Managed by the National Health Security Office (NHSO), the scheme covers more than 48 million Thais offering most types of medical services for free.

Atthaporn Limpanyalert, assistant to NHSO secretary general, said on Sunday that nine medical facilities had newly registered themselves as providers of hemodialysis under the scheme. Of them, three are in Nonthaburi, one in Pathum Thani, one in Nakhon Pathom, one in Maha Sarakham, one in Ubon Ratchathani and another in Phuket.

“There is one other service-delivery unit that has long been our member but has just added hemodialysis services too,” he added.

According to Atthaporn, four other new participants have registered themselves as dental-service providers and all of them are located in Bangkok.

“Then, there are two clinics stepping in as service delivery units. They are in Bangkok,” he said.

Atthaporn said Ban Phu Pek Hospital in Sakon Nakhon province had joined the scheme as a primary-care unit.

There are now 12,109 service providers in the universal healthcare scheme. Of them, 11,054 work under the Public Health Ministry’s supervision, 509 are privately-owned, and 390 others are affiliated with local administrative bodies.

“The rest are under state agencies that are not part of the Public Health Ministry, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and Pattaya City,” he said.

Atthaporn said the increasing number of participants would boost the scheme’s coverage. If people have queries about their rights and service providers, they can call the 24-hour hotline on 1330.

PUBLIC CONFIDENCE in teachers has slightly dropped from 7.71 to 7.69 points in a recent survey, which was conducted to mark the National Teachers’ Day.

Thailand has designated tomorrow, January 16, as Teachers’ Day. At present, more than half a million Thais teach children at schools across the country.

The confidence scores have taken into account teachers’ personality, abilities, human-relationships skills, debt-free status, emotional control and saving habits in the eyes of more than 8,000 people.

Conducted by the Suan Dusit University between December 25 last year and January 8, the survey asked 8,212 people from various professions about their attitudes towards teachers.

The findings showed that the public appreciated teachers for their attention to their students, patience, diligence and sacrifice.

As Thailand is keen to embrace innovations and new technologies, 20.66 per cent of respondents said they appreciated teachers’ efforts to keep pace with IT trends.

Respondents also mentioned perceived flaws of teachers.

Of all respondents, 27.81 per cent complained that teacher-student ties were not as solid as in the past. About 25.4 per cent felt teachers could not control their emotions well and did not understand the children under their charge. Up to 19.87 per cent complained that teachers did not seem to have good teaching techniques and often relied on old methods.

When compared with a survey two years ago, public confidence in teachers was higher than the earlier 7.43-point score.

Nida Poll yesterday also released findings from its survey on teachers conducted among 1,253 people across the country between January 10 and 12, which found 26.98 per cent of people believed virtues such as compassion, honesty and integrity were the most important characteristics of teachers.

About 22.82 per cent of the other respondents also mentioned similar answers, emphasising that teachers should serve as role models and pay attention to their teaching mission.

Some 21.79 per cent others said teachers should have teaching skills and abilities to pass on knowledge.

Among other desirable characteristics were willingness to listen to children’s problems, kindness and discipline.

Asked how teachers should adjust themselves towards the “Thailand 4.0” era, 37.19 per cent said teachers should inculcate in their students social skills, virtues and IT knowledge.

Up to 33.36 per cent of respondents also said teachers should adjust their teaching methods and downplay rote-learning.

Pornpimol Boonkote, the winner of the 2017 Khurusapha Award for teachers, said in the Thailand 4.0 era, teachers must change their roles.

“Don’t spoon-feed knowledge. You must act as a coach instead,” she said.

Teachers should engage their students in projects related to their interests and guide them in exploring solutions together, she said.

Teaching at Doi Saket Wittayakom School, Pornpimol said it was possible for teachers in various subjects to evaluate students’ knowledge and academic performance via a single project.

Another award-winning teacher was Ratchasak Sawangwaeo who teaches at the Banlaem Wittaya School. Ratchasak has been recognised as outstanding because he taught students about dynamics and aviation science using ornithopters built using rubber bands.

Since 2015, his students have competed in at least 35 ornithopter competitions.

Ratchasak’s method of teaching has even engaged children who tend to sit in the back of classroom and fail to pay attention in class.

Education expert Athapol Anunthavorasakul also said recently that the integration of technology into everyday life was central to the lifestyles of young people.

