Thailand successfully negotiates trade deal with EFTA
EFTA, an intergovernmental organisation of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, was set up in 1960 for the promotion of free trade and economic integration between members. Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit met foreign and trade ministers from the four countries for lunch on Monday at a restaurant in the Icelandic town of Borgarnes. “Senior EFTA executives have been invited to an official meeting in Thailand from June 28-30 to further discuss free trade agreements as well as future socio-economic development projects between Thailand and EFTA members,” Jurin said. “We expect the free trade negotiations to be completed within two years.”Thailand’s trade volume with EFTA in 2021 came in at US$7.5 billion and the Commerce Ministry expects this number to more than double once the FTA goes into effect. The pact will reduce tariffs, promote multilateral trade cooperation and establish e-commerce platforms to facilitate international trade among contract parties.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
June 21, 2022 10:05 UTC
Bill to limit households to 10 plants
Bill to limit households to 10 plantsA new bill being vetted by a House committee on cannabis and hemp will limit the number of cannabis plants which a household could grow to ten and require large-scale cannabis growers to pay a progressive levy to the government which increases with the size of the operation. A spokesman for the committee, Panthep Puapongpan, said the majority of the committee's members agreed to cap the number of cannabis plants allowed per household to ten, in order to limit the potential for abuse in the wake of the plant's recent decriminalisation. The committee agreed to cap the number of plants per household to ten to ensure households could still benefit from the private cultivation of cannabis, which the government is promoting as a cash crop, he said. At least 900,000 individuals have already registered to grow cannabis at home with authorities, according to the latest figures cited by Mr Panthep. The bill also seeks to introduce progressive levies on commercial cannabis growers.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 21, 2022 09:16 UTC
Japan judo hits crisis point as bullied, burnt-out children quit
Japan judo hits crisis point as bullied, burnt-out children quitChildren take part in a judo training session in Fukuroi, Shizuoka prefectureFUKUROI (JAPAN) - Japan is the home of judo but a brutal win-at-all-costs mentality, corporal punishment and pressure to lose weight are driving large numbers of children to quit, raising fears for the sport's future in its traditional powerhouse. Underlining the scale of the problem, the All Japan Judo Federation cancelled a prestigious nationwide tournament for children as young as 10, warning they were being pushed too hard. - Problem parents -Coaches who use corporal punishment can be stripped of their licences but parents are harder to control. "You have to treat each kid with care and have a long-term vision for the future, otherwise Japanese judo has reached its limit," she said. "Old-school coaches are scared that if we do away with the kids' competitions, Japanese judo will lose its strength.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 20, 2022 15:52 UTC
Lawmakers' panel restricts cannabis cultivation to 10 plants per household
Meanwhile, the commission’s deputy chairman, Kanok Wongtrangan, said the commission hadn't reached a conclusion on which laws should be amended yet. He said the commission's approval to allow a household to cultivate no more than 10 cannabis plants aims to allow people to grow and use cannabis to treat diseases. He added that the classification of entrepreneurs aims to determine the criteria for collection of fees. The Public Health Ministry removed cannabis from the list of prohibited narcotics on June 9, allowing it to be used for medical purposes and as a cash crop.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
June 20, 2022 09:54 UTC
Parliament police to wear new uniforms at start of next House term
The current House is due to end its four-year term in March next year. Chuan said Parliament police officers themselves wanted to change their uniforms after Parliament surveyed their opinion. The speaker said the House cannot order police to change their uniforms as everything has to proceed in accordance with a provisional regulation that requires the use of current uniforms to continue until the current term of the House expires.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
June 20, 2022 08:09 UTC
Shaping up for the top job
Pol Gen Roy introduced the use of facial recognition technology to compare images of criminals in tourist areas with driving licence photos to deter crime. Pol Gen Roy's ascent up the ranks continued when he was appointed deputy commissioner of the CIB, later becoming commissioner of the Special Branch Bureau. He was made an assistant national police chief in 2018 and last year was promoted to deputy national police chief. Regarding migration, Pol Gen Roy said it is normal for people to move to new countries seeking better lives for themselves and their families. Some claimed they were mistreated and asked Thai authorities for help getting home," Pol Gen Roy said.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 20, 2022 03:14 UTC
Baht’s fall may be limited if gold rebounds, predicts strategist
He added that the baht may fluctuate and weaken to test its resistance level at 35.40 to the dollar because foreign transactions are flowing out of the country. This is because the market is in a risk-off state, while the dollar is not weakening easily until the market is confident that the US Federal Reserve will not increase the interest rate too high. He added that the baht’s weakening may be limited if the gold price rebounds, which will encourage investors to sell gold. The baht may also not weaken to the new resistance level of 36 to the dollar unless a new lockdown is enforced in China, forcing investors to dump assets in emerging Asian markets. He speculated that the dollar may strengthen as the market fluctuates due to concerns over a recession.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
June 20, 2022 03:09 UTC
Millions stranded by monsoon in Bangladesh
Residents in the Sylhet region of Bangladesh are struggling to cope after they were hit with the worst monsoon floods in the country’s recent history on Sunday. Monsoon rains swamped huge areas of the country, leaving millions of homes underwater. Lorries and cars struggled on the roads, while journeys by rickshaw or motorbike journeys proved to be challenging for all but the bravest. Thousands of policemen and army personnel have been deployed to parts of the country to help search and rescue efforts. About 105,000 people have been evacuated so far but police officials estimated that over four million were still stranded.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
