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Visa deal extends three years

By TTR WEEKLY

 

 

HANOI, 19 December 2019: Vietnam’s travel industry has welcomed the government decision to extend visa-free stays for citizens from Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Belarus until 13 December 2022.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1139602-vietnam-extends-15-day-visa-free-travel-for-some-countries/

 

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UK-US treaty bans extradition of Assange, lawyer says

By Michael Holden

 

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange arrives at the Westminster Magistrates Court, after he was arrested in London, Britain April 11, 2019. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Lawyers for Julian Assange said on Thursday they will argue that the WikiLeaks founder cannot be sent from Britain to the United States to face spying charges because a treaty between the two countries bans extradition for political offences.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1139603-uk-us-treaty-bans-extradition-of-assange-lawyer-says/

 

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China's Xi celebrates stable Macau's anniversary with expected rewards

 

Chinese President Xi Jinping waves his hand to guests during a cultural performance in Macau, China December 19, 2019, on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the former Portuguese colony's return to China. REUTERS/Jason Lee

 

MACAU (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to preside over a lavish ceremony in Macau on Friday marking the 20th anniversary of its hand-over to Chinese rule, and the swearing in of another Beijing-backed city government.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1139604-chinas-xi-celebrates-stable-macaus-anniversary-with-expected-rewards/

 

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Putin rejects charges of Russian meddling in UK politics, praises Johnson

By Andrew Osborn and Vladimir Soldatkin

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends his annual end-of-year news conference in Moscow, Russia December 19, 2019. Sputnik/Aleksey Nikolskyi/Kremlin via REUTERS

 

MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin on Thursday rejected allegations of Russian interference in British politics and praised Prime Minister Boris Johnson for better understanding the mood of British society on Brexit than his political rivals.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1139605-putin-rejects-charges-of-russian-meddling-in-uk-politics-praises-johnson/

 

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Upper Thailand remains cool, more storms in South

By THE NATION

 

 

The weak high-pressure covering much of Thailand will bring morning fog and cool to cold weather in the upper country with fair skies during the day, the Thailand Meteorological Department forecast on Friday (December 20), warning road-users to be cautious when driving in foggy conditions.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1139607-upper-thailand-remains-cool-more-storms-in-south/

 

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Southwest can be sued for bumping passenger who spoke Arabic - U.S. judge

By Jonathan Stempel

 

FILE PHOTO: A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800 plane is seen at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in the Greater Los Angeles Area, California, U.S., April 10, 2017. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

 

(Reuters) - A federal judge on Thursday rejected Southwest Airlines Co's <LUV.N> bid to dismiss a discrimination lawsuit by an American of Iraqi descent who was removed from a 2016 flight after another passenger heard him speak in Arabic and feared he might be a terrorist.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1139608-southwest-can-be-sued-for-bumping-passenger-who-spoke-arabic-us-judge/

 

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Agriculture Ministry to produce rubber pillows to help farmers

By THE NATION

 

 

Deputy Agriculture Minister Thammanas Phromphao said on Thursday (Decembeer 19) that he will meet with officials of the Ministry of Finance, the Government Lottery Office and the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BACC) next week to discuss the Pracharat Rubber Pillow project.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1139611-agriculture-ministry-to-produce-rubber-pillows-to-help-farmers/

 

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Bangkok’s balancing act: Is Thailand really in lockstep with China?

By Skylar Lindsay

 

Photo: Aleksandr Zykov

 

Five years of junta rule trammelled Thailand’s relations with the US and pushed it to new military and strategic ties with China. Prayuth hasn’t left Washington for Beijing—Bangkok is just being pragmatic.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1139616-bangkok’s-balancing-act-is-thailand-really-in-lockstep-with-china/

 

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Australian leader curtails holiday as firefighters killed in huge blazes

By Colin Packham

 

Police block the Old Hume Highway as a blaze jumps the road near the town of Tahmoor as the Green Wattle Creek Fire threatens a number of communities in the south west of Sydney, Australia, December 19, 2019. AAP Image/Dean Lewins/via REUTERS

 

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison issued a rare public apology as he cut short a Hawaiian vacation on Friday after two volunteer firefighters were killed battling blazes that are ravaging much of the country's east coast.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1139618-australian-leader-curtails-holiday-as-firefighters-killed-in-huge-blazes/

 

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Farmers happiness index improves from previous year

By THE NATION

 

 

Thai farmers’ happiness index in 2018 has improved from the previous year, according to the survey by Office of Agricultural Economics (OAE).

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1139620-farmers-happiness-index-improves-from-previous-year/

 

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BOI supports EEC investment promotion measures

 

   

BANGKOK(NNT) - The Board of Investment of Thailand (BOI) has approved measures to promote investment in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) by expanding the number of target industries and increasing corporate income tax benefits.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1139622-boi-supports-eec-investment-promotion-measures/

 

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Land tax exempted on first residential house valued up to 50m baht

 

   

BANGKOK(NNT) - There has been some confusion about the new land and building tax collection, effective from 1st January 2020, especially on what to do should a person own multiple houses and apartments. The Ministry of Finance has now confirmed that tax will be exempted on the first of such a residential group held by the same owner, up to a value not exceeding 50 million baht.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1139623-land-tax-exempted-on-first-residential-house-valued-up-to-50m-baht/