The machines can purify polluted air at the rate of two cubic metres per second. Placed in areas with heavy traffics, they help reduce the level of pollution caused by vehicle emissions.

The purifiers will be switched on daily from 5am to 12am, and 2pm to 8pm.

“If the air purifiers prove practical, they will be installed at bus stops, schools, and other busy places, ” the permanent secretary said.

The manager of the site on Phaholyothin Road near the BTS Ari station said workers had been digging in the location where the shell was found since Thursday afternoon.

Pol Captain Apichai Pholyothee of the Bang Sue police said officers summoned to the scene found the timeworn shell placed beside a guardhouse in front of the entrance to the site.

“We set up a barrier to prevent people from getting near it,” he said.

The site manager thought it was a scrap-metal pipe at first. “As soon as we learned it was an explosive, we informed the police.”

Pol Lt Colonel Wisitsak Wiphatthanamongkol, deputy superintendent of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit, identified the object as a “Kor 81” explosive shell, apparently referring to an 81mm mortar shell known to have been used during the Korean War in the early 1950s.

“We’ll examine the shell thoroughly before proceeding to the next step,” he said.

EXAT chair Surong Bulakul said the draft had the approval of the Attorney General and a committee established under the Private Investments in State Undertakings Act.

An agreement will be finalised before month’s end and forwarded to the Transport Ministry, he said.

If it’s approved by the Cabinet, EXAT and BEM will agree to withdraw all lawsuits they’ve filed against one another.

EXAT’s contract with BEM expires on February 29. If there is a delay in signing the agreement beyond that date, Surong said, EXAT will make a temporary arrangement with BEM or will itself serve temporarily as administer.

He said news of an EXAT agent not receiving a due bonus had no relation to the larger matter, but rather involved a problem with an approval document from the State Enterprise Policy Office.

Police spokesman Krissana Pattanacharoen said the order was signed by the Office of the Prime Minister on Thursday.

A commission has been established to investigate public complaints against the police force, he noted.

“I don’t think there will be any shutdown in budget disbursement, as some have speculated,” he said. “Prime Minister Prayut [Chan-o-cha] is aware of the delay and has ordered the relevant parties to speed up the process.”

Prayut has also expressed confidence that government employees’ salaries will be paid in full in coming months despite the delay, noting there were still funds left over from fiscal 2019.

Uttama responded cautiously when asked about a Tourism and Sports Ministry proposal to give foreign tourists cash coupons, as was done in the “Eat, Shop, Spend” promotional campaign.

“This matter needs further study,” he said. “There is no such budget approved at the moment.”

He said he believes refunding VAT for foreign tourists via a mobile application should be sufficient to boost visitor numbers.

It included a fundraising activity for “Futuremakers by Standard Chartered”, the bank’s global initiative to tackle inequality and promote greater economic inclusion.

Bank employees around the globe are encouraged to wear red every January 17 and earn a chance to win a trip to watch the team play live at Anfield, its home pitch.

The bank renewed its sponsorship contract with the club last year, extending the relationship to the end of the 2022-23 season, making it the second-longest sponsorship deal in Reds history.

That’s the ambition of the Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (Dasta) and Suphan Buri Provincial Administrative Organisation, the latter of which hosted a training course called “Asean Music & Dance Connectivity” on Monday and Tuesday (January 20-21).

The course featured 20 lecturers in music and dance from all 10 Southeast Asian countries, who shared their knowledge with more than 200 teachers from Suphan Buri and neighbouring provinces.

Suphan Buri strikes a tuneful chord in Thai hearts not just for the esteemed singers and players it has produced but also for the multitude of popular folk songs passed down through the generations.

Governor Nimit Wanchaithanawong said joining the United Nations agency’s network would be highly beneficial, but there are obstacles to overcome.

For one thing, he said, they have to get a lot more residents singing and playing instruments – and involved in sports and other forms of community culture.

“Music, sports, arts and culture are important for drawing tourists, which our province doesn’t have,” Nimit said. “So, we must develop at least one outstanding point to develop the economy. We will promote Suphan Buri to be chosen as a creative city in the music field by 2021.”

