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Villagers in Surin protest over unusable pipeline (nationthailand.com)

Villagers in Surin protest over unusable pipeline

NationalDec 14. 2020

By THE NATION

Locals in a subdistrict of Surin province are protesting on Monday about a pipeline system that has not been usable for over five years.The protesters were locals from Ban Na Hung village in Nongkhwao subdistrict. They urged the media to spotlight the problem in their village, as well as three others.Monchai Tiankot, Ban Na Hung chief, explained that the pipeline system in the villages had been unserviceable since their construction.He added that the construction was not in keeping with the plan. The water tank installed in an area of Nong Lek village was smaller than what the blueprint specified. Its diameter was only 3.2 metres, instead of 5 metres as was planned.Also, the pipeline in Ban Na Hung and Na Kae villages had not been laid underground as was specified. Monchai said that placing the pipes on the ground was risky as they could be damaged by cars running over them.

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Over Bt42-bn exchanges hands under ‘Let’s Go Halves’ scheme (nationthailand.com)

Over Bt42-bn exchanges hands under ‘Let’s Go Halves’ scheme

NationalDec 14. 2020Kulaya Tantitemit, the Finance Ministry’s spokesperson 

By The Nation

The government’s “Khon La Khrueng” (Let’s Go Halves) shopping subsidy has reportedly circulated more than Bt42 billion in the economy, while the Finance Ministry has confirmed that Phase 2 of the project will kick off within this week.

Kulaya Tantitemit, the Finance Ministry’s spokesperson, said since its launch on October 23, the scheme has resulted in the spending of Bt42.04 billion with some 968,000 stores participating.

Kulaya said the ministry will hold a press conference to provide detailed information on the second phase of the project and who is eligible to join.

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Bangkok air quality takes a turn for the worse (nationthailand.com)

Bangkok air quality takes a turn for the worse

NationalDec 14. 2020

By The Nation

Thailand’s capital has been engulfed by a hazardous haze since Monday morning, which can affect the health of residents in 58 districts.

Air Quality and Noise Management Division reported that records of the average PM2.5 (particles less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter) dust particle level within 24 hours showed that several zones of Bangkok have PM2.5 levels above the standard at 50 micrograms per cubic metre.

The most hazardous area is Bang Khae district. Residents there have been urged to wear face masks and avoid outdoor activities.

Experts have advised people who have cough, breathing problems, eye irritation, headache or nausea to see a doctor.

At 10.40am, IQAir ranked Bangkok the seventh most polluted city in the world for air quality.

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27 returnees, one hospital personnel test positive for Covid-19 (nationthailand.com)

27 returnees, one hospital personnel test positive for Covid-19

NationalDec 14. 2020

By The Nation

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 27 new cases in quarantine facilities and a local transmission in Bangkok over a 24-hour period on Monday.

Most of the cases are travellers, both Thai and foreign, from overseas who are completing their mandatory quarantine in Bangkok, Samut Prakan and Chonburi.

The cases include a British man, 36, and two women, 44, who travelled from the UK; two Thai men, 55 and 56, who came from France; a Thai woman, 37, travelling from Pakistan; a Thai man, 43, from Azerbaijan; a Thai woman, 39, from Germany; two Thai men, 23 and 27, and four women, 33, 34, 36, and 37, travelling from Myanmar; a Thai woman, 53, from Ukraine; Thai man, 24, and woman, 40, from Poland (a re-active case after testing positive on October 17); seven Thai women, 23, 24, 32, 33, 34, 35 and 42 from Bahrain; an Indonesian man, 31; Swiss man, 43; and a Georgian man, 51, (a re-active case after testing positive in October) arriving from their respective countries.

Meanwhile, a female health worker in Bangkok, 27, tested positive after developing a sore throat during quarantine in hospital. She had shared a room with personnel from a private hospital who had tested positive. Her first test on December 8 came out negative, but then she tested positive on December 12.

Meanwhile, 17 patients have recovered and been discharged.

The total number of confirmed cases in Thailand has risen to 4,237 (1,243 in state quarantine), 237 of whom are in hospital and 3,940 have recovered and been discharged. The death toll remains unchanged at 60.

According to Worldometer, as of 10am, the total number of confirmed cases globally has risen to 72.64 million (up by 539,289). Of them, 50.86 million have recovered, while 20.16 million are active cases (106,189 in severe condition) and 1.61 million have died (up by 7,650).

Thailand ranks 151st for most cases in the world, while the US tops the list with 16.73 million, followed by India 9.88 million, Brazil 6.9 million, Russia 2.65 million and France 2.37 million.

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Residents of three Nakhon Si Thammarat districts stranded for weeks in floodwaters (nationthailand.com)

Residents of three Nakhon Si Thammarat districts stranded for weeks in floodwaters

NationalDec 14. 2020

By The Nation

Residents in three districts of Nakhon Si Thammarat province are still stranded in floodwaters for more than two weeks.

Floodwater from Chaloem Phra Kiat, Chian Yai and Pak Phanang districts are likely to be completely drained by next week. However, if there are more rains, it could take months before life returns to normal, officials said.

People in the flooded areas are also suffering because the dirty water has become contaminated and has turned from brown to black in colour.

The situation has caused difficulties for travel, as exposure to the contaminated water can cause skin diseases.

The locals said that besides being naturally dirty, the water has also been polluted by chemical substances used in agriculture.

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Overseas trade offices told to aggressively pursue business opportunities (nationthailand.com)

Overseas trade offices told to aggressively pursue business opportunities

NationalDec 14. 2020Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit 

By THE NATION

The Commerce Ministry is pushing a vigorous proactive role for trade promotion offices overseas as the Covid-19 situation improves worldwide.

Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit has tasked the ministry’s permanent secretary and Department of International Trade Promotion director-general with making sure that directors of trade promotion offices overseas fulfil their role of promoting trade between Thailand and the respective country.

“As the Covid-19 situation is gradually improving worldwide, trade promotion offices have to work aggressively to restore businesses that we have lost due to the outbreak,” he said. “Directors of the trade promotion offices must take up the role of ‘commerce ambassador’, or a salesperson of Thailand who is able to introduce our products that could have high potential in penetrating the market in each country.

“There will be a revision of key performance indicators of office directors based on the exports to each country over the years, the success rate of market penetration and the assistance being provided to Thai entrepreneurs in securing new markets,” Jurin added.

“A commerce ambassador who fails the performance evaluation will be sent back even if their term is not over yet.”

Jurin had initiated the concept of ‘commerce ambassador’ early this year in a bid to adjust the role of trade promotion offices overseas amid the growing threat of the Covid-19 outbreak and the fallout of the trade war between the US and China.

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GLO rubbishes rumours of winning numbers being leaked to its staff (nationthailand.com)

GLO rubbishes rumours of winning numbers being leaked to its staff

NationalDec 14. 2020

By THE NATION

The Digital Economy and Society Ministry has warned people not to believe or share news or Internet posts accusing the Government Lottery Office (GLO) of leaking lottery winning numbers to its staff before the draw date, and of the staff passing on those numbers to others for a price.

“The ministry’s Anti-Fake News Centre contacted the GLO and was told that the rumour was false,” it said. “The GLO confirmed that its lottery draw procedure strictly conformed to the ISO 9001:2015 standard, and all steps were transparent and verifiable. There is absolutely no one who can know the winning numbers before the draw date.”

The GLO also added that such rumours could harm its reputation, and that it was gathering evidence to file a complaint against the individuals starting and spreading the rumour.

For enquiries about the government’s lottery, contact GLO on tel 02-528-9999. To report fake news, do so via website www.antifakenewscenter.com.

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Most people want school students to wear uniform: poll (nationthailand.com)

Most people want school students to wear uniform: poll

NationalDec 14. 2020

By THE NATION

The majority of people surveyed in a Nida Poll are in favour of school students wearing uniform, it was revealed on Sunday.

The poll, conducted by the National Institute of Development Administration on December 7-8, surveyed 1,332 people nationwide aged over 15 years.

The poll was inspired by a series of student-led protests in the past months by a group that calls itself “Bad Student”, which opposes the idea of students having to wear uniform in schools.

When asked for their opinion about students wearing uniform, 78.15 per cent of respondents said it helped promote order and discipline, 24.47 per cent said that it represented the educational institute, 7.96 per cent said it helped prevent someone from pretending to be a student, while 6.31 per cent said that it helped parents save money.

When asked whether student uniform should be mandatory or cancelled, 69.67 per cent of respondents said uniform should continue to be mandatory for students, 12.09 per cent said that students should be allowed to wear private clothes on certain days of the week, while 7.06 per cent said that it should be left to the discretion of each school. Only 2.4 per cent of respondents backed scrapping mandatory student uniform.

When asked if they agreed with the protests by the “Bad Student” group, 72.6 per cent of respondents said they disagreed, adding that students should only focus on studying, while 21.17 per cent said they agreed as the right to demonstrate was a person’s right to express their opinion.

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Mahidol University student wins Miss Thailand title (nationthailand.com)

Mahidol University student wins Miss Thailand title

NationalDec 14. 2020

By THE NATION

Natthaphat “May” Phongpraphan, a 27-year-old student of geosciences at Mahidol University (Kanchanaburi campus), was named 52nd Miss Thailand at the Chiang Mai International Exhibition and Convention Centre on Sunday night.

Besides a cash prize of Bt1 million, the winner also received a diamond tiara, a decorated baton, as well as a scholarship until doctoral level provided by University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, worth a total of Bt2.5 million.

The new Miss Thailand also will serve as a cultural ambassador to promote Thailand’s image and its tourism to international audiences.

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Motor Expo bags orders for over 33,000 cars (nationthailand.com)

Motor Expo bags orders for over 33,000 cars

NationalDec 14. 2020

By THE NATION

Orders were placed for 33,753 cars at the 37th Thailand International Motor Expo 2020 held from December 2-13 at Impact Muang Thong Thani in Nonthaburi province.

The orders were down only 9.9 per cent from last year, the event organiser said.

Kwanchai Paphasphong, the organiser, said orders were placed until the last day. However, motorcycle orders were down to 4,946, a 31.7 per cent drop year on year.

“The small dip in car orders is satisfactory considering that this year the auto industry and the economy have been suffering from Covid-19, but thanks to the government’s measures in controlling the outbreak we can recover quickly,” he said.

Kwanchai added that carmakers who had received the most orders were Honda, Toyota, MG, Mazda and BMW. “The most popular cars were passenger vehicles which included sedan, hatchback and others, making up 40.9 per cent of total reservations,” he said. “MPVs or multi-purpose vehicles came a close second at 40.4 per cent, while pickup trucks were 12.2 per cent of total orders.”

The premium section saw 3,783 cars being reserved at the event, added Kwanchai.

As for motorcycles, the most popular brands were Honda, GPX, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Triumph.

Kwanchai added that the average price of cars sold at the event was Bt1.42 million, while the average price of motorcycles was Bt230,140.

“A preliminary report showed that more than Bt49 billion was generated in the fair from a total of 1,186,387 participants,” he said.