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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024381

Nasa agrees to share space expertise and data with Thailand

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2023

US space agency Nasa is ready to assist Thailand’s space programme to help tackle climate change and natural disasters, a House committee said on Thursday.

The House panel on communications, telecommunications, and digital economy and society on Wednesday met with Nasa officials led by Karen St Germain, director of the Earth Science Division.

Parliament president Chuan Leekpai was also present to welcome US delegates, said committee vice chairman Col Settapong Malisuwan.

Nasa officials and Thai lawmakers discussed the SERVIR-Southeast Asia programme, a collaboration between USAID and Nasa to help Asean countries deal with climate change issues at the national and regional levels.

Settapong said the committee also proposed more collaboration with Nasa to boost Thailand’s space technology laboratory in the North; to establish a space port; utilise non-geostationary satellites for communication, climate operations, and natural disaster alerts; develop human resources in space-related fields; and to promote the local space industry.

Nasa agreed to help Thailand with space research and study, provide academic assistance and to allow Thailand to use its space-related data, Settapong said.

“We have set clear goals for Thailand’s space industry, but we need support from government and private sectors, as well as from an international agency like Nasa,” he added. “Space is no longer a distant issue for Thais.”

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024375

Bangkok to move forward with reorganising hawkers and vending stands

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023

Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt on Wednesday hosted a meeting among officials of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) regarding the reorganisation of hawkers and vending stands in the city areas.

The move aims to tidy up the city by providing suitable while prioritising the safety and ease of travel for pedestrians, said the governor.

He added that BMA will discuss with street vendors to allocate suitable areas that do not block public footpaths. One of the possible solutions is to open vending zones on private properties, he said.

BMA’s City Law Enforcement Department has so far reorganised 96 vending locations for 6,048 vendors throughout the city. 86 of these locations, covering 5,419 vendors, have been approved by the traffic police.

Of the 86 approved locations, 55 of them have been officially announced as vending areas for 3,817 vendors, while the remaining 31 locations, covering 1,602 vendors, are in the inspection process.

The department has also asked the traffic police to revise the nine locations that have yet to be approved. These locations cover 629 vendors. 15,320 vendors are still opening their shops in 697 locations outside the permitted areas. 

The meeting on Wednesday also discussed regulations for vendors in permitted areas, including mandating that sellers must perform the business themselves, setting the size of umbrellas allowed in vending areas, and prohibiting leaving products, pushcarts, or other equipment on public roads.

Vendors are also required to keep the permitted areas clean and refrain from throwing garbage and wastewater into the sewers.

Chadchart added that the BMA’s effort in organising hawkers and vending stands will focus on limiting the number of sellers and permitted areas, providing vending zones on private properties, and working with the government in establishing functioning Hawker Centers.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024371

Absent Kong Salak owner sends lawyer to be grilled over THB1bn lottery payments

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023

The owner of controversy-hit online lottery platform Kong Salak Plus sent his lawyer to the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to answer questions about 39 payments worth 1.09 billion baht on Thursday.

Kong Salak Plus CEO Phanthawat Nakwisut has been charged with money laundering but is currently on a trip abroad. His lawyer, Supachai Tipsith, met with DSI’s Narcotics Division director Pongsathorn Inamnuay at 10.50am to submit information about the 39 payments made to Phanthawat’s bank account.

DSI director-general Trairit Temahiwong said on Tuesday that the agency suspects the payments came from illegal businesses.

If suspicion persists, the DSI will summon Phanthawat to provide more information and evidence, said DSI spokesperson Pitthayaporn Churat on Thursday.

Other people suspected may also be summoned, she added.

DSI officials have finished interrogating witnesses in the earlier case against Phanthawat, in which he is accused of laundering 53 million baht for a gambling website.

Investigators are now checking whether the witnesses’ testimony conflicted with evidence provided by banks, said the spokesperson.

The DSI will provide an update on this case next week, she added.

Phanthawat claims that the 53 million baht was money redeemed from lottery tickets that won prizes of 42 million baht and 11 million baht. He said he assigned Or Ang to redeem the winning tickets. The DSI said Or Ang is the fugitive owner of an illegal gambling website.

The spokeswoman said Phanthawat could still travel abroad because he has not formally been charged. Once formally charged, he would be banned from travelling, she added.

