The Excise Department is proposing the cabinet conclude the Government’s first-car buyer tax rebate policy within the 2015 fiscal year.

The Director General of the Excise Department, Somchai Poonsawad, said that initially the cabinet didn’t set a definite period for the project; concluding the policy would simplify the rebate payment process, and enable the government to allocate funds for the scheme. He also said eligible policy participants should claim their purchased vehicles by September.

On April 28th, the government approved 3.1 billion baht out of a requested 8 billion baht to pay the tax rebates, surmising that the amount would be completely spent before the next government was formed. The Excise Department now has an 8.2 billion baht budget to make the payments when the approved sum is added to the remaining 5.1 billion baht, effectively enabling the department to make the payments until July. Mr. Somchai said his department is due to pay 3 billion baht in rebates on Friday, May 9th.

According to a recent finding of the Kasikorn Research Center Company Limited, the number of Thai laborers working abroad has declined sharply, revealing that the figure dropped from 202,416 in 1999 to 130,511 in 2013.

The company also indicated that in the first quarter of this year the number continued to decrease in all sectors, estimating that the number of Thai laborers working abroad would fall below the 130,000 mark this year. It said that the demand for basic labor is declining while the demand for skilled labor is rising.

The center said attention should be given to both local and foreign labor flow after the start of the ASEAN Economic Community next year, suggesting the change might spark interest among local laborers to seek jobs in neighboring countries. According to KResearch, Thailand ranks 24th in terms of income from laborers working in foreign countries and 10th in the ASEAN region, indicating that last year the nation generated more than 88 billion baht from the sector.

The Ministry of Commerce will be holding a seminar for local business operators with an aim to prepare them for the upcoming ASEAN Economic Community (AEC).

Director-General of the Department of International Trade Nuntawan Sakuntanaga stated that the Ministry of Commerce, in cooperation with 20 public and private organizations, is planning to hold an informational seminar to help business operators prepare for the approaching AEC in 2015.

The topic of focus will be on doing business with Thailand’s neighboring countries — which are currently the country’s most important market as one-fourth of Thai exports are destined to the ASEAN region and the volume tends to rise on a continual basis.

The seminar will place emphasis on 4 main groups of products, namely food, lifestyle and furniture, heavy industrial products, clothes and accessories.

The seminar will be held on June 5, 2014 at the Department of International Trade Promotion.

The PDRC has refrained from protesting today, as they are eagerly awaiting the constitutional court’s ruling on Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s case in relation to the transfer of NSC Chief Thawil Pliensri.

Lumpini Park has been rather quiet since this morning as the People’s Democratic Reform Committee have called off their protests for a day in order to wait for the court’s rulings on the case against the PM.

However, the PRDC protesters still remain in the park awaiting orders from core leaders regarding their planned rally on May 13; in the meantime, the group is launching a campaign during May 7 to 9 to ask the general public to join in on their mass rally.

The group vowed in a mass gathering on Coronation Day to rid the country of the Thaksin regime and change the nation to a truly democratic one, as well as reforming the country before any election takes place.

The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) plans to invest a billion baht in upgrading the old and constructing new regional airports under its supervision, as part of its preparation for the expansion of domestic routes after the formation of the ASEAN Economic Community next year.

In particular, Mr. Seree Jitsopha, Deputy Director General of the DCA, said his agency would develop Mae Sod Airport as a gateway between the kingdom and neighboring Myanmar, saying the airport’s runway would be expanded from 1,600 meters to 2,100 meters. He said the DCA would spend 200 million baht to acquire land to build the airport’s temporary passenger lounge, boosting the service capacity from 150 passengers to 250 passengers per hour.

Mr. Seree said next year the DCA would request another 320 million baht budget to construct a permanent lounge, enabling the Mae Sod Airport to receive a total of 350 passengers per hour. The airport is currently welcoming 100,000 travelers annually, and handling 10 flights daily.

