Without these round stickers, they may have problems with traffic police while on the roads.

Under the law, car licence registrations must be renewed on an annual basis. Stickers issued for the renewal must also be on prominent display in the vehicle.

Vehicle owners normally renew their vehicle licence registration without fail. But many have ignored traffic tickets issued by police.

This led police to seal a deal with the Land Transport Department (LTD) to link details about outstanding traffic fines to the system tracking car licence renewals.

“Our system is now linked with the traffic-fine database,” LTD deputy director-general Chantira Purutpat said yesterday.

Contrary to previous reports that those with unpaid traffic tickets would not be able to renew their annual vehicle licence registration, Chantira explained that the renewal would still be allowed.

However, motorists with outstanding fines would not get the round stickers proving their renewal.

“If vehicle owners come for a renewal but refuse to pay the fines for pending traffic tickets, they will get only a temporary receipt for the renewal,” Chantira said.

According to her, this receipt will be valid for just 30 days.

After that, traffic police may arrest and fine people whose vehicles do not display the round stickers proving renewal of car-licences. The maximum fine for this offence is Bt2,000.

Statistics show that 11 million traffic tickets were issued in 2018. Of them, 9.7 million were simply ignored, with no one coming forward to pay the fines.

This year, a total of seven million traffic tickets have been issued so far. Of them, about 5.4 million tickets have been ignored to date.

In a related development, an informed source revealed that the Land Traffic Act BE 2562, which was promulgated in the Royal Gazette last week, would introduce stricter legal measures for traffic-law enforcement by December 19. Among the upcoming measures is a system to reduce drivers’ points when they break traffic rules. Those losing too many points risk having their driving licence suspended or revoked.

Laem Chabang Seaport director Vice Admiral Yutthana Mokkhao said yesterday that KMTC Co Ltd had been fined for intentionally failing to declare its shipment of toxic chemicals on board the KMTC Hongkong container ship. The port authority has also filed a complaint against KMTC, Yutthana said, adding that officers are continuing to investigate why the company had failed to declare its shipment, and that may result in more charges.

He also said that there are concerns that many of the cargo ships anchored at the seaport might be containing toxic chemicals, adding that the authority to check the cargo lay in the hands of the Customs Department.

Environmental experts are slamming the authorities for not taking strong measures to prevent the leak of dangerous chemicals. Somnuck Jongmeewasin, a leading environmental expert with EEC Watch, said the official actions taken to investigate and punish the importer of undeclared chemicals was “insufficient”. The authorities should also determine exactly what chemicals made up the now-burnt cargo, as there are reasons to believe that many unnamed chemicals may have been part of the fire, he added.

“There is already an official report from Leam Chabang Hospital that tests of the saline solution used to wash chemical off patients exposed to the chemical fallout from the Saturday’s fire, showed the presence of a strongly alkaline chemical,” Somnuck said.

“This goes against what the officials had disclosed earlier – that the chemicals were acidic. So, there must be more chemicals in this cargo, and the authorities should conduct a full investigation.”

Moreover, he quoted unnamed industrial sources as saying that the port authority had transported more than 6 billion tonnes of contaminated water to be treated elsewhere, which he said was a significantly large volume of waste water.

“We want to know why there is such a large quantity of contaminated water and where it will end up. These are the questions that the port authority needs to answer,” Somnuck said.

He also revealed that local fishermen had found suspiciously burnt empty barrels floating in the sea after the fire. Somnuck said these should also be investigated.

Meanwhile, Leam Chabang municipality chief Jinda Thanomrod said 1,092 people had so far shown up to file complaints after the fire. Most had sustained injuries from the chemical fallout and many also complained of their property being damaged.

Jinda said all the affected will soon be compensated, as Laem Chabang Seaport had already set up a committee to deal with the issue. The South Korean owner of the ship yesterday reported to Laem Chabang Seaport Office, along with representatives from its insurance company, and promised to compensate all affected persons unconditionally.

