Vietnam estimates China rail link will cost $7.2bn
Vietnam estimates China rail link will cost $7.2bnListen to this articleVietnamese people exercise at Lenin Park in Hanoi on June 16, 2024. (Photo: Reuters)HANOI: Vietnam has estimated the cost of building a new railway linking it with China's Yunnan province at 179 trillion dong ($7.2 billion), state media reported on Wednesday. The 427-kilometre railway would run from the border province of Lao Cai through the capital Hanoi and port city of Haiphong to Ha Long City, the official Vietnam News Agency reported. Vietnam has been seeking to upgrade its aging railway systems, including plans to build a high-speed railway running along the length of the country and lines linking with China, its largest trading partner. Vietnam Railway Authority has submitted the plan to build the Lao Cai-Ha Long railway to the transport ministry for review and approval, the report said.
Source:Bangkok Post
October 17, 2024 15:00 UTC
Free dental care event at Chulalongkorn University
The Faculty of Dentistry, Chulalongkorn University, organises a free dental treatment event in honour of Her Royal Highness Princess Srinagarindra. The free services included dental fillings, extractions and scaling, with a limited capacity of 900 adults and 150 children. The event took place at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, on Thursday.
Source:Bangkok Post
October 17, 2024 09:47 UTC
Chon Buri's 153rd buffalo race
Farmers in Chon Buri province held their annual water buffalo races on Wednesday, celebrating the start of the monsoon season and marking the beginning of the rice-growing period. This tradition, which dates back to the 1800s, continues to honour a long-standing agricultural tradition.
Source:Bangkok Post
October 17, 2024 01:47 UTC
Bank of Thailand makes surprise rate cut
The most recent change in the policy rate was an increase of 25 basis points in September last year. The last time the central bank cut rates was in May 2020. The Pheu Thai government has been pressing the central bank for months to cut borrowing costs to help spur the underperforming Thai economy. Central bank governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput has maintained that rate decisions will be guided by the outlook for domestic economic and financial conditions and inflation. While Wednesday’s decision might placate critics of the BoT for a while, manoeuvring to influence the choice of a new central bank chairman remains a concern.
Source:Bangkok Post
October 16, 2024 19:47 UTC
All 18 iCon suspects arrested on fraud charges
(Photo supplied/Wassayos Ngamkham)Police have arrested all 18 suspects wanted in the iCon Group fraud case, including founder and CEO Warathaphon “Boss Paul” Waratyaworrakul, the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) said on Wednesday night. Kan Kantathavorn, a well-known TV host and actor linked to The iCon Group, was brought to the CIB at 7.30pm. The last three suspects arrested were Saowapha Wongsakha, Songkrot “Boss Peter” Sretthanan and Chetnaphat “Boss Tommy” Apiwattanakarn. Pol Maj Gen Montree Theskhan, commander of the Crime Suppression Division, ordered building management to prepare rooms to interrogate the fraud suspects and cleaning staff to clean detention rooms. More than 1,100 people have filed fraud complaints against The iCon Group, which sold health and dietary supplements.
Source:Bangkok Post
October 16, 2024 18:10 UTC
Blackchin tilapia sauce aims for double-win
Inmates at Samut Songkhram Prison were trained by fish sauce master Jittrakorn Buadee from Phetchaburi, whose idea of making sauce from the invasive fish has been widely praised. Bundit Kunlawanit, director of the Samut Songkhram fisheries office, said the number of blackchin tilapia in local water sources has fallen since the programme began in August. The department says it has eradicated at least 90,000kg of blackchin tilapia from 17 provinces nationwide. A House of Representatives sub-committee in September said a company that it declined to name was the sole importer of blackchin tilapia was at the root of the problem. CP Foods has publicly acknowledged that it first imported blackchin tilapia for research in December 2010, with permission from the Department of Fisheries.
Source:Bangkok Post
October 16, 2024 13:05 UTC
Get Interpol to apprehend Pisal: PM
When asked whether the government would put additional pressure on Gen Pisal to return to Thailand to stand trial, the premier said it already had. When quizzed on reports Gen Pisal is currently in Japan, Ms Paetongtarn said this must be handled by Interpol. Gen Pisal quit Pheu Thai on Monday, said Wisut Chainarun, another of the party's list-MP and also the chief government whip. Therefore, no one in the party needs to criticise Gen Pisal over the Tak Bai issue any longer, he said. As a consequence of his resignation, Gen Pisal lost his seat in the House and will be replaced from the party list.
Source:Bangkok Post
October 16, 2024 12:36 UTC
Lebanese flee conflict into Syria as UN warns of displacement crisis
The conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah is breaking up families, as people flee Lebanon for safety and a better future. Some 270,000 residents of Lebanon had fled across the border into Syria, the United Nations refugee agency chief said, as he warned on Monday the world needed better solutions for the unprecedented displacement crisis it's now facing.