Supachai said on Thursday he had provided “complete information” to the DSI about the 39 transactions.

“We can explain all the transactions. They were normal circulation of money via Phanthawat’s account, but each transaction was large so we have to explain,” the lawyer said.

He dismissed the allegations of money laundering against his client as nothing to worry about.

The probe into Kong Salak Plus was ordered by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha after Phanthawat boasted of a whopping 18 billion baht in sales last year.

The platform is also accused of direct selling and overcharging by adding 25 baht to lottery tickets’ face value of 80 baht.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024369

Thai FDA recalls Korean instant noodle brand to test for chemical

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023

The Food and Drug Administration has recalled 3,040 instant noodle cups imported from South Korea to test whether they are contaminated with a herbicide, it announced on Thursday.

FDA deputy secretary-general Withit Saritdeechaikul told a press conference that the agency had recalled instant noodles of the Nongshim Shin Ramyun Black Bowl (Tofu Kimchi) brand for testing.

The recall follows an announcement by Taiwan’s FDA that it had detected a dangerous level of ethylene oxide in the brand’s seasoning packet.

Withit said Taiwanese officials found that the ethylene oxide in the noodles’ seasoning reached an unsafe level of 0.075 milligrams per kilogram.

The Korean noodle brand was imported twice by Pro Thai Co Ltd – 480 cups with an expiry date of February 4 and 2,560 cups that expire on May 8 – the FDA found.

Withit said all the imported noodle cups of the brand had been recalled for testing.

The FDA will inform the public as soon as it receives the results of its tests for the dangerous chemical, he said.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024368

Broken sewage cover near Ancient City replaced after tourist injured

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023

A broken concrete drainage cover near the Ancient City in Samut Prakan has been replaced after a tourist was injured when his leg fell into the sewer beneath it, a local official said.

Workers from the Department of Highways replaced the sewer cover outside the tourist attraction on Thursday, the official said.

Supachok Meeampol, deputy director of the department’s Office 13 in Samut Prakan, said on Thursday that the agency sent workers to the scene immediately after it learned about the incident.

Repairs were also made to other damaged drainage covers and parts of the pavement outside the Ancient City, Supachok said.

The drainage cover was damaged by overuse, the official said. “We may have failed on maintenance because we have many long roads [under our responsibility]. This is an area that needs improvement,” he explained.

He also apologised to the tourist who was injured.

According to witnesses, the tourist – who appeared to be a Chinese man in his 50s – injured his left leg after falling into the hole that cracked open after he stepped onto the dilapidated drainage cover.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024366

Air quality will be unsafe in Bangkok ‘on Friday and Wednesday’

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023

Bangkok will experience at least two more days of unsafe levels of PM2.5 – fine particles of dust in the air – this month: on Friday and next Wednesday, an advisor to Bangkok’s governor said on Thursday.

Pornprom Wikitset, who advises Governor Chadchart Sittipunt, made the announcement while speaking to reporters after a high-level meeting on air pollution in the capital. Representatives from the Health Department, the Pollution Control Department and senior officials of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) attended the meeting.

Pornprom said air quality deteriorated in Bangkok during the cool season when high pressure systems caused fine particles of dust – known as PM2.5 – to accumulate and exceed the safe level of 50 micrograms per cubic metre of air.

Pornprom said the meeting came up with three steps for monitoring air quality and alerting city residents in advance when pollution was expected to reach unsafe levels.

First, a war room will be set up to monitor air quality.

Second, the BMA will release air-quality forecasts seven days in advance.

Third, the BMA will ask the Traffy Fondue app to open a new function to allow city residents to report poor air quality in their areas.

The BMA is seeking help from other government agencies to tackle the causes of air pollution, such as banning the use of vehicles that emit black smoke, and preventing people from burning grass and weeds, Pornprom said.

Phansak Thiramongkol, director of the air quality and noise pollution control division of the Pollution Control Department, said the division had been monitoring air quality in Bangkok and providing forecasts that were seven days in advance.

Phansak said this year the Pollution Control Department found PM2.5 had started to reach unsafe levels on January 22.

On Tuesday, most areas of Bangkok were classified as yellow zones as the level of PM2.5 exceeded the safe level, he added.

