VERY LATEST NEWS FROM THAILAND in English (23 August 2023) from Fabulous 103fm Pattaya

VERY LATEST NEWS FROM THAILAND in English (23 August 2023) from Fabulous 103fm Pattaya

– Thailand has a new Prime Minister
Thailand has a new PM, as of yesterday afternoon, as following deal after deal with most minor parties, Khun Srettha was elected IN parliament with the support of the senate.  Quite what deals were struck with those other parties hasn’t, in most cases, been revealed BUT will unravel over the next few days as ministerial appointments are announced.  With Move Forward, the winning party in the general election, bumped to the opposition, Thailand’s new government is a coalition of ELEVEN parties, which could make lawmaking interesting. Traditionally the final step in appointment comes from HM the king and it’s likely that only AFTER that we will see WHICH party garners WHICH positions of importance.  One thing though IS for sure, Gen Prayut can now enjoy the retirement that he told the press he looked forward to taking.

– Former PM Thaksin jailed after return to Thailand 
Tuesday also saw the return to Thailand of former PM Thaksin, from his self imposed exile abroad.  Whether or not HIS return was linked to the agreement of some parties to join in the coalition is not known, however his arrival in the capital was followed by a trip to court, the reading of sentence and his being sent to prison.  As is customary, a medical check was carried out at the prison hospital which confirmed several conditions affecting the 74 yr old’s health which, combined, restated as the reason that he will NOT enter the regular prison system, but remain in the prison hospital facilities.  WILL he serve his sentence in full?  Many say that’s unlikely, but the coming months will reveal all as he, of course, is directly linked to the newly empowered coalition leading party Pheu Thai, in which his daughter is a major player.

– Credit card rate increases to be a burden for many Thais
Revolving credit, that’s credit card, have made headlines sin Thai papers this week as one card issuer, associated with a major bank, has predicted issues for many when the minimum monthly repayment is raised from the current 5 to 10% of balance.  Reduced during the covid era, the use of credit cards has scored among Thais in employment who have, in many cases, used them for leisure and pleasure and in others to pay basic bills, either way hitting their max levels.  Once a card is maxed out, its pretty useless as we all know, but the interest rates, also set to rise, mean that minimum payments are commonly made and balances never realistically decline.  The car executive told the press that minimum repayments are set to increase to 8% next year and 10% in the following, AND that currently at least 8% of card holders ONLY pay the minimum monthly.

– Former cop involved in armed confrontation over pawned car 
Police have been notified of a former policeman, now running a car pawn company pointing a gun at a couple attempting to steal his ford mustang in the street.  Catch is that it ISN’T his car.  Seems he lent a high amount of money to the registered keeper and held the car as security, BUT that it was already on the hook to a finance company which has a registered lien on it and is, in effect, the owner.  When the KEEPERS failed to make payments to them, they sent out their repo team, who proceeded to adhere stickers to the vehicle until he came out angrily, scared them and drove away.    Police intend to interview him this week.

For more of the latest local & national video news updates, subscribe to our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqqv5O_uGcm-BdVXfgrZyWg
For more news: https://alwayspattaya.com/news/
Listen to the radio online from our homepage!: http://www.alwayspattaya.com