#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40005307

Curfew set to be eased, restaurants opened in Bangkok and Dark Red zone

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA)’s subcommittee has proposed easing restrictions covering restaurants and the curfew in 29 Dark Red-zone provinces, including Bangkok.

Under the proposal, air-conditioned restaurants will be permitted to open at 50-per-cent capacity while outdoor-dining restaurants can open at 75-per-cent capacity.

In addition, the curfew in the Dark Red zone will begin one hour later and run from 10pm to 4am.

The resolution will be proposed to the CCSA’s meeting chaired by the prime minister on Friday. The date of its enactment has not yet been set.

The 29 Dark Red provinces are Bangkok, Kanchanaburi, Chonburi, Chachoengsao, Nakhon Pathom, Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Ratchasima, Narathiwat, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Prachinburi, Ayutthaya, Phetchaburi, Pattani, Phetchabun, Yala, Rayong, Ratchaburi, Lop Buri, Songkhla, Singburi, Samut Prakan, Samut Songkhram, Samut Sakhon, Saraburi, Suphanburi and Ang Thong.

Published : August 26, 2021

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40005303

Thailand’s economic outlook ‘still strong’ despite Covid-19

Moody’s Investors Service has maintained Thailand’s sovereign credit rating at Baa1, equivalent to BBB+, citing a “stable” economic outlook due to strong public finances, said government spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek on Thursday.

“Moody’s noted that Thailand has low short-term debt of only 8 per cent, with an extremely low baht-to-foreign currency debt of less than 2 per cent, which contributed to the low inflation rate,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Commerce Ministry reported that the value of exports from January to July rose 16.2 per cent year on year, spurring a $2.6 billion trade surplus for Thailand, Rathchada added.

“According to the Board of Investment of Thailand [BOI], in the first half of 2021 over 800 projects have been granted privileges with total investment value of Bt386 billion, up 158 per cent on the same period last year,” she said. “The top three countries granted investment privileges are Japan, United States and China.”

To attract foreign investors and promote technology transfer, the BOI is granting tax breaks at 100 to 200 per cent of investment value to companies that invest in education, research and development, innovations, science and high-technology, product and packaging design.

“Moody’s estimates that after the Covid-19 situation is resolved, foreign investment in Thailand will continue to grow, especially in the Eastern Economic Corridor, which will help boost domestic employment as well as consumption demand and ultimately increase the country’s competitiveness in the global market,” added Ratchada.

Published : August 26, 2021

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40005302

ALRO to push farmers to grow herbs with export potential in the EEC

The Agricultural Land Reform Office (ALRO) has urged Thai farmers to grow hemp, cannabis and green chiretta (fah talai jone) using high technology to boost their incomes. The study of kratom would also be conducted with the aim of achieving sales of THB8 billion from exporting these herbs.

Captain Thamanat Prompow, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives,  witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding by the ARLO and the Eastern Economic Corridor Office (EEC) on cooperation in the development of integrated herbs in the EEC on Tuesday. 
“The herbal market tends to expand annually as herbs have the potential to promote people’s health. I believe that Thai herbs will shift to exports in the near future,” said Thamanat.

ALRO to push farmers to grow herbs with export potential in the EEC
The agreement aims to increase incomes of farmers in the ALRO areas by swapping plantation of traditional crops with herbal plants, such as hemp, cannabis and green chiretta, that have high sales potential. The plans are to establish a suitable business model that meets the consumer needs, in order to profit domestically and internationally. 

More than THB100 billion worth of Thai herbs were exported in 2020, according to Department of Agriculture data. 
A study on kratom will also be conducted, and the farmers will be urged to grow kratom on ALRO lands following the legalisation of the plant on Tuesday.

ALRO secretary-general Vinaroj Supsongsuk said that the EEC aimed to ensure a stable income for farmers by elevating Thai herbs to world standard with innovative technology, developing from the plantation procedure up to the marketing strategy. The development is to be effective immediately and concretely, for a period of two years under the terms of the agreement.