“The old way of having teachers just passing on knowledge no longer works,” Athapol said. “Youths now require different skills, such as data verification, data selection for sharing, data production discretion and thinking skills. They will face more risks [in the current era] and must know how to make plans.”

Athapol is the director of the Research & Development Centre on Education for Sustainable Development at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Education.

TEACHING IN THE NEW ERA

What should teachers do to prepare themselves for Thailand 4.0 education?

37.19% Inculcate students with social skills, virtues and IT knowledge

33.36% Adjust teaching methods, downplay rote-learning

32.64% Upgrade skills and abilities

28.65% Use IT as teaching materials

27.29% Stimulate students’ creativity and innovations

Source: NIDA Poll

A team from the Metropolitan Police Division 1 arrested the suspect, identified only as Paveena, late Saturday night.

A source revealed on Sunday that Paveena had already confessed to using the national identity card of private company worker Nicha Kiatthanapaiboon to open five bank accounts.

Nicha, who was detained for three days over a fraud charge before being released on bail, claimed she had applied for a new ID card after her wallet went missing in early October, but the culprit was still able to use the old card to open accounts.

The source said the suspect had told police that a man called Simon offered to pay her Bt10,000 for opening the five accounts. But she said eventually she was only paid Bt4,000.

Despite increased concerns expressed online about the appropriateness of exposing children to military weapons, the Royal Thai Army, Navy, Air Force, and the police yesterday put their might on display. Children were even allowed to climb into some of the tanks and take pictures with the weapons.

Army commander-in-chief General Chalermchai Sitthisart said that the Army had put on show for Children’s Day some of the modern weapons it had purchased during the past three years such as VT-4 tanks from China and new helicopters.

Chalermchai stated that the children would have the unique opportunity to see and take pictures with the newly purchased tanks even before the Army holds an official press conference on January 25 about the acquisition.

“The Army’s intention for Children’s Day events at the military bases is to provide a special opportunity for the children to gather new interesting knowledge about the military and inspire them to join the Armed Forces in the future,” he said.

“We also would like to promote a strong relationship within the family, as the parents and children can spend quality time together during the Children Day’s event in the military camps.”

Concerns raised

It was reported that at the main venue for Army’s Children Day’s event at King’s Guard, 2nd Cavalry Division in Bangkok, many military weapons were on display. Children were allowed to freely climb and closely inspect weapons such as Blackhawk helicopters, MI 17 helicopters, EC145 Artillery, and BTR – 3E1 armoured personnel carriers.

Air Force Commander-in-Chief Air Chief Marshal Jom Rungsawang stated that air shows were held at major Air Force bases across the country. The highlight was the F-16 fighter aircraft show at Don Muang Air Force Base in Bangkok and the Gripen fighter show at the Surat Thani base.

The Navy also welcomed the young visitors onboard its battleships and allowed them to explore around. At the 2nd Royal Thai Navy headquarters, the children were welcomed to travel on the battleships to the open sea around Koh Nu and Koh Maeo Islands off the coast of Songkhla province.

Many people, however, raised concerns on social media about the appropriateness of letting innocent children get close to and play with the military weapons, as it could encourage violence and a military tradition in the young generation.

Prominent activist Pipob Udomittipong posted in his Facebook page that Thailand and North Korea were the only two countries that still displayed military arsenal on Children’s Day. He questioned the wisdom of this tradition.

Numerous children, accompanied by their parents, also visited Government House on the occasion of Children’s Day. Some were seen clearly enjoying posing for photos with cardboard cutouts of Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha, also known as “Uncle Tu” to children. The life-sized cutouts of Prayut were put up at several corners of the Government House compound.

However, two cardboard cutouts of Prayut riding a motorcycle without wearing a helmet were removed from the compound after being criticised as setting a bad example for children.

The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) will interview the people mentioned in a list discovered during the raid of the massage parlour called “Victoria’s: The Secret Forever” on Rama IX Road, its director-general Paisit Wongmuang said yesterday.

If those people were found to be involved, their cases would be referred to the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission, he added.

The list mentioned a number of police officers from Bangkok’s Wang Thong Lang police station, which has jurisdiction over the massage parlour, the Metropolitan Police Bureau, and the Immigration Bureau. The officers involved were mostly identified by their positions rather than their names.

