#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40022001

Chiang Mai artisans craft beautiful souvenirs for Apec 2022

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2022

It was a matter of honour and pride when a Chiang Mai artisan community was commissioned to produce souvenirs for government heads attending the Apec Leaders’ Summit next week.

The Wat Sri Suphan community in Chiang Mai’s Muang district, which is famous for fine metalwork and engravings, was approached by the Foreign Ministry’s Protocol Department. The job was to produce plaques from recycled metal and jewellery boxes with engraved lids also made from recycled metal.

Recycled metal was chosen to highlight Thailand’s bio-circular-green economic model.

Direk Sitthikarn, a master metalsmith from the community who designed the engravings, told The Nation that the two souvenirs were the pride of the Chiang Mai people.

Metal engraving is a traditional Lanna art form that has been passed down for generations and is now being shown to the international community, he said proudly.

Direk explained that expert artisans spent more than two months crafting each piece to ensure they are of exceptional quality.

The community was commissioned to produce 30x60x6cm engraved plaques showing the Grand Palace from the perspective of the Royal Thai Navy’s auditorium, where a reception will be held for the leaders and their spouses. The engraving also includes a royal barge in the foreground and the Apec 2022 logo in the background.

The jewellery box is 13x20x5cm in size with a metal lid engraved with a traditional Thai pattern and the Apec logo.

Direk said the items have been delivered to the authorities to be added to the gift set of seven souvenirs for Apec leaders and their spouses. He added that he has kept the prototypes of the plaque and jewellery boxes as a reminder of the honour.

Souvenirs handed out at Apec 2022 can be seen here

Related Stories

Apec leaders, spouses to get 7 souvenirs showcasing Thailand’s uniqueness

Bangkok to close roads, park and subway station around Apec summit

Chiang Mai in shock after 750-year-old city wall crumbles in rainstorm

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40021990

Bangkok to restore ‘Venice of the East’ with THB5.5bn water transport plan

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2022

A 5.5-billion-baht plan to join up Bangkok’s water transport network with roads and rail stations and free the city from paralysing traffic congestion was unveiled on Friday.

The W-Map project will develop 40 connecting points between boat stops and the capital’s roads and railways to boost water transport in Greater Bangkok, Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning Office (TPPO) chief Panya Chupanich said.

Bangkok was once dubbed “Venice of the East”, pointing to the potential of its extensive canal network as a transport system.

The first phase of the W-Map project will use a budget of 3.4 billion baht to develop 34 connections between water and other transport routes through 2027.

The second phase, running from 2028 to 2032, will build six more connections with a budget of 2.1 billion baht.

Panya said GPS and surveillance camera data will be used to integrate the water, road and rail networks, with the aim of solving Bangkok’s traffic problems.

The TPPO also plans to improve eight connecting piers, including the four Chao Phraya River ferry stops of Phra Nang Klao, Bang Po, Rajinee, and Sathorn.

The plan will be proposed to the Transport Ministry by March next year.

Meanwhile, park-and-ride facilities will be provided to connect the Bangkok- Suphanburi bus with Phra Nang Klao Bridge MRT station and Phra Nang Klao pier.

Related stories

• Store, transport operators say shops still well stocked despite flood crisis
• Government steps up efforts for closer rail links with Laos and China
• Who’s who in Buri Charoen Construction that was highlighted in censure debate

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40021987

14 Bangkok bus routes diverted to avoid Apec road closures

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2022

More than a dozen Bangkok public bus routes will be diverted from Wednesday to Saturday (November 16-19) to avoid road closures around the Apec summit at Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (QNSCC).

Sections of Ratchadapisek, Duang Phitak, Ploenchit, Wireless and Ratchadamri roads will be closed to allow Apec leaders’ motorcades to travel between their hotels and the summit venue.

The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) announced on Friday that 14 bus routes will use detours to bypass the closed roads.

