1. Mass Rapid Transit Authjority (MRTA) reported construction of extended section of Pink Line btw Si Rat & Muan Thong Thani station invested by BSR consortium (BTS, STEC & RATCH) is now 60.24% completed, on track to cod in Jul 2025.
2. Tourism: visa waiver extension affecting 93 nations starts today, an increase from 57 countries.
3. Education Ministry’s committed to its tablet distribution project under “One District, One Quality School” despite budget being cut from Bt16b to Bt13b.
4. Constitutional Court will rule on Aug 7 on the dissolution case against the MFP.
5. Govt to leave power tariff rate for last 4M of 2024 unchanged at Bt4.18/unit to help ease cost of living, not good for power producers, as the ERC har earlier proposed a rise of Bt0.4683-Bt1.8299/unit.
6. Disbursal of budget revving up: While the disbursal of funds from the fiscal 2024 budget is now underway, some sectors want the government to revamp some of its measures. A total of 3.48 trillion baht from the 2024 fiscal budget was finally disbursed in this year’s second quarter, after delays that began on Oct 1 last year due to political setbacks following the general election held in May 2023. Bangkok Post
7. Butterbear, one of the country’s most popular mascots, will be launched as the new presenter of Thai tourism next month, aiming to lure at least 10% of 1m Chinese fans to follow tourism activities in TH, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
8. Department predicts rise in new business registrations: Mrs Auramon says the department expects an increase in the number of business registrations related to tourism. The Department of Business Development (DBD) expects new business registrations for 2024 to reach between 90,000 and 98,000, marking a 5-15% increase, attributed to the progress of the digital wallet handout policy, measures to attract foreign investment, namely the long-term resident visa scheme and corporate income tax exemption for foreign companies that conduct business here, as well as the use of investment budget following the disbursement of fiscal 2025 budget that began on April 26. Bangkok Post
9. Association decides to place EA bonds on restricted list: The Association of Investment Management Companies (AIMC) has resolved to place Energy Absolute (EA) bonds on the restricted list which limits transactions and prohibits additional investment until there is clarity about the company’s future propsects. Bangkok Post
10. Banks prep for cross-default: Banks are likely to set aside over 10 billion baht in loan loss provisions for Energy Absolute if the firm faces a cross-default. Banks are expected to set aside over 10 billion baht in total loan loss provisions for embattled Energy Absolute (EA) if the company faces a cross-default, according to UBS Securities (Thailand). The securities firm estimates the combined loan exposure to EA to be around 32.1 billion baht, consisting of 23.2 billion baht in long-term loans and 8.84 billion baht in short-term loans. Bangkok Post

Bonus 2

1. Nuclear power to be assessed: A feasibility study on small nuclear power plant development will conducted in line with the revised power development plan. Energy authorities are planning to conduct a feasibility study on small nuclear power plant development in line with the revised power development plan (PDP), which promotes greater use of clean energy to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, says an Energy Ministry official. Bangkok Post
2. PM gives E-wallet start date: Registration set to kick off on Aug 1. Registration for the 10,000-baht digital wallet handout will kick off on Aug 1, according to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin. Bangkok Post