
Thai PM to visit Beijing tomorrow, focus on scams and air pollution
Top of the agenda, when Thai PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra begins her official visit to China tomorrow, will be the strengthening of cooperation on tackling scams and air pollution.
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Top of the agenda, when Thai PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra begins her official visit to China tomorrow, will be the strengthening of cooperation on tackling scams and air pollution.

Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said today that the cutting of electricity supplies to five locations in Myanmar border townships will cost the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) about 50 million baht per month in lost revenue. To date they have been supplying 20.37 megawatts of electricity annually.

Sunday’s meeting in Kuala Lumpur between Malaysia’s prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, and former Thai prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, focused on the ongoing situation in Myanmar, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Thaksin’s youngest daughter, told reporters yesterday.

The National Security Council (NSC) has decided to let the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) decide whether to cut electricity supplies to Myanmar’s border townships, believed to shelters for Chinese-run call centres, or to use step-by-step measures based on the information about power usage and the suspected connections between the call centres and the Myanmar electricity concessions.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra described today the Pheu Thai party’s winning of PAO mayoral elections in 10 provinces on Saturday, out of the 16 in which they fielded candidates, as “quite good”.

The Election Commission (EC) announced today that 58.45% of the 27.9 million eligible voters turned out to vote in the PAO mayoral elections in 47 provinces, while 56.06% of the 47.1 million eligible voters exercised their right to vote in 76 provinces across the country. Bangkok, as a special administrative area, has a separate election cycle.

Of the eight provinces in which former PM Thaksin campaigned for local election candidates, as an ‘assistant to the MP’, his Pheu Thai Party lost in four in yesterday’s polls, raising questions about over how much political influence he still has.

The Pheu Thai party won the most seats in the Provincial Administrative Organisation (PAO) elections yesterday in the 18 provinces whereas the winners in the last general election, the Move Forward party (now the People’s party), was roundly defeated, winning in only one province.

Pheu Thai party lead in unofficial voting results of the Provincial Administrative Organisation (PAO) elections followed by Bhumjaithai Party.

Election Commission Secretary-General Sawaeng Boonmee urged eligible voters to go to the polls today and exercise their right to vote in Provincial Administrative Organisation (PAO) mayoral and councillor elections.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra laid out the government’s performance and achievements in a pre-recorded address, broadcast in the “Thai Opportunities with PM Paetongtarn” program on the NBT HD2 channel today.

The dates of elections in Thailand are set by the Election Commission. They are usually on the last Sunday, within 45 days, from the term expiry for incumbent elected officials. It is uncommon for voters to be asked to cast their ballots on a Saturday, like today, but there are reasons for it.