Dasta director Taweepong Wichaidit said getting into the network can be a drawn-out process. Phuket applied in 2011 and wasn’t admitted until 2015.

“The cities in the network tend to be advanced, such as Busan in South Korea, a creative city in the cinema field,” he said.

“But if Suphan Buri were chosen in the music field, people here would be able to exchange knowledge about music and establish a music school. We also want Nan province to be named a creative city in crafts and folk arts by 2021.”

Along with Phuket, Thailand has three other Unesco creative cities – Bangkok, Sukhothai and Chiang Mai.

Tawee Gasisam-ang, director general of the Department of Airports, tasked Krabi Airport director Attaporn Nuang-udom with rolling out the welcome mat for people arriving this weekend.

Attaporn has had the help and support of Tourism Authority of Thailand director Uthit Limsakul, Krabi Tourism Association president Sasithorn Kititharakul and representatives of other state agencies.

Continuing through Monday (January 27), incoming tourists are being treated to performances of

Thai traditional music and receiving free souvenirs and tickets in a lucky draw.

In the four days of the festival, more than 90 flights are scheduled to arrive in Krabi from 17 Chinese cities, including Wuhan.

The others are Shanghai, Beijing, Xi’an, Hefei, Taiyuan, Shijiazhuang, Shenyang, Lanzhou, Xiamen, Hangzhou, Chongqing, Wenzhou, Fuzhou, Changchun, Chengdu and Shenzhen.

Tawee said he’d also seen to it that Krabi Airport is collaborating with the International Communicable Disease Control Office and other agencies in readying for possible contact with the potentially deadly coronavirus.

A thermal scanner was recently installed at the airport, able to detect specific ailments, and airport and airline staff have been deemed ready for any medical emergency.

Senior Tisco Securities strategist Apichat Poobunjirdkul said that the global stock market on Thursday (January 23) fell due to the increasing number of coronavirus patients, causing China to announce six cities as quarantine areas, resulting in a fall in the stock markets of China and Hong Kong.

“Meanwhile, US stocks dropped during the first phase trading, but recovered at the end. The oil price fell more than 2 per cent at the lowest price in a month’s cycle due to decreasing demand,” he said.

“Hospital shares and stocks, which benefit during the economic downturn are groups that investors are interested in the support range of 1,565-70 and resistance of 1,585.”

He suggested that investors keep an eye on the SET Index because the index closed on Thursday at 1,575, which was suggested as the stop loss point.

“If investors cannot maintain at this point, they should stop loss and wait. For investments in the next 3-4 months, we recommend finding an opportunity when the stock is weak or swinging.”

The outstanding stocks in January are: AP, INTUCH, IRPC, KKP, SUSCO, TVO, and VNT. The outstanding stocks for this year are: CPALL, BJC, AEONTS, PLANB, SCB, AOT, PTTEP, PTT, TOP, SPRC, SPALI, and KKP.

Department director-general Thawatchai Benjathikul and Sathawut Sahapanichkul, managing director of distribution at Nestle Thailand Co Ltd, signed a memorandum of understanding on Friday (January 24).

“This project aims to provide unemployed people with training on how to make a variety of beverages such as coffee, bubble tea, Italian soda and milkshake and sell them from a motorcycle,” said Thawatchai. “The 15-hour training course over two days will cover several topics from beverage-making, cost-calculation, bookkeeping as well as a motorcycle riding course.”

The Department of Skill Development will be responsible for designing and providing training courses, while Nestle will provide equipment and raw materials. “Candidates can seek funding from Government Savings Bank, which is sponsoring the project, while the Thai Credit Guarantee Corporation will be the guarantor,” he added.

The first batch of Motorbike Café training will open for registration at Labour Skill Development Institute Area 13 in Bangkok on February 20-21. Each batch is limited to 50 candidates.

“This project aims to train 5,000 people over the three years [2020-22],” said Thawatchai. “In the first year, we will organise training at Labour Skill Development Institutes in 10 provinces — Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakarn, Kalasin, Khon Kaen, Ubon Ratchathani, Nakhon Ratchasima, Chiang Mai and Phuket. Interested persons may contact tel 02-245-4035 or hotline 1506 ext 4.”