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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40005015

Orange Line auction ‘to go ahead in October’ despite court cases

The Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) will relaunch bidding for construction of the MRT Orange Line in October, after the Supreme Administrative Court dismissed an appeal against the earlier bidding process.

MRTA claimed the auction delay was caused by the Covid-19 epidemic and said it was complying with the Integrity Pact approved by the Cabinet to ensure transparency of the project.

MRTA governor Pakapong Sirikantaramason said on Thursday the Orange Line contractor is expected to be validated in March or April 2022. The contract is for the 35.9-kilometre western section, from Bang Khun Non to Min Buri (Suwinthawong), which has a budget of 1.2 billion baht.
The news comes after the Supreme Administrative Court upheld an Administrative Court order to dismiss the case brought by Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTSC) over the first bidding process. MRTA scrapped the process in February after bidder BTSC complained that changes to the terms could lead to unfair competition.

The court ruled in March to drop the case as the dispute no longer existed once the bidding had been scrapped.

The MRTA said it had conducted market sounding for the new bidding process, which had been delayed by Covid-19. Meanwhile, the government has asked the Anti-Corruption Cooperation Committee and Finance Ministry to draw up an Integrity Pact including observers, to ensure transparency in the Orange Line auction.

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Orange Line auction ‘to go ahead in October’ despite court cases

The process will take one month, with the auction criteria announced in October and private-sector bids taken from November to December. The contractor is expected to be selected in March-April 2022 and will be able to start construction work immediately.

The MRTA said construction would be expedited so it does not affect the Orange Line eastern section, which is expected to open around mid-2025. The western section is scheduled to open three years later.

However, three cases brought by BTSC are still hanging over the Orange Line auction.

The first is an Administrative Court case concerning the MRTA’s cancellation of the first bidding process.
The second is a claim for damages over the change in bidding rules.
And the third is a Criminal Court case accusing officials of corruption and misconduct.

Published : August 20, 2021

By : The Nation

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40005013

Massage businesses in Korat to sue govt for compensation

Massage businesses in Nakhon Ratchasima are following the example of Bangkok parlours by suing the government for compensation after it ordered them to close under Covid-19 restrictions.

Paradee Podjanapimol told the press on Friday that her “Spa Sirasom” in Muang district has been closed for over two months due to government restrictions.

She said that she and other massage operators in the province had asked provincial authorities for compensation three times, but were denied.

Paradee added that other businesses, such as dental and beauty clinics, have already been compensated.

She said 500 massage operators throughout the province will sue the government for the financial damage. The move comes after massage operators in Bangkok launched a lawsuit on Tuesday demanding 200 million baht in compensation from the government.

Published : August 20, 2021

By : The Nation

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40005011

3 teens charged with distributing ping-pong bombs at Bangkok protest

Three teenagers were arrested on Friday for allegedly making “ping-pong bombs” and distributing them to protesters at the Din Daeng rally site in Bangkok.

Police arrested the suspects, named as Rachasak Sasuk, Yothin Chansom, and Chiranan Jaija, in Don Muang.

CyberCrime Investigation Bureau commissioner, Kornchai Klaiklueng, said the suspects made bombs and sold them at the “chiranan110411” TikTok account. Police said they found 75 ping-pong bombs in the suspects’ house.

Investigators said the suspects confessed to buying 100 devices for THB300 on August 13 from a factory in Samut Prakan and modifying them with gunpowder to enhance their power. Police said they also admitted to placing ping-pong bombs in a bag to distribute them to protesters in Din Daeng on Sunday and making two transactions on TikTok.

The suspects were charged with illegal possession of explosives, which carries a penalty of 1-20 years in jail and a fine of 2,000-40,000 baht. Police said the postal company will also be charged for delivering the explosives.

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3 teens charged with distributing ping-pong bombs at Bangkok protest3 teens charged with distributing ping-pong bombs at Bangkok protest

3 teens charged with distributing ping-pong bombs at Bangkok protest3 teens charged with distributing ping-pong bombs at Bangkok protest

Published : August 20, 2021

By : The Nation

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40005010

Viral vaccine certificate showing 3 shots plus Pfizer ‘belongs to doctor travelling abroad’

A vaccine certificate recording four jabs – the last one with Pfizer – belongs to a Ramathibodi Hospital doctor who is preparing to study abroad, the Department of Disease Control (DDC) said.

Copies of the certificate are being widely shared on social media along with questions as to why Pfizer vaccine, which is in short supply in Thailand, was administered to someone who had already received three shots.

“The [Ramathibodi Hospital] doctor had received two jabs of Sinovac vaccine, and then an AstraZeneca jab as a booster,” said DDC director-general Dr Opas Karnkawinpong on Thursday.

Opas explained the doctor was travelling to a country that has yet to approve Sinovac vaccine, so he needed the Pfizer shot to satisfy the country’s requirement of two doses of approved vaccine.

Ramathibodi Hospital director Dr Surasak Lela-Udomlipi added that the DDC approved the Pfizer shots after the hospital submitted a list of doctors who will travel overseas for study.