He said the DCA also plans to invest 225 million baht to expand Nakhon Si Thammarat Airport, doubling the airport’s capacity to handle aircraft from the current 3 to 6. The Deputy Director General, reports that the department has also purchased 920 rai of land worth 250 million baht as it plans to construct an airport in Betong District of Yala Province, adding that the passenger terminal would be erected and the runway developed once it receives the necessary budget next year.

The department expects 100,000 passengers would visit the airport per year.

The Center for Economic and Business Forecasting (CEBF) of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC) says the Thai economy may have passed its lowest point and will bounce back if no political violence occurs.

According to CEBF Director Thanawat Polvichai, economy-related figures and statistics compiled by the central bank and the Ministry of Finance have shown some positive signs which indicate that the Thai economy is recovering and may have bottomed out from its economic hardship.

He made known that Thailand should see its economy bounce back after the second quarter in a circumstance that the political situation does not exacerbate.

Furthermore, he said the government’s decision to revoke the Emergency Decree had regained confidence from foreign nations as more foreign tourists have been seen since the decree’s withdrawal.

The Transport Minister has traveled to quake-hit Chiang Rai in order to assess the total damage the recent earthquake has caused to the northernmost region.

Transport Minister Chadchart Sittipunt traveled to Chaing Rai province in response to the 6.3-magnitude earthquake that ravaged through the area. He reported that many roads and transportation routes have been severely damaged and needed immediate fixing.

On the Mae Lao – Mae Saruay route, there are 3 spots that have been badly damaged by the quake. In the Ministry’s initial plan, all traffic will be redirected by local traffic police, whereas heavy trucks will be forced to use other routes instead.

So far, Chiang Rai has reported one casualty from the quake, an 83-year-old woman who was crushed by her home’s wall and died while receiving treatment in hospital.

Wat Rong Khun, one of the most beautiful modern temples in Thailand, has reportedly been badly damaged by the recent quake in Chiang Rai province.

Temple designer and national artist Chalermchai Kositpipat revealed that the 6.3 magnitude earthquake that struck the province had dealt substantial damage to Wat Rong Khun, one of the province’s well-known temples.

The temple was only 23 kilometers away from the quake’s epicenter and many areas of the temple received damage, including the temple grounds, the grand hall, and the art gallery.

Mr. Chalermchai stated that the temple took 20 years to complete and would take at least another 2 years to repair all the damages afflicted by the recent quake. However, he assured that after the renovation, the temple would be restored to its former glory.

The Seismological Bureau of the Meteorological Department has reported that more than 100 aftershocks were detected as a result of the Chiang Rai quake that struck in the evening of April 5th.

The center reported that the earthquake’s epicenter originated in Sai Khao Subdistrict, measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale and creating a fissure that stretched seven kilometers deep.

Following the eruption, the quake sent a series of shockwaves spreading over a wide radius. Five of these waves had a magnitude of 5.0 to 5.9 on the Richter scale. Thirteen of them ranged between 4.0 and 5.0, and at least 41 others fell in the magnitudes of 3.0 to 3.9. Lastly, more than 50 smaller aftershocks of lower than 3.0 on the scale were reported as well.

Nine provinces have so far felt the aftershocks, including Chiang Rai, Lampang, Lamphun, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Nan, Phayao, Nong Khai, and Loei.

As of now, the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) has warned all residents living near the quake’s vicinity to be on alert for the next 6 to 12 hours, as the quake is still generating at least four shockwaves every hour.

The Election Commission (EC) says it might consider an election bill and a political reform road map of Democrat Leader Abhisit Vejjajiva on 6 May 2014.

EC Secretary-General Phuchong Nutrawong said high on the agenda of the EC’s meeting on Tuesday was the bill on the scheduling of a new general election. If the five Election Commissioners found that there was nothing to change, the bill would be submitted to the Office of the Secretary-General of the Cabinet on the same day, Mr Phuchong said.

The EC secretary-general added that the meeting might also discuss Mr Abhisit’s road map the latter said he would submit to the EC on Tuesday along with details of his proposed election reform.