It is understood that the cost of the services received by those officers in September last year was completely covered by the massage parlour’s management.

More than 100 young women were rounded up during the Friday raid conducted by the DSI, the Army and the police. Most of the masseuses are from neighbouring countries, including Myanmar and Laos, who may have been forced to work in the sex trade.

Of the 113 masseuses rounded up during the raid, 92 are from Myanmar, 14 from Laos, four from Thailand, and two from China, while the nationality of one has yet to be determined, DSI deputy director-general Songsak Raksaksakul said yesterday.

Authorities have attempted to determine the ages of all the women by checking their dental mass, he said, adding that the charge of human trafficking would be imposed on those involved if any of the women were found to be under 18.

Five senior officers at Wang Thong Lang police station were transferred to inactive posts yesterday, just a day after the raid.

Metropolitan Police chief Pol Lt Gen Charnthep Sesawej issued the order to transfer the station’s chief, two deputies and two inspectors.

The five are Wang Thong Lang police chief Pol Col Thammanoon Boonruang, his two deputies, Pol Lt Col Naren Krueangsanook and Pol Lt Col Pichai Tooltham, crime suppression inspector Pol Lt Col Dechasawat Khankasikam and investigation inspector Pol Lt Col Pratya Boonyuen.

The order said they were moved to inactive posts at the Metropolitan Police Bureau until further notice.

Boonsap Amornrattanasiri, 55, who was arrested during the raid and charged with sex procurement and human trafficking, yesterday had a bail application turned down. His offer for Bt500,000 bail was rejected by the Criminal Court on the grounds that the human trafficking charge was serious and there was a risk he could abscond.

The man who admitted to operating the parlour was later detained at Bangkok Remand Prison.

The case’s investigators have been instructed to focus on expanding their probe to try to track down the real owners of the massage parlour, DSI’s Songsak said yesterday.

The 10 laws will be the NLA’s present to Thai children, said Wallop Tang-kananurak in marking Thai Children’s Day yesterday.

The government was concerned about children’s wellbeing and protection, said the head of the NLA’s special committee on youth, women, the elderly, and physical challenged and disadvantaged persons.

Among other acts, the new laws will include the National Child and Youth Development Promotion Act, the Control of Begging Act, and the Child Born by Assisted Reproductive Technologies in Medical Science Protection Act.

“These laws will provide legal protection for all children and relieve the problems that the next generation is facing, especially the problems of drug use and teenage pregnancy,” Wallop said. Authorities and stakeholders needed to be aware of the issues affecting children and take immediate action, he added.

Drug use is a significant problem, he said, noting that by some measurements Thailand had up to 2.7 million drug users, and around 300,000 teenagers age 15 to 19 were in rehabilitation, with yet more unidentified youth using drugs but not receiving help.

Wallop said drug addicts as young as 11 years old have been found and children as young as seven years old have been involved in drug dealing.

He also said the number of unplanned pregnancies among teenagers has increased annually, with around 150,000 teens under 19 years old getting pregnant yearly.

The bank was responding to a recent case where a victim’s lost ID card was used to open savings accounts that were then used in a financial scam, leading to the card’s owner being wrongly detained by police.

Chartchai Payuhanawichai, president of the GSB, said the bank was ready to cooperate with authorities to prevent such an incident happening again in the future and would consider compensating the owner of the ID card.

The GSB is one of several banks that opened accounts for a criminal gang who illegally used other people’s ID cards.

In a statement released on Saturday, Chartchai said bank staff had followed standard procedures, but the smart card reader used in banks could only access limited information on the ID card.

The machine cannot access real-time information such as the owner ordering that the card be suspended after it was lost or stolen.

The bank will cooperate with Interior Ministry in this regard and compensate the victim, he said.

Many children enjoyed posing for photos with cardboard cutouts of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, also known as “Uncle Tu” to children.

Life-size cutouts of Prayut were put up at several corners in the Government House compound for visiting children to take photos with.

Earlier, Prayut had put up one of the cutouts in front of reporters and told them to direct their political questions to the cutout.

Apart from the prime minister’s cardboard cutouts, several people were dressed as super heroes for children to take their photos with.

Several government agencies set up tents to welcome the children. The tent of the Royal Thai Navy provided a boat simulation for children to try to commandeer a Navy ship.