Two bus routes will detour all day from November 16-19:

– No 185 (Rangsit to Khlong Toei)

– No 136 (Khlong Toei to Mo Chit 2)

Bus routes detouring from 6pm to 6am:

– No 25 (Phraeksa-Tha Chang)

– No 505 (Pak Kret-Lumpini Park)

– No 508 (Pak Nam-Ratchaworadit Pier)

– No 2 (Samrong-Flower Market)

– No 511 (Pak Nam-Southern Bus Terminal)

– No 13 (Rama IX-Khlong Toei)

– No 77 (Sathu Pradit-Mo Chit 2)

– No 62 (Sathu Pradit Pier-Victory Monument)

– No 76 (Samae Dam-Pratunam)

– No 15 (Kanlapaphruek-Bang Lamphu)

– No A3 (Don Muang-Lumpini Park)

– No 501 (Minburi-Hua Lamphong)

Details of each bus route can be checked at www.bmta.co.th/en/bus-lines.

Related Stories

Ratchadapisek Road to be closed to traffic for Apec Summit

Bangkok to close roads, park and subway station around Apec summit

BMTA told to consult NESDC on ambitious electric bus plan

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40021986

Motorcades of world leaders to hit Bangkok streets at 1-min intervals for Apec

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2022

Motorcades carrying world leaders will leave their Bangkok hotels at one-minute intervals from 8.45am to get to Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (QNSCC) for the Apec Summit next Friday and Saturday (November 18-19), according to the Foreign Ministry.

Bangkokians can expect traffic disruption as roads are closed for the motorcades.

The Apec chiefs – 14 country leaders and 10 representatives – will stay at 20 hotels around the capital, the ministry told foreign embassies in a Friday briefing on summit arrangements.

Roads and the MRT subway station around QNSCC will be closed for the entire week of Apec meetings from November 14-19, bringing traffic disruption around the venue close to Sukhumvit Road’s Asok Intersection.

Friday’s briefing was joined by ambassadors from six Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation members and representatives from 35 economies.

The 14 economies sending their leaders to the Bangkok summit are Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, The Philippines, Brunei, Singapore, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Chile.

Leaders’ representatives will be sent by Russia, South Korea, Malaysia, United States, Mexico and Peru.

Apec leaders and representatives will use three airports, namely Air Force Wing 6 (for private planes), Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi. The aircraft used by foreign leaders and their delegations will be parked at U-Tapao Airport in Rayong.

The summit – held under the concept “Open. Connect. Balance.” – will start with the Apec Concluding Senior Officials’ Meeting on Monday (November 14), followed by the 33rd Apec Ministerial Meeting on November 17 and the 29th Apec Economic Leaders’ Meeting on November 18-19.

Apec leaders are expected to endorse the Bangkok Goal Declaration on the BCG (Bio-Circular-Green) economy as well Thailand’s declaration as host. At the end of the summit, Thailand will pass on the duty of hosting Apec 2023 to the United States.

Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha will host a gala dinner for Apec leaders, representatives, and their spouses at the Royal Thai Navy Convention Hall on the banks of the Chao Phaya River in Bangkok on November 17.

Related Stories

Ratchadapisek Road to be closed to traffic for Apec Summit

Bangkok to close roads, park and subway station around Apec summit

14 world leaders confirm they will be at Apec Summit in Bangkok, Putin undecided

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40021981

Thailand looking to China to solve fertiliser shortage: Commerce minister

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2022

Thailand will seek to solve its fertiliser shortage by securing bigger supplies from China at next week’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Summit in Bangkok, Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit said on Friday.

China’s President Xi Jinping will attend the summit along with leaders of Apec’s 20 other member economies.
“If we get fertiliser from China at a special price, the shortage problem will be over,” the commerce minister said. However, China’s zero-Covid policy and its current restrictions on fertiliser exports could be hurdles to any deal, he said.
Jurin, who doubles as deputy prime minister, said Thailand’s fertiliser shortage had been eased by 400,000 tonnes imported from Saudi Arabia despite the high price on the world market.

The fertiliser price soared after Russia, one of the world’s largest producers, was hit by sanctions for its invasion of Ukraine in February.
Jurin said Thailand was now speeding up imports of fertiliser from Russia and Kazakhstan.
He added that the price of fertiliser depends on the price of the fuel used to produce it.
“If the price of oil and gas come down, the fertiliser price in the domestic market will get cheaper,” Jurin said.
Meanwhile the Commerce Ministry would combat profiteering from fertiliser by enforcing the law against overpricing of controlled goods, which carries punishment of up to seven years in prison, he said.

