CPF Unaffected by United States’ GSP Suspension, Operations Meet Targets as Swine Business Improves

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31 October 2019, 06:00

Mr. Prasit Boondoungprasert, Chief Executive Officer of Charoen Pokphand Foods PLC (CPF), said that the United States’ decision to suspend trade privileges for Thailand under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program will hit only shrimp wonton noodle soup. The soup constitutes 0.2% of the company’s sale revenue and will be subjected to 6% import duty when the suspension takes effect in the next six months.

CPF has gradually adjusted its business model, prioritizing overseas investment. New production plants have been established in targeted countries to serve local consumers and these overseas ventures are prospering and contributing about 70% of total sale revenue. The United States has been one of the investment destinations. CPF has invested in ready-to-eat food production in the US and it has achieved growth targets and anticipates bright business prospects in the years ahead.

Meanwhile, pork meat prices have been moving up as concerns about the African Swine Fever (ASF) subside. In Vietnam, pork price hits 55,000-57,000 Vietnamese dong per kilogram, which is the highest this year. A similar improvement is taking place in Thailand.

Mr. Prasit stressed that CPF expects to achieve all business targets in 2019 and anticipates continued growth in 2020.

He also rebutted a news report that CPF’s financial statements and credit rating are affected by the accounting standards concerning the company’s perpetual bonds.

The Overseas Property Show selects Bangkok for first-ever international property event in Asia

By

Khaosod English

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31 October 2019, 05:56

The Overseas Property Show set for Grand Centre Point Terminal 21 in Bangkok on November 23 and 24

First time The Overseas Property Show has hosted an event outside of Europe

More than one hundred investors expected to attend the two-day international property showcase

BANGKOK, Thailand – The Overseas Property Show comes to Asia for the very first time with a two-day showcase set for Grand Centre Point Terminal 21 in Bangkok on November 23 and 24. The show is a one-of-a-kind international property exhibition and will have a unique selection of real estate investment destinations on display.

Those who attend The Overseas Property Show can learn more from award-winning agents who represent beautiful properties in Portugal, Spain, Cyprus, Cape Verde and the United States among other locations. Visitors will be able to browse a superb portfolio of real estate at varying price points while free, personalised consultations can be arranged throughout the two-day event.

Additionally, experts from each location will be on hand to offer professional advice on finance, property management, rental simulations, tax incentives, currency exchange and the buying process in each country.

“At The Overseas Property Show, visitors will have the option to browse properties that fit both their personal taste for a holiday home or retirement planning, and those they may choose for investment purposes. The show provides attendees a great opportunity to sit with agents and really understand their investment options,” Chris White, CEO & Founder of The Overseas Property Show, explains.

The event marks the first time some of these real estate investment destinations have been presented in Bangkok. Buyers who attend The Overseas Property Show can take advantage of a number of special promotions including free accommodation for three nights in Portugal when viewing local properties.

Regularly held in Europe, The Overseas Property Show connects real estate buyers and investors to holiday homes, permanent residences, retirement properties and rental real estate from around the globe. Dot Property is helping organise the exclusive event and will use its local expertise to ensure a successful show.

“We’re thrilled to help bring The Overseas Property Show to Asia for the first time and feel Bangkok is the perfect spot for the inaugural event,” Adam Sutcliffe, Director, Events and International Markets at Dot Property, states. “The strong Thai baht is empowering property investors in Thailand with greater spending power and more buyers than ever before are considering overseas real estate opportunities. The Overseas Property Show is offering them an exclusive chance to learn more about international property investment right here on their doorstep.”

Tickets for The Overseas Property Show at Grand Centre Point Terminal 21 in Bangkok are available free of charge. The two-day event will take place on November 23 and 24. For more information, please contact Jade Chan from Dot Property at 065-512-9204 or [email protected]

Introducing the Limited Edition Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost and Rare Glenury Royal

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Khaosod English

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31 October 2019, 05:52

Crafted using irreplaceable whiskies from long-closed ‘ghost’ distilleries.

“Shining a light on this hidden treasure of the whisky world is something we’ve wanted to do for some time. This indulgent new limited edition provides us with a wonderful opportunity to explore the layers of fruit found in every drop of Johnnie Walker Blue Label,” said Johnnie Walker Master Blender Jim Beveridge.

