Thailand Plans To Sell Only Electric Vehicles By 2035

Thailand has set a goal of selling only zero-emission electric vehicles (EVs) by the year 2035. The government also wants to have EVs account for half of all new car registrations by the end of this decade, up from 30% previously.

“We can see the world is heading in that direction so we have to move quickly,” Kawin Thangsupanich, who advises the Thai Energy Ministry’s national policy committee, told Bloomberg in an interview.

With a target date set for the phasing out of non-electric cars, Kawin said the government would now have to push the transition along. This means offering tax incentives, rolling out the necessary infrastructure, and writing regulations that promote EV production as well as incentivising people to buy the cars.

Kawin observed that letting EV adoption occur naturally could take too much time. He linked the country’s ambition to be a major EV production centre to its existing supply chains.

The automotive industry is vital to Thailand at large. According to Bloomberg, it represents about 10% of the economy, employs 850,000 workers, and supports industries like iron, steel, petrochemicals, and plastic. Roughly half of the cars made there are exported to countries like Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia.

Thailand’s probably taking notice of the fact that demand for electric vehicles has surged dramatically in Asia – especially in China. Inspired by Tesla’s success in the country, Chinese tech companies have been tripping over themselves to enter the EV market.

Thailand Investigating Facebook’s Claims Of Military-Linked Accounts

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said he has ordered the country’s army to investigate Facebook’s claims after it took down accounts that were allegedly operated by the military to covertly influence public opinion, the Associated Press and the Bangkok Post reported.

According to Reuters, the social media giant recently announced that it had removed 77 accounts, 72 pages, 18 groups, and 18 Instagram accounts for “coordinated inauthentic behaviour”. Facebook said it traced the operation to the Thai’s military’s Internal Security Operations Command.

“Facebook took action like this. It can be interpreted in many ways. We must make it clear,” said Prayuth, according to the AP. The Thai PM is an ex-general who led the military junta that formerly ruled the country.

By Facebook’s telling, the accounts targeted people living in Thailand’s southern provinces, where the government has long faced a violent insurgent and separatist movement. Typical content include support for the Thai military and monarchy, calls for non-violence, alleged violence by the insurgent groups, and criticism of the separatist movement.

Facing criticism for not confronting disinformation and the promotion of violence, social media companies are now acting aggressively to show that they mean business. And after banning former US President Trump, they also need to show that they’re consistent across the globe.

Accordingly, Facebook and subsidiary Instagram swiftly booted Myanmar’s military, blamed for a recent coup, from their platforms. Thailand and neighbouring Myanmar have been known for powerful military establishments that often interfere with politics.