ABOUT HALF of Thailand’s university seats remain empty for the next academic year after four of the five central admission system’s rounds have been completed.

This low number of students has sent a worrying signal to all universities in the Kingdom. Higher-educational institutes across the country joined the Thai University Central Admission System (TCAS) for enrolling new students, putting 445,464 seats up for grabs.

However, after three rounds, only 151,806 applicants have agreed to take the seats they are eligible for.

Then came Tuesday’s announcement of results from the fourth round, for which there were only 76,408 candidates. If all candidates agree to take the seats offered in the fourth round, there will still be 217,250 seats vacant.

“The falling birth rate is a key factor,” Peerapong Triyacharoen said yesterday in his capacity as assistant secretary-general of the Council of University Presidents of Thailand (CUPT). He also said that the popularity of some of the programmes also counted. For instance, he said, as many as 1,188 students had applied to the Prince of Songkla University’s Faculty of Nursing in the fourth round even though it had only 96 seats available. In the same round, 1,128 students vied for merely 35 seats at Burapha University’s Faculty of Nursing.

The Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Allied Health Sciences also had 1,078 fighting for the 110 seats available for them in the fourth round.

In comparison, only 376 science students showed interest in the 400 seats up for grabs in Silpakorn University’s Faculty of Arts. Similarly, competition for a seat at the Prince of Songkla University’s Faculty of Science was low, as only 502 applicants vied for 400 seats.

Only 234 students applied for the 320 seats on offer at the King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok’s tourism and hotel management programme in its Faculty of Business Administration and Service Industry.

Peerapong said students were clearly prone to choosing programmes that were widely talked about on social media.

“We plan to set up a team to analyse students’ behaviour in selecting education programmes,” he said, adding that the findings will guide the production plans of universities and show them what must be done to ensure their graduates take into consideration the country’s needs and government policies.

TCAS features five rounds, each one using different criteria in recruiting students. This is one reason why CUPT has resolved to no longer announce top scorers.

The first round, for example, focuses mainly on applicants’ portfolios, while the second round embraces a quota system. The third round selects applicants based on their scores from tests held across the country. The fourth relies on grade point average and scores from key national tests such as the Ordinary National Educational Test (Onet) and the General Aptitude Test (GAT). The fifth round – which will be open for applications from May 30 to June 10 – will feature direct admission.

The TCAS timeframe has put a strain on several universities, whose academic year starts next month. The tension is especially acute for relatively less known institutes, as they are left waiting to recruit students who failed to get a seat via TCAS.

Piyasakol said yesterday that there has been no scientific study indicating that marijuana can be used to cure HIV, the virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (Aids).

His remarks came after a media report that a bed-ridden HIV patient in Phetchabun province showed signs of improvement after consuming cannabis oil for three weeks. The patient could speak and move more freely, it said, adding that she no longer needed to rely on others for her daily routine.

The minister said he has instructed his Office of Permanent Secretary and Phetchabun’s chief public health official to find facts regarding this matter.

“We are not trying to find any fault. We just want to see if it’s true. If it is, then there could be some benefit,” Piyasakol said, adding that cannabis was found to help relieve pain caused by certain diseases, but there was no scientific evidence proving it can cure HIV.

In Thailand, he said, all HIV patients get anti-retroviral drugs regardless of the healthy cell count in their immune system. As a result, the number of deaths caused by HIV/Aids is “very low” in the country, he added. Also, he said, civic groups and NGOs working on HIV/Aids actively follow up on the patients.

A senior Thai Red Cross official also said yesterday that, so far, there has been no information that cannabis can cure HIV.

Dr Praphan Phanuphak, director of the Thai Red Cross’ Aids Research Centre, said he suspects cannabis oil made the patient in Phetchabun feel better. “But I can confirm that there is nothing better than the anti-retroviral drugs to treat HIV,” Praphan said. He also warned HIV patients against ditching the anti-retroviral drugs in favour of herbal alternatives like cannabis.

“You may put yourself under risk. Herbs can be used as supplements, but not the main method of treatment,” he warned.