Today, Johnnie Walker announces the release of Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost and Rare Glenury Royal, the third in the series of special releases crafted using irreplaceable “ghost” whiskies from a small number of iconic distilleries that closed many years ago. Jim has long been passionate about exploring the unique flavours found in these exceptionally rare whiskies from the Johnnie Walker Blue Label reserves.

At the heart of this whisky lies the Highland single malt Glenury Royal, from the distillery of the same name that shut its doors in 1985. Its colourful history is also exceptional.
Founded in 1825 by Captain Robert Barclay – a Member of the British Parliament and the first man to walk one thousand miles in one thousand hours – the distillery was destroyed by a devastating fire only to rise like a phoenix from the flames to thrive once again. Under Barclay’s tenacious leadership, it flourished to become one of only three Scottish distilleries to enjoy a royal title. Today the rare spirit of Captain Barclay lives on in the dwindling stocks of this incredible “ghost” whisky.

Jim added: “We have waited patiently for that moment when we turn our thoughts to this rare whisky, carefully watching over our maturing casks until the time was right to explore its character.”

Jim and his team also hand-selected two rare whiskies from the “ghost” distilleries of Cambus and Pittyvaich, balancing their creamy toffee and butterscotch notes with the orchard fruits, sweet apple and apricot character of Glenury Royal.

Five other rare whiskies from Glen Elgin, Inchgower, Glenlossie, Cameronbridge and Glenkinchie bring vanilla, heather honey and dried fruits through dark chocolate and nutty layers to create an exploration of this ‘ghost’ whisky.

Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost and Rare Glenury Royal is bottled at an ABV of 43.8% and is available today. Each bottle in this special release is individually numbered.

A Mint Symphony by TWG Tea

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Khaosod English

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31 October 2019, 05:38

Bangkok, October 2019 – Journey across the Sahara with TWG Tea’s exclusive tea blends from the Haute Couture Tea Collection®, exceptionally crafted with a symphony of sweet wild mints.

Inspired by time-honoured tea traditions of the Middle East where tea remains the core of social and family gatherings, grace your tea table with these exquisite tea blends to awaken the body and soul, and enliven the senses.

Embark on a voyage of discovery with the Alexandria Tea, a mélange of green teas subtly blended with sweet and spicy mints, warm spices and a scattering of flower petals which finishes with a mesmerising melting note of anise. Glimmering in elegant hues of royal blue and gold, the Alexandria Tea is a dreamy reminder of the breezy Arabian nights.

Reminiscent of the infinite beauty of Morocco in a teacup, the Morocco Mint Tea is a refreshing cup beautifully blended with suave and strong Sahara mint. Preciously encased in a tin adorned with shades of green and gold, this green tea is a timeless classic and a welcome expression of true Moroccan generosity.

The Alexandria Tea and Moroccan Mint Tea retail at 1,360 baht for 100g and are available at all TWG Tea Salons & Boutiques in Thailand.

Lower House to Investigate MP Who Brought TNT into Parliament

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Tappanai Boonbandit, Staff Reporter

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30 October 2019, 19:05

Thai Civilized Party leader Mongkolkit Suksintaranont uses a trace detector to identify a sample of TNT during a press conference on Oct. 30, 2019.

BANGKOK — An MP was placed under investigation for bringing explosive materials into Parliament on Wednesday.

Lower House Speaker Chuan Leekpai said he ordered an investigation into Mongkolkit Suksintaranont, the leader of the independent Thai Civilized Party, who brought half a pound of TNT into Parliament in order to bring attention to poor security measures.

“I’m very worried, because this means that anyone can plant a bomb without being detected,” Mongkolkit said, after he brought in the TNT and alerted the media and fellow MPs about his unusual smuggle.

Mongkolkit came with bomb disposal police. They were able to put the TNT sample in Mongkolkit’s office – located right below the chamber where parliamentary sessions convene – without being apprehended.

Mongkolkit then presented explosives trace detectors that that he claimed would have been able to detect bomb substances, and are also now being used in the Deep South.

“I don’t believe Mongkolkit intended to do harm, but we have to launch an investigation as per protocol,” Chuan said.

The Lower House Secretariat also refuted Mongkolkit’s criticism of Parliament security, saying that the machines installed at security checkpoints inside the building are capable of deterring any threat.

“I can confirm that our security measures are up to standard,” Lower House’s security officer Apirak Buathong said. “These devices are not intended to detect explosive materials, and the substances he brought in not enough to raise an alarm.”

Mongkolkit said the new detectors will be deployed in the upcoming ASEAN Summit.

