The debt ceiling and why we should kill it: 5 questions answered The Conversation18 Jul 2019, 22:24 GMT+10 Editor’s note: The U.S. government maxed out its national credit card in March and has been moving money around ever since to avoid running out of cash. Very soon the Treasury Department will reach the limits of […]
The post 5 questions answered about the debt ceiling and why we should kill it appeared first on Thailand – China.
KANCHANABURI, 21st July 2019 (NNT) -Natural Resources and Environment Minister Warawut Silpa-archa has visited Salak Phra Wildlife Sanctuary and met with local villagers affected by the presence of wild elephants.
Mr Warawut visited Salak Phra wildlife sanctuary in the capital district of Kanchanaburi province and met with local villagers who have been affected by wild elephants eating their farm crops. Vasant Sunchirat, Kamnan of Chong Sadao tambon, Vanida Buasorn, Kamnan of Wang Dong tambon and a number of villagers who brandished placards calling on the minister for help.
The villagers also asked the minister to help clear up allegations that their farmland overlaps with the sanctuary area. Mr Warawut talked with the villagers for nearly an hour, accepted their complaints and had pictures taken with them. The villagers apparently demanded that the minister provide a budget for the creation of food and water sources for the wild elephants in the inner part of the wildlife sanctuary. Besides, another budget is demanded for the excavation of waterways and iron fences along the waterways. The existing electric fences cannot keep the elephants from encroaching upon the farmland.
Mr Warawut met with high-ranking government officials at the operation center of Salak Phra wildlife sanctuary for about two hours. He planted a Yellow Star tree as a memento of the occasion at the center.
Bangkok, 18 July 2019 – In this interview, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn highlights Thai society’s long-standing respect for nature and close relationship with the animal kingdom, and how TAT continues to build on its history of animal welfare and wildlife conservation, particularly in emerging and secondary destinations.
The role of the elephant in Thailand has been a long one that we’re not really sure when it actually began. In various times in history, the Thais took advantage of the elephants’ sheer size and strength to protect the Kingdom in battle and also put them to work across the country for generations in lieu of machinery.
The elephant is also the national symbol and has special spiritual significance with its deep associations with Buddhism and Hinduism. So, it must always be revered and well taken care of.
There are many conservation projects and sanctuaries around Thailand in all regions. Examples include but are not limited to the Elephant Hospital in Lampang, the Elephants World in Kanchanaburi, and Phang Nga Elephant Park in Southern Thailand’s Phang Nga province to name only a very few.
BANGKOK, 20th July 2019 (NNT) – Four challenging issues have been raised by the private sector with the new government through Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak, who has accepted the proposals and may set up an economics’ cabinet.
During a meeting with the deputy premier in charge of economic affairs, Federation of Thai Industries President Suphan Mongkolsuthi proposed guidelines for the handling of economic problems, involving the consumers’ purchasing power, the lower prices of farm goods, declines in the export industry and the flow-on effects of the international trade war.
The proposed measures include the setting up of a fund for innovation, the continuation of joint public-private committee meetings, the ease of doing business and waiving of unnecessary laws and the setting up of an economics cabinet. The 400-baht daily minimum wage issue wasn’t raised during the meeting, but the Federation of Thai Industries president said he would consult with the Labor Minister about it in due course.
Mr Somkid confirmed that he will consult with the premier about the proposed setting up of the economics cabinet. At an initial stage, the premier may chair the proposed economics cabinet which wouldn’t convene on a weekly basis. The economics cabinet may only convene when a special issue arises. The economics cabinet would give assurances to the private sector and help steer the national economy. Meanwhile, the 400-baht minimum wage will be considered by the Tripartite Wage Committee.
The deputy premier said an increase in the minimum wage will depend on various factors, such as the development of the skills of workers. He gave an assurance that the issue will be handled positively.
A lot has changed since fax machines, and boxy cubicles were mainstays in offices around the world. Thanks to changes in work styles, technological advancements and space allocation as well as cultural shifts, the workplace has drastically transformed over the past decade.
Increasingly, more Thai and Multinational companies in Bangkok are recognizing these changes when it comes to both the selection of office buildings and design of their workspace.