At the Thai PBS tent, children could try reading news like a news anchor. They also learned to perform resuscitation at the tent of the Army Medical Department while they learned about first-aid treatment at the tent of the Rajavithi Hospital. Several children also enjoyed trying their hands at the resuscitation machine of the Emergency Medical Institute.

At the Santi Maitree Building, a lot of children waited in a line to take turns to sit on the prime minister’s chair.

Colleagues and staff praised him as a visionary leader, a teacher, an inspiration and an outstanding example for media people.

Having been in the industry since the age of 21, Suthichai, now 71, said at his farewell party yesterday that he was proud of the high standards and ethical values followed by NMG.

During his speech, he held up a little book titled “The Nation Way”, which outlines the code of conduct for NMG’s editorial staff, while stressing that the determination to abide by the self-imposed rules has won public faith for the “Nation brand”.

“We are honest in doing our duty and we do our duty like professionals,” he said.

Suthichai, who co-founded The Nation newspaper, and is also a former NMG chairman, said he believed that compliance with ethical values and high standards in performing duties would be the key in helping media people survive the current digital disruption.

For almost five decades, Suthichai has expressed his opinions regularly through his newspaper columns. He has also been active in conducting daily Facebook Live interviews with experts and celebrities on various issues.

Suthichai, who is a member of the government-appointed media reform committee, said that after his retirement from NMG he would write a book about “lessons from the past”, which would help journalists in the digital media age adapt to the changing consumer demands.

Also, he would focus on social work and find ways to improve the work and quality of the media at a time when the main goal is retaining audience ratings.

“I am afraid that if we continue to focus on ratings, in the next three to five years we may not see the media as it is today,” he warned.

At the farewell party held at the Nation University building, Suthichai was mobbed by colleagues, Nation alumni and well-wishers who posed for photographs with him.

Suthichai’s younger brother Thepchai Yong, the chief executive of the NMG, told the huge crowd at yesterday’s farewell party that Suthichai had been an inspiration to his colleagues by serving as a good example.

He said that under Suthichai’s leadership, The Nation had boldly challenged military dictatorships and authoritarian civilian rule.

He pointed out many Suthichai “firsts” in the Thai media industry. These included the first English-language newspaper wholly owned by Thais, the first daily business newspaper (Krungthep Turakij), the first public television iTV, and the first non-government radio news programme.

Pana Janviroj, The Nation’s president, said at the farewell party that while US President Donald Trump’s motto is “America first”, Suthichai’s has been “Thailand’s press freedom first”.

He noted that under Suthichai’s leadership, The Nation had spearheaded the campaign to abolish a post-coup order restricting media freedom. He was also behind the formation of the National Press Council.

Also, Suthichai co-founded Asia News Network, an alliance of the continent’s leading media groups that began with seven members and now boasts a membership of 24 media outlets from 20 countries.

Political News Editor Somroutai Sapsomboon said that over the past 24 years working at NMG, she had learned a lot about media professionalism while associating closely with Suthichai when she co-hosted the “Emergency Newsroom” TV programme with the veteran journalist.

“What I learnt from Khun Suthichai is that, ‘Don’t think that what you do is already perfect. If you think so, you will not learn anything. You have to find out what mistakes you made today so that you will do better tomorrow’,” she said.

Somroutai added that she always regarded Suthichai as an exemplary journalist who has never stopped improving himself.

Nation TV reporter Tanpisit Lerdbamrungchai, who was one of Suthichai’s students at Nation University, said that “Ajahn Suthichai” taught very little about covering news in his class.

“He sent the students to different Nation Group newsrooms so they could learn on the job. I was sent to The Nation’s editorial section, where I started covering news for the first time in my life,” he said.

Suthichai began his journalistic career at the Bangkok Post in 1968, where he worked as a proofreader. At that time, he was also studying communication arts at Chulalongkorn University but later had to drop out because his work hours did not permit him to attend classes.

He became an assistant news chief at the English-language newspaper and later was promoted as its local news editor, despite his young age and lack of a diploma.

On July 1, 1971, after the Bangkok Post took over the other English-language daily in what Suthichai perceived as a move to monopolise the market, he joined his journalist allies in setting up the country’s first English-language newspaper to be wholly owned by Thais. It was called The Voice of The Nation, which would later be known as The Nation Review five years later, and The Nation now.