The essence of the cooperation in the development of integrated herbs are as follows:

1. Support farmers to plant the herbs on ALRO lands;
2. Provide information on ALRO laws to farmers for the production and development of herbal products in the EEC area;
3. Jointly consider and select farmers, farmer groups, community enterprise groups and operation areas to carry out the development of the herbal plants;
4. Build a research network and extend Thai herbs to meet the market demands.

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ALRO to push farmers to grow herbs with export potential in the EEC

Published : August 26, 2021

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40005301

Lamborghini, Porsche, Bentley all part of wanted Nakhon Sawan cop’s fleet of cars

The Customs Department said on Wednesday that Pol Colonel Thitisan Uthanapol had helped seize 368 illegal cars since 2011 and should have earned some 400 million for his work.

Thitisan, a former superintendent at the Muang Nakhon Sawan Police Station, faces an arrest warrant for allegedly suffocating a drug suspect. The cop is still at large.

The Customs Department’s director-general Patchara Anuntasilpa said Thitasan had 29 cars parked in his home in Bangkok. This fleet, valued at 175.28 million baht, includes a 47-million-baht Lamborghini Aventador.

She added that he owns another 13 cars, including a Porsche and Bentley, that he had bought in a customs auction in 2012.

The department has sold 363 of the 368 cars Thitisan helped seize and has earned 1 billion baht from the sale. Patchara said officers are given 40-per-cent of the proceeds earned from the sale of cars they seized, and in this case, Thitisan is entitled to 400 million baht.

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Lamborghini, Porsche, Bentley all part of wanted Nakhon Sawan cop’s fleet of carsLamborghini, Porsche, Bentley all part of wanted Nakhon Sawan cop’s fleet of carsFor related news: https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40005245

Published : August 26, 2021

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40005299

Relatives shun baby boy of parents hospitalised with Covid

A child under two years old, whose parents are infected with Covid-19, could not find any caregivers among relatives despite testing negative.

On Wednesday, a rescue team in Nakhon Ratchasima province took two infected persons — the baby’s mother and her cousin — to Suranaree University of Technology Hospital.

Both had contracted the virus from the woman’s husband, who had been admitted to the same hospital on Monday.

The hospitalisation of the three adult members of the family left the one-year, nine-month-old baby alone. No relative wanted to take care of him, as they were afraid of getting infected, even after a test had found the boy negative.

Left with no choice, the rescue staff took the baby along with his mother and cousin to the hospital. The child was later separated from family members, quarantined and monitored closely.

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Relatives shun baby boy of parents hospitalised with CovidRelatives shun baby boy of parents hospitalised with Covid

Published : August 26, 2021

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40005297

229 deaths, 18,501 new cases as Thailand moves up in global Covid-19 rankings

Thailand logged 18,501 new cases with 229 deaths over 24 hours on Thursday. Of the new infections, 139 were found in prisons.

Meanwhile, 20,606 patients have recovered and been discharged over the past 24 hours.

Thailand’s total caseload from Covid stands at 1,120,869, of whom 923,621 have recovered, 186,934 are still in hospitals and 10,314 have died.

Separately, another 438,457 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, 191,248 their second shot, and 8,216 their third shot, bringing the total Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in Thailand to 28,835,580.

According to Worldometer, as of 10am on Thursday, confirmed cases globally had risen to 214.76 million, 192.10 million of whom have recovered, 18.18 million are active cases (113,122 in severe condition) and 4.48 million have died (up by 11,174).

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Thailand ranks 31st on the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 39.16 million, followed by India with 32.56 million, Brazil with 20.65 million, Russia with 6.80 million and France with 6.67 million.

Published : August 26, 2021

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40005295

Suspect in Nakhon Sawan murder case screams for justice

A police officer implicated in the murder of a drug dealer in Nakhon Sawan demanded justice before he and other suspects were taken into custody.

Of the six murder suspects, five were arrested on Wednesday and taken to the Nakhon Sawan provincial court for detention. While being taken away, Pol Lt-Colonel Paweekorn Kammariew yelled demanding justice.