Apiwat Kwangkaew, leader of the Network of HIV/Aids Patients in Thailand, said yesterday that marijuana is not a cure-all, adding that the cannabis oil may have improved the symptoms of the HIV patient in areas that were not directly related to the virus.

He suggested that HIV patients should not ditch anti-retroviral drugs for yet to be proven alternative treatments. “You may risk drug resistance, which could lead to difficulties in treating your illness. Things like this have happened before,” he added.

The preparation of information on the widely loved Thai dish is related to intangible cultural heritage in terms of language, social practice, ritual, festival and knowledge about nature.

Tom yam kung is a compound word in the Thai language, with the words tom and yam referring to the cooking process. The dish, a speciality in the Central region, includes shrimps and is spiced with traditional herbs to provide a balance in taste. The recipe has been passed down for generations and adapted in line with taste.

All the information about the dish will be collected and submitted to the National Cultural Committee and the Cabinet. The document will be submitted to Unesco by March 31 next year.

The committee will also prepare a report on the Tree Heritage of the Land Project 2019, which features 88 large trees grown in honour of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit the Queen Mother.

Source: Thaivisa.com

They were included in the site’s 10 best places to retire in Asia this month.

It considered the cost of living, weather and medical care.

“Since the 1800s … Chiang Mai has been luring expats from the west with its low cost of living, great weather, rich history and distinct culture,” the site said.

It added that Chiang Mai offers a mix of traditional Thailand alongside “mega malls, multinational grocery and department stores and other trappings of 21st-century living”.

“The biggest advantage of retirement in Chiang Mai is the low cost of living and affordable health care.

“A couple can live there comfortably on as little as US$1,200 per month, and you can see an English-speaking doctor for US$20.

“The biggest downside can be air pollution during the annual burning season, mid-February through to mid-April, when farmers burn their fields.”

Hua Hin “has good year-round weather and a large foreign community”, the site said.

“A retiree can afford a high standard of living, including days on the city’s golf courses and regular dinners out at first-class restaurants, on a modest budget.

“The standard of medical care is good, and you’re less than three hours from Bangkok, which boasts some of the region’s top hospitals.

“Housing options include modern condos, beachfront homes and modern gated communities.

“The big foreign community connects through reading clubs, festivals, cycling clubs, soccer leagues, wine tastings and darts tournaments”.

Other destinations featured in the list included George Town in Malaysia, Bali in Indonesia and Da Nang in Vietnam.

The site described George Town as “one of Southeast Asia’s most livable destinations”.

The best places to retire in Asia include:

– George Town, Malaysia

– Bali, Indonesia

– Da Nang, Vietnam

– Udagamandalam “Ooty”, India

– Chiang Mai, Thailand

– Kota Kinabalu, Malaysian Borneo

– Da Lat, Vietnam

– Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

– Hua Hin, Thailand

– Taipei, Taiwan

Source: Thaivisa.com

Car registration must be renewed annually and the sticker prominently displayed on the vehicle.

Many drivers have ignored traffic tickets issued by the police.

Now a deal with the Land Transport Department (LTD) links traffic fines to the annual renewal.

“Our system is now linked with the traffic-fine database,” LTD deputy director general Chantira Purutpat said.

Krissana Kewchingduang, 30, snatched a Honda motorcycle from Sarinthorn Chuannok, 29, who was parking at a pharmacy where she worked.

The inmate was jailed for drug distribution at Thonburi Remand Prison in Bangkok’s Bangbon district.

Sarinthorn told police she had been parking the vehicle in front of the pharmacy when a tall man wearing a Samut Sakhon Hospital gown snatched the keys and pushed her away.

“I was shocked so I ran into the pharmacy and called for help. When I came back, the man had ridden away on the motorcycle that belonged to the owner of the shop,” she said.

Police said Krissana was sent to the hospital on Tuesday night after complaining of stomach pain and fever.

The doctors admitted him to the third floor of the hospital with a prison guard.