“Two doctors will be travel abroad in September, so they will get the shots this month,” he said, adding that countries that have not approved Sinovac do not accept one shot of AstraZeneca as full vaccination.

Published : August 20, 2021

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40005009

BMA kicks off campaign to inoculate bedridden Bangkokians

Bangkok Metropolitan Administration on Friday launched a platform for people who are bedridden or cannot leave home to register for a Covid-19 shot.

The shots will be delivered by a special team of medics, Bangkok governor Pol General Aswin Kwanmuang said, adding that this campaign aims to curb the spread of Covid-19. 

“Families that have a bedridden patient or an elderly person who has not been vaccinated yet are required to immediately register for a jab,” the governor added. 

BMA kicks off campaign to inoculate bedridden Bangkokians
The BMA is also sending teams to communities and areas with high infection rates to conduct tests and deliver shots to bedridden or elderly people.

Shots for this target group can be booked at https://forms.gle/vW5meyKHz5dVjz2q7.

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BMA kicks off campaign to inoculate bedridden BangkokiansBMA kicks off campaign to inoculate bedridden Bangkokians

Published : August 20, 2021

By : The Nation

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40005007

Two Pathum Thani residents detained for participating in Aug 10 rally

Two men who reportedly took part in an anti-government protest at Victory Monument in Bangkok on August 10 were tracked down to a hideout in Pathum Thani on Friday.

“Police linked the suspects to four locations in Pathum Thani and also found 75 ping pong bombs and more than 200,000 firecrackers and flares hidden in these houses,” deputy Metropolitan Police chief Pol Maj-General Piya Tawichai said.

Pro-democracy groups had gathered at Victory Monument last Tuesday to march to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s house and demand his resignation.

However, they encountered crowd-control police at the Din Daeng junction, which sparked a clash between the two sides. Police used tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon to push the crowds back towards Victory Monument. After protesters dispersed, a traffic booth at the junction was set ablaze and investigators reportedly found many ping pong bombs in the area.

Prawit Thiboonbun was arrested in Samut Prakan on Thursday for allegedly setting fire to the traffic booth and has been charged with arson, damaging government property and violating the Emergency Decree.

Meanwhile, the two suspects arrested in Pathum Thani allegedly confessed to participating in several anti-government rallies in July and August. They were charged with violating the Emergency Decree, which bans public gatherings of more than five people, as well as other violations.

Piya added that a manhunt has been launched for three other men who were photographed at Victory Monument on August 10, with one of them holding what appears to be a gun. “At this point, we cannot confirm if what he is holding is a gun or a fake firearm,” Piya said.

Two Pathum Thani residents detained for participating in Aug 10 rally

Published : August 20, 2021

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40005006

Bhutan delivers 150,000 vaccine doses to Thailand

A batch of 150,000 AstraZeneca doses loaned to Thailand by Bhutan arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport at midday on Friday.

The Himalayan kingdom had agreed to send the Covid-19 vaccine amid a supply shortage in Thailand.

Kiattiphum Wongrajit, Public Health Ministry permanent secretary, said the delivery came after the Cabinet approved the exchange of AstraZeneca vaccine with Bhutan’s government.

He added that Thailand would deliver AstraZeneca vaccines to Bhutan by the end of this year.

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Bhutan delivers 150,000 vaccine doses to Thailand

He said the doses from Bhutan would be checked for quality before being administered this month to vulnerable people, namely the elderly, those with underlying health conditions and pregnant women.

Bhutan delivers 150,000 vaccine doses to Thailand

Published : August 20, 2021

By : The Nation

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40005005

Thai legend Prawat rolls into Tokyo to defend Paralympic titles

Two Paralympic champions led the second group of Thai athletes into Tokyo on Friday for the 2020 Paralympic Games.

The group of 43 Thailand athletes and staff coaches jetted off from Suvarnabhumi Airport at 10pm on Thursday night.
The Thai team was led by wheelchair racers Prawat Wahoram and Pongsakorn Paeyo, who earned gold medals at the 2016 Games in Rio. With them were Harnruechai Netsiri, silver medallist in Rio Games archery, along with judo, weightlifting and wheelchair tennis athletes who will seek glory for Thailand in Tokyo.

Prawat, 40, and winner of two gold medals in Rio, told reporters he was confident of success in Tokyo after a long period of intense training for the Paralympics. 
“The wheelchair racing team is fully prepared and ready to perform at our best. Personally, my goal is to do well in every discipline, especially the 1,500 metres and 5,000 metres where I am defending champion. I would encourage Thai sports fans to support me and the wheelchair racing team, and we will do our best in return.”

Thailand is sending a record 74 athletes to the Tokyo Paralympics, where they will compete in 14 sports – taekwondo, archery, badminton, wheelchair fencing, weightlifting, swimming, table tennis, athletics (track-court, wheelchair racing), cycling, shooting, wheelchair tennis, boccia, blind football and judo.

The team is aiming to better their medal tally in 2016, when Thailand won 18 medals – six gold, six silver and six bronze.

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Thai legend Prawat rolls into Tokyo to defend Paralympic titles

Published : August 20, 2021

By : The Nation