The six are implicated in a murder case that was captured on CCTV and went viral on social media last week. The clip showed Muang Nakhon Sawan Police Station’s superintendent, Pol Colonel Thitisan Uthanapol, and his team trying to suffocate a drug suspect after demanding a 2-million-baht bribe. The clip ended with an image of the suspect lying dead.

Thitisan was first transferred to an inactive post on Sunday and finally sacked on Tuesday. An arrest warrant accusing him of participating in illegal acts, collaborating to intimidate an individual and committing murder has also been issued.

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However, Thitisan is still at large and authorities believe he may be hiding in Tak. Border police in the province have been told to keep an eye out for him as it is believed he may try to flee to Myanmar.

Though people cannot cross border checkpoints due to strict Covid-19 measures, cargo trucks are still allowed across.

Published : August 26, 2021

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40005293

Many people in dark-red zones do not mask up properly, survey finds

The Department of Health said on Wednesday that up to 26.8 per cent of people in dark-red zones have been found to either shun masks or wear them incorrectly.

Asurvey of 6,087 people from July 19 to August 20 learned that:
• 98.1 per cent always wore a mask in public
• 94.3 per cent washed their hands regularly
• 91.7 per cent maintained social distancing
• 91 per cent checked their temperature upon entering a public building
• 64.4 per cent used the ThaiChana app to record their movements

The survey also learned that 73.2 per cent of people in dark-red zones wore their masks correctly, while 26.8 per cent did not.

Dr Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoenchai, the department’s director-general, said the virus can spread quickly through small liquid particles, which can come from snot or saliva when someone coughs or sneezes. However, this risk can be significantly reduced if everyone wears a mask and wears it correctly, he said.

The mask must fit the face and cover the nose, mouth and chin. People should wear a mask when they go outside or do activities with other family members, especially the elderly and bedridden patients.

Published : August 26, 2021

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40005292

Insurance firms in trouble for delayed Covid-19 payments

Two insurance firms are being pulled up by the Thailand Consumers Council (TCC) for being slow in reimbursing Covid-19 policyholders.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, TCC said it received several complaints about Asia Insurance 1950 being slow with its payments and that it sent a query to the company on Tuesday. It said Asia Insurance 1950 has not responded yet.

The council believes other insurance companies will do the same if action is not taken immediately.

TCC had filed a complaint with the Office of Insurance Commission (OIC) last week about The One Insurance being late with its payments.

It expects OIC to help tackle both insurance companies and any such problems that may arise in the future.

Published : August 26, 2021

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40005291

Phuket’s Karon area to get ‘smart poles’ as part of govt’s smart city initiative

Phuket’s Karon subdistrict will be the first area to get smart poles, nicknamed “lucky poles”, as part of the government’s smart city initiative, the Karon mayor said on Wednesday.

“The government aims to pilot the smart pole project in 14 communities nationwide, and Karon has been selected because its economy relies on tourism,” said mayor Jadet Wicharasorn. “The campaign also aims to improve Karon’s telecommunication grid, put power and telecom lines underground, install smart CCTV cameras and IoT [internet of things] equipment to turn Karon into a true smart city.”

Thanaphan Tantisattayakul, managing director of United Technology Enterprise (UTE), which has won the contract for the project, said UTE will establish a digital infrastructure in Karon using smart poles. This will be a key feature to attract tourists.

“With smart poles installed, tourists will be able to easily access tourism-related information and other digital interactive media such as maps, weather forecasts, bus schedules, information on local attractions and shop locations,” he said. “The smart poles will be powered by a built-in solar panel and equipped with LED lights that also serve as traffic signs. The poles will also provide free WIFI service.

“The smart poles will also be integrated with the city’s CCTV system and will have an emergency button,” he added. “In the future, these poles can be used with VDO analytics software to prevent crimes and make Phuket safer.”

UTE reckons Phuket will need some 500 smart poles to cover every area and is planning to bid for smart pole projects in other tourism-oriented provinces.

Published : August 26, 2021