Source:Bangkok Post
October 16, 2024 07:00 UTC
Revised contract now ready
Revised contract now readyProposed contract revisions for the high-speed rail project connecting three airports are expected to be submitted to the cabinet within two weeks, Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira said. The original contract was signed in 2019 by the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) and Asia Era One, a Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group subsidiary. Last Friday, the EEC Policy Committee approved proposed revisions to five key points in the contract. Under the original contract, when the private sector operates the high-speed train, the government would pay a total of 149.65 billion baht in instalments. The private sector must also provide additional guarantees beyond the original contract, totalling 160 billion baht, to ensure that the high-speed train is constructed and operational within five years.
Source:Bangkok Post
October 16, 2024 02:37 UTC
Kunlavut moves coolly into last 16
Kunlavut moves coolly into last 16Listen to this articleKunlavut Vitidsarn will play Koki Watanabe in the last 16. (Photo supplied)Kunlavut Vitidsarn stormed into the men's singles last 16 of the US$850,000 BWF Denmark Open in Odense on Tuesday. Kunlavut, the Paris Olympics silver medallist, cruised past Mads Christophersen of Denmark 21-18, 21-6 in just 36 minutes to book his berth in the last 16 round of the World Tour Super 750 event. Pornpawee Chochuwong and Busanan Ongbamrungphan are also in the women's singles draw and will play their first round matches on Wednesday. Thuy Linh will play seventh seed Supanida Katethong of Thailand or Aakarshi Kashyap of India in the last 16.
Source:Bangkok Post
October 16, 2024 02:11 UTC
Assets seized as iCon probe expands
Listen to this articlePeople who say they suffered financial damage because of the practices of The iCon Group file complaints with the Consumer Protection Police Division in Bangkok. The assets seized consisted of money in stock trading accounts, current accounts, savings accounts and digital asset trading accounts, the statement said. Apart from the company and CEO Warathaphon “Boss Paul” Waratyaworrakul, others whose assets were impounded were the actor and TV programme host Kan Kantathavorn, Thitaya Hong-upathumchai and Nichaphon Thongmee. iCon clinic under investigationIn a related development, a clinic under the iCon Group, which specialised in selling health and dietary supplements, could be in trouble for hiring a fake doctor, according to the Department of Health Service Support (DHSS). Legal action will be taken against the clinic owner.”According to his explanation, The Icon Wellness clinic is legally registered with the department, and iCon CEO Warathaphon is listed as a member of the clinic’s board.
Source:Bangkok Post
October 15, 2024 22:18 UTC
Analysts expect Bank of Thailand to maintain policy rate at meeting
Analysts expect Bank of Thailand to maintain policy rate at meetingListen to this articleA recovering domestic economy and the likelihood the United States Federal Reserve (Fed) might slow its interest rate cuts if inflation revives should prompt the Bank of Thailand (BoT) to maintain its policy rate at its meeting on Wednesday, say analysts. Kasikorn Securities and Kasikorn Research Center (K-Research) also expect the MPC meeting this week to vote unanimously to maintain the policy rate at 2.50%. However, the MPC is expected to be more accommodative in its monetary policy direction, signalling an opportunity to cut interest rates in the future. The MPC meeting this month is scheduled to publish economic and inflation forecasts, with K-Research projecting the central bank may maintain its projections for the economy and inflation this year. The central bank forecasts the economy to expand 2.6% in 2024, with a headline inflation rate of 0.6%.
Source:Bangkok Post
October 15, 2024 17:22 UTC
Rising culinary stars compete for chance at world finals in Singapore
Young culinary talents showcased their skills and creativity in the “Young Chef Young Waiter Young Mixologist Thailand” competition, held at a Bangkok hotel on Oct 9 this year. The winners will have the chance to represent Thailand at the World Finals in Singapore, competing against teams from other countries for a grand prize of US$15,000.
Source:Bangkok Post
October 15, 2024 09:27 UTC
House to finally debate amnesty for lese majeste cases
House to finally debate amnesty for lese majeste casesListen to this articleA controversial report on whether offences under the lese majeste law should be eligible for amnesty is finally set for a debate in parliament this week after two previous delays, according to the House panel in charge of the study. The report, which contains a proposal for the amnesty of political offenders, is up for debate on Thursday, said Sasinan Thammanithinan, a Bangkok MP for the People's Party and committee spokeswoman. The Chusak committee has discussed three options: offering amnesty to Section 112 offenders, not offering amnesty to lese majeste offenders, and offering conditional amnesty. He said the panel had looked particularly closely at denying amnesty to lese majeste offences of a deliberate nature but possibly granting amnesty to those who broke Section 112 without intending to insult the monarchy. "If parliament allows the committee's findings to stand, a hot potato will land in the government's lap," he said.
Source:Bangkok Post
October 15, 2024 02:08 UTC