The hospital’s blood bank head Pongjit Khemnak yesterday said they particularly needed blood type A, which has the highest demand.

Those interested in donating blood can contact the 7th Floor of Rajavithi Hospital’s Sirindhorn Building from 8.30am-4.30pm, she said. The blood bank can also dispatch a mobile blood donation unit to collect from donors in groups of more than 50 people, she added. Groups can contact 02-3548108 extensions 3026 and 3031.

The requirements for donating blood include that a donor has to weigh at least 45 kilograms, be between 17 and 60, and have slept at least six hours, eaten a low-fat meal and drank a lot of water. The donor must not engage in drug abuse or risky sexual behaviour, and must not smoke for one hour or drink alcohol for one day before donating.

“We have already interrogated one witness,” Pol Lt Colonel Jareuk Thongsikhao, an inquiry official at the Somdej Chao Phraya Police Station, said yesterday.

On Monday, the station received a complaint from Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Society of Thailand’s president Dr Cholatis Sinratchatanan, who said Dr Xeping is not even a physician.

He also pointed out that Face Off was not even a medical term, but an eye-catching word for advertising purposes.

Cholatis said such a catchy word could give false expectations to consumers.

“He should be charged with spreading false information via a computer system in a way that can cause damage to others,” he said.

Dr Xeping became famous after he reportedly provided services to a former singer.

 

Sanit said he accepted the results of an autopsy by Mahidol University’s Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital on Pol Lt Colonel Jan Chaisawas as credible. He said the case was still being investigated by a team from Metropolitan Police Area 9, but he personally didn’t rule out other motives for Jan’s death.

The autopsy report said Jan, 55, died of asphyxiation and there was no trace that he had been assaulted.

Jan’s death came a few days after he submitted a petition challenging two orders from the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) – a move many believe would pave the way for police reform.

Sanit said police would also try to identify the person who published posts with allegedly twisted facts that suggested Jan was assaulted.

Meanwhile, deputy police spokesman Pol Maj Gen Songpol Wattanachai said only some police thought the orders to scrap the posts of inquiry officers in the force would have adverse impacts. This was despite the fact that they didn’t know or had not studied how it would be done, he said.

A survey had found 66 per cent of police inquiry officers wanted to move out of their field of work and obtain career advancement, he said. He affirmed this change would bring about good things including boosting efficiency in police work and better benefits and pays to officers.

Meanwhile, former Democrat MP Watchara Phetthong urged Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya to get the Department of Special Investigation take up the probe into Jan’s alleged suicide, because letting the Royal Thai Police handle it would cause society to lack confidence and doubt about their findings.

He also revealed that a police investigator asked him to provide information in regard to the Line chat conversation he had with Jan – which he accepted, on condition his testimony be given at his party office. Watchara said the officer told him that police hadn’t found Jan’s cell-phone and house key yet and were still looking at security camera footage to find out how Jan’s motorcycle was left at the mouth of the soi.

The Education Ministry-appointed panel also set up an initial working plan to complete in two to three months its fact-finding probe into Abac issues, which recently led to a management dispute, said Soranit Siltharm, a member of the committee and deputy chief of the Office of Higher Education Commission.

Thanu has a good understanding of and long experience with private university administration, and also studied in a Roman Catholic seminary, therefore he should be able help Abac run smoothly, Soranit said after the committee’s meeting yesterday. The meeting also appointed Thanu’s deputies and assistant according to his proposals: Apimuk Sukprasit, Brother Amnuay Yoonprayong, Winchai Kokakul, Sompol Na Songkhla and Krisana Kijcharoen respectively.

Thanu replaces Mattana Santiwat, who stepped down from the post as she was mourning her mother’s death.

“The Steering Committee for Malaria Elimination set a strategy to eradicate malaria within 10 years with the total budget of Bt2.2 billion. In 2017, the first batch of Bt599 million – some Bt211 million from a World Health Organisation donation, which would be the last grant due to Thailand being elevated recently to a high-income country status – will be allocated first,” Narong said.

Disease Control Department chief Dr Amnuay Gajeena, meanwhile, said there was no Zika virus outbreak here, despite reports of several infections since early this year. He said officials were able to control the situation, through strict measures and working with foreign organisations on the matter.

 

The levels of small particle matter of up to 10 microns in diameter (PM10) were recorded at 143 and 157 micrograms per cubic metre in Lampang and Lamphun respectively. The safe limit is 120. The Lampang reading was taken in Tambon Sob Pad in Mae Mo district and Lamphun reading was recorded in Tambon Nai Muang in Muang district, said Phasit Seuksanapapat of the Chiang Mai Provincial Office for Natural Resources and Environment.

The other northern provinces’ PM10 readings remained within the safe level, he said, adding that Chiang Mai recorded a high of 106 micrograms.

The region’s 60-day outdoor-burning ban would be enforced from today, he said, so the smog situation should be less severe.

However, Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry spokesman Surapol Jarupong urged the Land Development Department, the Department of Agriculture Extension and the Department of Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation to implement measures to stop farmers in 10 northern provinces from burning agricultural waste.

The 2015 statistics found that such outdoor burning covered 1.83 million rai (293,000 hectares) of farmland in the 10 provinces, with some 200 tambons reporting high levels of outdoor burning activities, Surapol added.