DISSOLVED : B191m loan ruled illegitimate by court, 10-year political ban for party executives, EC looks to press criminal charges. Movement will go on, leaders say. The disbanded Future Forward Party (FFP) is taking a defiant stance in the wake of the Constitutional Court’s ruling against it, vowing to set up a new movement to press ahead with a new wave of political campaigns outside parliament. Bangkok Post
Flash mob gathers in Thammasat to support FFP : Hundreds of people converged at Thammasat University’s Tha Prachan campus last night to call for justice and democracy in response to the dissolution of the Future Forward Party (FFP) over a 191.2-million baht loan. Bangkok Post
5G is about to be real : Adoption of the advanced technology heralds the dawn of a whole new world for communications in Thailand. After years of hype, hope and techno-futuristic promises, Thailand will finally see the beginnings of the fifth generation of wireless broadband as the nation’s telecoms bet big on 5G. On Feb 16, the three major mobile operators and two state telecom enterprises bid a combined 100 billion baht at the auction for the spectrum required to set up 5G infrastructure. Bangkok Post
Prayut defends land deal : Allegations fly as censure debate starts. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha defended a land sale by his father, insisting that it did not favour anyone after the opposition raised the issue during the first day of the censure debate against the government. Bangkok Post
9 defect to Bhumjaithai : FFP fallout ‘boosts party’s clout in govt’. The defection of nine MPs from the newly dissolved Future Forward Party (FFP) to the Bhumjaithai Party boosts the latter’s bargaining power in the coalition government and also its leader’s chances of becoming the next prime minister, an academic said yesterday. Bangkok Post
TBA unveils package for operators hit by triple whammy : The Thai Bankers’ Association (TBA) has come up with a comprehensive assistance package that includes a grace period for principal loan payment with a maximum of one year for tourism operators, exporters, importers, supply chain operators and individuals affected by the coronavirus epidemic and the country’s flagging economy. Bangkok Post
PM defends wife on graft claim : Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has defended his wife, Naraporn, who the opposition accused of being linked to irregularities in the deal to install a biometric system for the Immigration Bureau. Bangkok Post
Govt to probe ‘cyber war’ : As he battled allegations that the government engaged in information operations (IOs) against its critics, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha vowed to launch a probe to expose the individuals behind the attacks, saying the government had also been targeted. Bangkok Post
Virus panic pushes SET off a ledge : Largest loss among Asia-Pacific markets . Thailand’s benchmark equity index tumbled to its biggest one-day loss since 2014, plunging below 1,400 points as rising local coronavirus infections shattered already fragile investment sentiment. Bangkok Post
Fourth phase of stimulus to seek cabinet nod soon : The Finance Ministry is set to propose a fourth phase of the Taste-Shop-Spend scheme to the cabinet by March as a means to stimulate domestic travel during Songkran. Bangkok Post