Mongkolkit, or “Tay,” was once posed as a staunch supporter of PM Prayuth Chan-ocha, but he reversed his stance in August when he accused Prayuth’s government of mismanagement, alleged irregularities, and intolerance of criticism.

Pro-Govt Politico Sorry for Anti-Monarchy Accusation

Elephant Squishes Car in Khao Yai National Park

By

Asaree Thaitrakulpanich, Staff Reporter

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30 October 2019, 17:38

NAKHON RATCHASIMA — Park officials Wednesday published 10 rules to follow when encountering a wild elephant after a video of one such beast squishing a car driving through Khao Yai National Park went viral.

The elephant, called Deu, sidled up to a car in Khao Yai National Park around 4pm Tuesday. In the video, he can be seen rubbing against it, before sitting fully on the vehicle. The panicked driver only drove away after his car suffered some damages.

“He usually likes to come to greet tourists anyway, but he never hurt anyone or any vehicles,” park director Kanchit Sarinpawan said Wednesday. “There were many factors that contributed to this, as we can see in the clip. We can see the driver was able to drive out, but he may have been too panicked to do so.”

Both driver and passenger, reportedly men in their 20s, were uninjured. But the 35-year-old male elephant Deu had dented the roof, and broke the rear and side windows.

Elephants will come out of the wild a lot in these couple months since they are looking for food after the rainy season, with their usual flora food in the forest drying up. Deu usually roams around the km. 28 to 32 mark on Thanarat Road, so watch out for him.

The following are the 10 rules that tourists driving through the park should follow when running into a wild elephant:

Stay at least 30 meters away in your car and slowly back up to keep your distance if the elephant approaches.
No flash photography.
Do not honk the car’s horn or make other loud noises.
Do not turn off the engine and be ready to drive away at any time.
Do not get out of the vehicle to take photos.
Turn off your headlights if encountering elephants at night. Do not flash headlights or other lights at them.
If surrounded by elephants circling your car, move towards a spot in the circle with no elephants.
If the car in front of you backs up, please back up as well, as it might be an emergency situation.
Do not get out of the car and approach the elephant.
An elephant’s best senses are hearing, smell, and vision. If you turn off your engine, the elephant will approach and use these senses to investigate, by looking at, smelling, and listening to your car.

Visitors to national parks have been known to bother and heckle wild elephants before. In a video that went viral in April 2017, park officials reported visitors to the police that honked and cursed at an approaching wild elephant.

Man Arrested for Hacking Gov’t Cash Giveaway Website

By

Tappanai Boonbandit, Staff Reporter

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30 October 2019, 13:26

Thiranat Mahatthanobol, standing to the right of his mother in red shirt, during a police raid at his home in Pattani on Oct. 28, 2019.

BANGKOK — Police on Tuesday said a man was arrested for allegedly launching a cyberattack on the registration website for a government cash handout program.

Cyber police commander Paiboon Noihoon said Thiranat Mahatthanobol, 19, confessed to coding and executing malicious software to repeatedly sign up on the “Chim, Shop, Chai” website, which caused the system to crash and delay for thousands of Thai who rushed to register for the 1,000 baht giveaway scheme.

“The man was detained at his house in Pattani. He confessed that he acted on his own. He was challenging his skills,” Police Maj. Gen. Paiboon said. “We are deciding whether to press charges against others who used his software.”

The attack took place on Oct. 25, the second day of registration. The police said Thiranat posted a malware-planted link to the website on his Facebook, saying that his link can bypass the queue.

The police believed that Thiranat might have aimed to reserve quotas for his personal gain as the scheme has a limited quota of 500,000 applicants per registration round. Nevertheless, police said he could not get the credit he aimed for, as the process run by the software was incomplete.

Thiranat was charged for disrupting traffic to the website and disseminating malicious software. He faces up to five years in prison if convicted.

Registration for the scheme is highly competitive. It took only an hour to fill up the quota on the first day of registration on Oct. 24, according to the Finance Ministry.

“Chim, Shop, Chai (Taste, Shop, Spend)” is a government-sponsored program which aims to circulate more money in the economy. Registered citizens are entitled to 1,000 baht credit to spend at participating stores and a 20 percent rebate up to 50,000 baht for their purchases

However, the credit has to be used at other provinces than their registered address.

Ten million people have already signed up for the first phase of the scheme while registration for the second phase is now open for additional three million quotas.