June 20, 2022 00:58 UTC
Cannabis site ban grows
MHESI Minister Anek Laothamatas signed an announcement aimed at controlling the use of cannabis on those premises, with immediate effect. University students and agency staff are not allowed to use cannabis recreationally, while university executives and agency chiefs are instructed to ban the sale of food and drinks with cannabis as an ingredient; the items also cannot be brought into universities and agencies, it said. The use of cannabis for medical purposes must be supervised by medical professionals and research on the plant must be closely monitored by university executives, according to the ministry. University executives and agency chiefs may also issue additional measures to prevent adverse effects of the use of cannabis. The use of cannabis and hemp as an ingredient is forbidden, as is the advertising of cannabis-based products, an announcement said.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 19, 2022 22:38 UTC
Subtle diplomatic dance
The SLD has long been regarded as one of the top security meetings in the Asia-Pacific region. Rather, Washington knows that it should opt for a subtle approach via diplomacy. No pressure: Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha walks with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Defence Council. In terms of political and military strategies, Thailand can create advantages for countries engaged in conflicts in the region. He denied claims about Thailand subscribing to the so-called "Nato 2" or "Nato of Asia" US-led military alliance.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 19, 2022 11:47 UTC
Most agree with removal of cannabis from narcotics list: poll
Most agree with removal of cannabis from narcotics list: pollA teacher at Ban Bang Kapi School in Bang Kapi district of Bangkok posts a sign reading the school is free of cannabis and hemp on Thursday. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)A majority of people agree with the removal of cannabis from the Category 5 narcotics list, saying the plant can be used for economic gain and medical purposes, but are still concerned it can be inappropriately used by children and youths, according to an opinion poll. Asked how they viewed the removal of cannabis from the drug list, a move which has legalised cultivation and use of the plant with conditions, a majority - 58.55% - agreed with it. Of them, 34.81% strongly agreed, saying it is an valuable plant that can generate income and be used for medical purposes. Asked how Thai people would use marijuana in the future, 34.05% chose medical purposes; 31.15% recreational purposes; 22.21% for use in food and drinks; and 12.59% for various commercial products.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 19, 2022 07:10 UTC
Thailand launches bid to host 2028 Specialised Expo in Phuket
Thailand is competing with four other countries – the US, Argentina, Serbia and Spain – to host the expo. Specialised Expos are meant to respond to a specific challenge facing humanity and usually take place in the interval between two World Expos. Team Thailand will give the three-day presentation until Tuesday at the headquarters of the Bureau of International Exposition (BIE), the inter-governmental organisation in charge of organising non-commercial international expos.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
June 19, 2022 05:54 UTC
Ukraine's Zelensky visits war-torn southern city as battles rage
Ukraine's Zelensky visits war-torn southern city as battles rageThe European Commission spearheaded a powerful show of solidarity on Friday by backing Ukraine for EU candidate statusKYIV (UKRAINE) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the war-damaged southern city of Mykolaiv on Saturday for the first time since the Russian invasion as "fierce battles" raged again in the eastern Donbas region. Making a rare trip outside Kyiv, Zelensky surveyed a badly-damaged high-rise building and met officials in Mykolaiv, which has been holding the defence of the Black Sea coast against Moscow's troops. Zelensky has appealed for western support and weapons, and he hailed an announcement from Brussels on Friday that it backed Ukraine's EU membership drive as a "historic achievement." Ukrainian democratic habits have not lost their power even now," Zelensky said in a video address overnight. They (Russia) do not control the city entirely," the governor of the eastern Lugansk region, Sergiy Gaiday, said on Telegram.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 19, 2022 01:59 UTC
59 dead, millions stranded as floods hit Bangladesh, India
59 dead, millions stranded as floods hit Bangladesh, IndiaPeople wade along a flooded road following heavy monsoon rains in Sylhet, BangladeshSYLHET (BANGLADESH) - Monsoon storms in Bangladesh and India have killed at least 59 people and unleashed devastating floods that left millions of others stranded, officials said Saturday. Floods are a regular menace to millions of people in low-lying Bangladesh, but experts say climate change is increasing their frequency, ferocity and unpredictability. "The whole village went under water by early Friday and we all got stranded," said Lokman, whose family lives in Companiganj village. More than four million people have been stranded by flood water," Hossain said, adding that nearly the entire region was without electricity. Forecasters said the floods were set to worsen over the next two days with heavy rains in Bangladesh and upstream in India's northeast.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 18, 2022 20:59 UTC
OR continues non-oil business expansion
OR continues non-oil business expansionOtteri Wash & Dry Co's launderettes are set to feature at PTT Oil and Retail Business's petrol stations countrywide. PTT Oil and Retail Business Plc (OR) has acquired shares in a laundry business to further expand its non-oil services, including the provision of launderettes at its petrol stations. The investment will lead to an expansion of launderette branches, both at the company's petrol stations and outside of them, according to OR. K-Nex operates 670 branches of Otteri Wash & Dry. Mr Kavin said K-Nex sees the potential to expand its laundry business to a wider area, including both petrol stations and overseas.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 18, 2022 10:28 UTC