“Based on CBRE’s research, the primary goals for organizations remain the same: attracting and retaining top talent, enabling this talent to successfully achieve organizational goals, and doing all of this in a fiscally responsible manner,” says Ms. Roongrat Veeraparkkaroon, Head of Advisory & Transaction Services – Office at CBRE Thailand.
“What is changing is the role the workplace plays in enabling these goals. Top performing organizations recognize the important value of their workplace as a destination for their people – a place that brings them together as a community, fosters culture and connection to purpose, and gives them the resources to be their most effective,”
Ms. Roongrat added.
Today, there is a new consumer mindset at play when it comes to employee perceptions. More and more companies view their employees as consumers, which trickles down into how they design workspaces to support that ideology.
Organizations are providing environments that are conducive to keeping employees happy, healthy and, of course, productive and efficient. For example, employees have grown accustomed to amenities they could only dream of in previous decades.
Previously, only a canteen serving economical food, a convenience store, coffee shop and bank branches or ATM’s were seen as being essential…
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced its downward revision of global growth estimate in 2019 to 3.3%, down from 3.5%, and of global trade volume estimate to 3.4% from 4% as previously assessed in the World Economic Outlook in January 2019.
The IMF views that there remain key risks to global growth including the trade protectionist measures, a slowdown of the Chinese economy following domestic economic reforms and trade war, a slowing growth of the Eurozone due to domestic factors in many member economies, Brexit uncertainty, and tightening global monetary conditions that continue to weigh down on global growth.
As a result, roughly 70% of the global economy, which covers almost all key regions, faces a larger-than-expected slowdown of its economy in 2019.
However, the IMF expects global growth to pick up in the second half of 2019, while in 2020, the global economy will be driven by developing and emerging markets (EM) whose economies will become more stable and expand well in 2020.
In addition, there will also be supporting factors from monetary policy stances of central banks of major economies that will be more accommodative, China’s economic stimulus measures through both fiscal and monetary policies that will gradually lend support to its growth, and factors holding down growth of the Eurozone which will likely ease such as a slowdown of the auto industry in Germany and the political turmoil in the region.
IMF cuts its growth forecast in 2019 of developing markets (DM) led by the Eurozone, whose growth is likely to slow down more than expected given country-specific risks…
The Chinese have designed and crafted lanterns that can float in water and glide in the air. Though sky lanterns were initially crafted as a device, to send signals, today they are used as decorative articles. Water Lanterns in Chinese festivals have its own importance. There is an interesting story to the History of Chinese […]
The post The Chinese Water Lantern Festival appeared first on Thailand – China.
KRABI, 17 July 2019 (NNT) – The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources is cooperating with related agencies along the Andaman Sea to protect dugongs, a rare marine animal, implementing measures to prevent the beaching and deaths of dugongs.
The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) Director General Jatuporn Buruspat, along with the Vice Governor of Krabi Sompoch Chotchuchuang, the Commander of Phang Nga Navy Base RAdm Nanthapon Malarat, and representatives of related agencies, have attended a meeting to improve measures protecting dugongs in a sustainable manner, following reported cases of 15 dugong deaths this year, exceeding the average of 12 a year.
Most of the dugongs found dead, died from mishaps with fishing equipment, with the four latest cases found with traces of rope burns on the skin, while one of the latest was found dead from an infection. Meanwhile the number of beached dugongs has also risen.
In the meeting, a working committee was set up, while each agency was given a role in dugong protection. A marine area covering 0.04 square kilometers close to Ko Jum Island in Krabi where dense seagrass can be found has now been declared a fishing-free zone.
The DMCR chief says measures preventing beaching and the death of dugongs will be carried out in three phases, with short-term measures taking care of dugong’s food sources, patrols being instigated, and communication with villagers to promote public participation in conservation, while mid-term measures include the collection of relevant data and collaboration with related agencies to address all the issues, while long-term measures being introduced will provide more intense conservation of the dugongs’ habitat, including the announcement of a designated dugong protection area within five years.
© Siam News Network Ltd.