“But today, the air quality is good and Bangkok turned blue again,” Phansak said.

“On January 27 and February 1, most areas of Bangkok will turn yellow,” he added.

He said air quality in Bangkok would fluctuate between safe and unsafe levels until April. February will be the worst month, he added.

Sakda Sridej, another official at the Pollution Control Department, said air quality on January 31 and February 1 would be as poor as it was on January 24.

Woranut Suaykhamkhao, deputy director of the BMA’s Environment Department, said if air pollution reaches the yellow level – when PM2.5 is between 51 and 75 micrograms per cubic metre of air – the BMA will ask state agencies and private firms to let 60% of their employees work from home.

However, if PM 2.5 reaches the critical or red level – above 75 micograms – the BMA will ask government agencies to allow 100% of their employees to work from home, and it will shut all schools.

Woranut said the BMA has also expanded the number of clinics for respiratory treatment from three to five. They are: Klang General Hospital, Taksin Hospital, Charoen Krung Pracharak Hospital, Ratchaphiphat Hospital, and Sirindhorn Hospital.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024364

Cabinet okays draft Royal Decree on tackling cybercrime

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023

The Cabinet has approved in principle a draft Royal Decree on Cybercrime Prevention and Suppression, the Minister of Digital Economy and Society (DES) Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn said on Thursday.

Chaiwut said the draft allowed financial institutions and business operators to exchange details of accounts and financial transactions of their customers.

Telecom operators are allowed to exchange customers’ data with other operators, while the Royal Thai Police headquarters, the Anti-Money Laundering Office, and authorised agencies must also have access to the data.

The draft also tasked the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission (NBTC) with establishing a database of registered users containing only data necessary for cybercrime investigation and prevention.

Financial institutions or business operators can temporarily suspend a transaction in case they detect suspicious activities or upon being instructed by investigating officials.

In case a complaint is filed by a victim, financial institutions or business operators must suspend the transaction immediately for up to 48 hours to allow the victim to lodge a police complaint. Officials must investigate the affected account or electronic wallet with seven days of receiving the complaint.

The draft has set the following punishments:

1. Those opening an account, electronic card, or electronic wallet for other purposes than personal use, or who let others use their SIM card for any illegal purpose, will be punishable with maximum three-years’ imprisonment, or a maximum 300,000 baht fine, or both.

2. Those advertising or inviting others to trade their account, electronic card, electronic wallet, or SIM card that could lead to illegal usage will be punishable with two to five years’ imprisonment, or 200,000 to 500,000 baht fine, or both.

Chaiwut said his ministry has submitted the approved draft to the Office of the Council of State for approval, before announcing it in the Royal Gazette.

Last week the NBTC had instructed telecommunication operators to inspect the use of cross-country internet services and penalise those who misuse them, in a bid to prevent cybercrimes that are on the rise.

According to NBTC’s instructions, the following steps will have to be taken:

• 8,000-plus people who own more than 100 SIM cards have until the end of January to verify their identities.

• 22,000-plus people who own more than 30 SIM cards have until the end of March to verify their identities.

• 380,000-plus people who own more than five SIM cards have until the end of June to verify themselves.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024363

Thailand, EU set to relaunch free trade talks: commerce minister

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023

Negotiations for a free-trade agreement (FTA) between Thailand and the European Union could wrap up in the first quarter of this year, after both sides agreed to relaunch negotiations, Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit said on Thursday.

Jurin made the announcement after meeting EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis in Brussels, where both sides said they wanted to conclude an FTA as soon as possible.

Jurin described his meeting with Dombrovskis, who is also European Commission executive vice president, as “historic”, saying it was the first time that political representatives of both sides agreed they were ready to relaunch free-trade talks.

Jurin will seek the Cabinet’s endorsement to resume trade talks. Dombrovskis will seek approval from the EU’s 27 member states.

“Both sides aim to complete the negotiations within the first quarter of this year,” Jurin said.

“[Thailand] has tried to enter into an FTA agreement with the European Union for almost 10 years,” he added, saying negotiations had never reached as far as their current level.

Negotiations for the FTA were launched in March 2013. They were put on hold the next year, following the Thai military coup in May 2014.