Brr! Thai Halloween to Be Slightly Cooler With ‘Matmo Storm’

By

Asaree Thaitrakulpanich, Staff Reporter

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30 October 2019, 12:57

Taken from a hotel room in Chao Hostel, Bangkok. Photo: Marco Nürnberger / Flickr

BANGKOK — The approaching Matmo tropical storm will expend the brunt of its powers on our Vietnamese and Cambodian neighbors, resulting in showers over Thailand through Saturday.

According to the Thai Meteorological Department Wednesday, Matmo will make landfall at Central Vietnam within the day before barrelling into Cambodia before showering Thailand with rains and slightly cooler temperatures.

Bangkok should see a 40 to 60 percent chance of rain and heavy winds, with temperatures dipping 2C to 4C through Saturday. Expect lows of 22C to 24C and highs of 31C to 33C.

Provinces in Isaan, the east, southern central provinces and southern provinces along the upper Gulf of Thailand should brace for heavy rains Wednesday and Thursday. Rains should lessen in intensity but continue through Saturday.

“This is a winter rain, it’s expected that the storm’s intensity will decrease fast,” Seree Supratid, director of the Climate Change and Disaster Center at Rangsit University said. “It won’t be extreme. At most there will be rains causing a bit of overflowing water, but that’s it. Especially in Bangkok, I expect just quick rains.”

2019 Halloween: Here’s Something for Everyone to Do in Bangkok

Paranormal Activities Reported at Late PM’s Residence

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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30 October 2019, 12:40

A file photo of Gen. Prem Tinsulanonda's residence.

BANGKOK — Soldiers guarding a mansion where the late former leader Prem Tinsulanonda lived until his death in May said they encountered multiple paranormal activities in recent weeks.

Several guards said they sometimes noticed a strong scent of Gen. Prem’s favorite soaps inside his residence – which was technically owned by the army – and lights would go on and off on their own.

An elevator at the mansion would also move without anyone pressing a button, according to the soldiers, who call the ex-premier by the endearing term “Pa.”

“Pa values his privacy, and he was very frugal … he liked to turn off the lights by himself. Whenever he left the room, he would turn them off immediately,” said one soldier, who declined to give his name.

54465654465465546465 — Gen. Prem Tinsulanonda on March 16, 2019.

Prem died on May 26 at the age of 98 after a long and influential career as army chief, prime minister, and a top advisor to two monarchs: King Rama IX and his son King Rama X.

His body has been lying in state at a royally-sponsored funeral at Benchamabophit Temple. His cremation date is pending a royal approval by His Majesty the King.

Some soldiers at the residence said the elevator also moved on its own when they were packing up his personal belongings to be kept at another facility last week.

“I don’t know what signal he was sending. Or maybe he didn’t want to leave,” the same soldier said.

The mansion, located in Dusit area, is due to be handed back to the army, who will in turn transfer its ownership to the Crown Property Bureau on Thursday. It is unclear what the palace is planning to do with the historic house.

‘Cause This is Thriller Night! Group Urges Crackdown on Halloween Booze Violators

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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30 October 2019, 12:08

Activists, some dressed up as ghosts of drunk drivers, urge police to crack down on Halloween night alcohol law violations in Bangkok on Oct. 30, 2019.

BANGKOK — It’s close to midnight, something evil’s lurking from the dark… BOO! It might be the police coming after Halloween Night amazeballs Happy Hour at your favorite bars.

In a letter submitted on Wednesday to the national police, a group campaigning against alcohol consumption urged the police to crack down on bars and pubs that target young drinkers with their discounts and other types of marketing incentives in the upcoming Halloween festival.

“A major factor in creating new generations of drinkers is an easy access to alcohol,” group leader Teerapat Kahawong told reporters. “Even though there are legal restrictions, but bars and pubs still choose to violate the laws in order to gain profit on that day.”

Teerapat said his group, called “Network to Prevent New Drinkers,” is concerned that bars will hitch on the popularity of Halloween celebrations in Thailand and entice drinkers with promotion or sell booze to underage customers. The activist said alcohol frequently caused road accidents, especially among young people.

He called on the police to strictly enforce the Alcohol Control Act, which bans engaging in alcohol sales promotions and inducing others to drink.

The former charge carries a maximum penalty of 10,000 baht fine, while punishment for the latter is much harsher: one year in prison and 500,000 baht fine, along with an additional penalty of 50,000 baht per day offenders remain out of compliance.

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