Future Forward on thin ice : Charter court has power to break party up in crunch Nov 20 ruling. All eyes will be on the Constitutional Court on Nov 20 when it delivers a ruling which could make or break the embattled Future Forward Party (FFP) leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit in a mediashareholding case. Bangkok Post
Cabinet to adopt development guideline for Dawei SEZ link : The National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) will ask the cabinet to adopt its guidelines on infrastructure development tomorrow, as the government seeks to start working on the long-awaited link that will connect the Dawei Special Economic Zone in Myanmar with Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC). Bangkok Post
Ministry plans E20 shift in early 2020 : The Energy Ministry has set a time frame to transition to gasohol E20 as the primary petrol grade by early next year, while phasing out gasohol 91 to boost the value of commodity crops used in biofuel, says Energy Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong. Bangkok Post
Next rebate seeks nod : Third phase to run until end of January. The third phase of the Chim, Shop, Chai (taste, shop, spend) scheme will seek cabinet approval today, providing up to a 20% cash rebate to 2 million recipients. Bangkok Post
Fuel tariff to be frozen until April : The fuel tariff (Ft) rate will be frozen at 3.64 baht per kilowatthour for another four months from January to April next year, marking a 16-month period at the same rate, as the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) wants to avoid power prices burdening consumers during a sluggish economy. Bangkok Post
4 in frame in plant bribe saga : NACC probe points finger at local chiefs . The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has found grounds to the accusation that four senior local officials demanded a 20- million-baht bribe from a Japanese firm building a power plant in Nakhon Si Thammarat, in exchange for allowing oversized ships to use a port. Bangkok Post
State mulls new e-payment platform : The government plans to develop a new e-payment system that works similar to Alipay, the third-party mobile and online payment platform of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, to draw more merchants to participate in the tax system. Bangkok Post
PM moves to patch up coalition rift : Bhumjaithai upset at party ‘backstabbing’. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will sit for talks with leaders of the coalition parties in what is seen as a bid to patch up their differences ahead of a no-confidence debate, following reports of frictions emerging among them. Bangkok Post
PM declares new tourism perks : Additional short-term measures planned . The government is set to revise the perks for investment in tourism and related services. Bangkok Post
NBTC may scrap 26GHz auction for 5G : The telecom regulator is considering shelving February’s planned auction of 26GHz spectrum meant for the 5G network on concerns about use case development and support of related equipment. Bangkok Post
Xavi
You have to wonder how believable the numbers are when official stats showing 2-3% gap growth actually feels like we are already in a recession.
Thailand wouldn’t be the first to fiddle the numbers unless we all believe china is growing at over 6% per annum.
Pon
It’s already a marked slowdown
Government has already embarked on helicopter money for the past 2 years.