If the resumed talks lead to an agreement, Thailand will become the third Asean country to have an FTA with the EU, after Vietnam and Singapore.

The EU is Thailand’s fourth largest trading partner, after China, the United States, and Japan.

Last year, bilateral trade between Thailand and the EU totalled 1.3 trillion baht (US$ 41 billion), accounting for 7% of Thailand’s total trade.

Thailand’s exports to the EU totalled 843.3 billion baht last year. Key export products include computers, computer equipment and components, gems and jewelry, air-conditioners and components, rubber products, chicken, and electronic circuit boards.

Thai imports from the EU last year totalled 594.2 billion baht. Major import products include machinery and components, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, electrical machinery, and tools.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024360

Taiwanese actress alleges Thai police extorted cash from her and friends

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023

Thai police are facing more allegations of misconduct after a Taiwanese actress alleged she and her friends were victims of extortion by Thai police early this month while vacationing in Bangkok.

She said police detained them for two hours and forced them to pay 27,000 baht to be released after stopping their taxi at a checkpoint on the night of January 4.

An Yu-Qing alleged that besides being shaken down for 27,000 baht she had to apologise repeatedly in Thai and “almost bow to the feet of the police” before she and her friends were released.

The actress, also known as Charlene An, warned Taiwanese visitors to Thailand to avoid carrying large amounts of cash in their wallets for an unusual reason.

“I would like to ask Taiwanese people who plan to go to Thailand to avoid carrying too much cash as the police will check their wallets first before charging them,” she was quoted as saying on the Thai-language Facebook page “Taiwan Topic” on Wednesday.

The Facebook page said it was quoting An’s Instagram account as well as Taiwanese media.

It said police asked to search her and her friends’ belongings at the checkpoint.

Police told her that her visa was not valid even though she had received one on arrival, she said. Police told her and her friends to delete a video clip they took of the incident, she said.

“It was like being searched for drugs by police in a Mexican film,” the post quoted her as saying.

She said police escorted her and her friends away from the checkpoint to a spot where there was no CCTV camera and told them they had to pay a total of 27,000 baht.

“The police called a taxi for them and let them go after they handed over the cash,” the Thai-language Facebook post read. It added that An also saw a group of five Korean women in the same CCTV-free spot.

The actress will never visit Thailand again, she said.

An told Taiwanese media that the alleged extortion occurred because Thailand suffered from a shortage of tourism revenue during the prolonged Covid-19 crisis.

The allegations were made after an investigation was ordered by the national police chief into claims by a Chinese tourist that she received “special services” from Thai police, including a motorbike escort to her hotel – for a price – during a visit to Pattaya with her mother.

Those allegations were made in a video clip that went viral on TikTok.

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Airport cracks down on police following Chinese influencer’s video

Facebook page exposes ‘VIP fast-track’ entry services for Chinese tourists

PM Office minister denies ordering ‘siren service’ for Chinese TikTok influencer

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024359

Beach disputes between resorts and residents ‘being resolved’

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023

The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation is working with local agencies in Satun province to resolve land disputes between local residents and resort owners on Koh Lipe in the Andaman Sea.

Narin Prathuanchai, the department’s spokesman, said on Wednesday that he had visited the island on Sunday to discuss land disputes between local residents and resort owners with relevant authorities.

Most of the land was occupied by resort owners, but some areas were occupied by local residents, he said, citing figures from the Department of Land.

Narin said the disputes would be resolved by examining Nor Sor 3 and Sor Kor 1 title deeds. The first refers to land that has yet to be officially measured by the Department of Land but can be upgraded to a more secure title. Sor Kor 1 titles give their holders the right to use, but not own, land.

Narin also provided an update on cases in which businesspeople have been accused of encroaching on Tarutao National Park, which includes Koh Lipe.

His department has taken legal action in 44 cases of alleged encroachment since 2014, he said. Twenty-two of the cases have been concluded and the department’s legal unit will ensure that all buildings and structures erected inside the national park will be removed in line with court orders, Narin said.

He also said his department will submit information to the Department of Special Investigations to revoke Nor Sor 3 and Sor Kor 1 title deeds that were wrongfully issued.

“The department has asked the chief of Koh Lipe Police Station to survey all hotels on the island to ensure their business abide by the law,” he added.

Related stories:

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