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40021980

Thailand lifts lid for World Toilet Day as one-third of loos fail hygiene test

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2022

The Public Health Ministry sought to flush out Thailand’s hygiene concerns on Friday ahead of World Toilet Day on November 19.

Deputy Public Health Minister Satit Pitutecha lifted the lid on this year’s lavatorial awareness push by announcing its theme as “Making the invisible visible”.

“The campaign will encourage businesses to offer high-standard toilets, especially in tourist attractions, public transport stations and filling stations to welcome Thai and foreign tourists,” he elaborated.

One-third of public toilets checked at 99,814 venues across Thailand between 2019 and 2022 failed to meet international standards, according to a survey by his ministry.

Satit Pitutecha

Toilets at fresh-food markets are the worst culprits, judging from a separate survey by the Department of Health between October 14 and 21.

More than two-thirds of respondents (68.68%) wanted to see improvements at market toilets, followed by those at public parks (39.85%) and roadsides (38.48%).

Toilets in malls got the biggest thumbs-up for cleanliness (68.46%), followed by filling stations (55.30%).

Worryingly, only 35.82% of respondents were happy with toilets in hospitals.

“Cleanliness, safety and convenience are the main reasons that encourage people to use public toilets,” the department said, urging providers of the facilities to up their game.

“Apart from ensuring hygiene for toilet users, this also helps promote tourism and improve Thailand’s image,” it added.

Department of Health director-general Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai was on hand to explain that 40,000 households or 0.2% of people in Thailand still don’t have toilets.

He added that the department was working with relevant agencies and networks to ensure that every household in Thailand has a toilet.

Related stories:

• Public Health Ministry urged to okay budget amid fear over universal coverage
• Dangerous erectile dysfunction drug found in popular herbal med
• Thailand stops procuring Covid-19 vaccine

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40021979

Locomotive found on Chinese suspect’s compound not ours: SRT

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2022

The train found on the grounds of a Chinese national’s property in Pathum Thani is not related to the Thai-Chinese railway project, the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) clarified on Friday.

The statement came after immigration police raided the property in Pathum Thani’s Lam Luk Ka district after receiving a tip-off that a Chinese national was using a fake Thai ID.

The suspect, 33-year-old Shao Xiaobo, was arrested on Wednesday at a building he was renting in Bangkok.

Also found in the building was a China-made limousine with flags on its bonnet, a BMW police escort motorcycle, as well as a military and police uniform with the suspect’s name on it.

The following day, a police team led by Immigration Bureau’s deputy chief Pol Maj-General Phanthana Nuchanart raided the mansion but found nothing illegal other than an empty hidden cupboard and the locomotive.

Police said the mansion sported a logo of the Thai Merchant Association, which the suspect said he was an adviser to. However, investigators said the suspect’s name was not listed on the association’s board of directors.

He was, however, found to be linked to a luxury car import company called QY Group and an arms dealing firm called Global System, though both firms do not exist anymore.

The authorities will check to see if the suspect’s finances are linked to these companies and if his ownership of the 1-rai land (1,600 square metres) and the mansion on it is legal.

Police had initially sought a warrant from Thanyaburi Provincial Court to search the Lam Luk Ka mansion but the application was rejected.

However, officers stormed the mansion after stopping a pick-up truck driving out of the property carrying 40 bottles of contraband liquor. Police seized the liquor and arrested two men in the truck, a 30-year-old Thai and a 21-year-old foreigner.

Shao, meanwhile, was charged under an arrest warrant issued in Narathiwat’s Panare district for allegedly making a false statement for a fake ID card. The suspect was also reported as carrying Vanuatu and Chinese passports.

Related stories

• Police descend on closed Pattaya restaurant, find large casino in the making
• Nothing illegal is happening in pubs and bars on Walking Street, say Pattaya police
• Thai police extend hours of criminal-record checking service

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40021978

Prayut suggests deeper integration and respect for ‘Asean way’ to help the grouping grow

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2022

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Friday proposed three approaches for Asean to fight its multiple challenges while attending the regional grouping’s 40th summit in Cambodia.

The Thai leader suggested that the regional grouping strengthen its present status, work together towards the future, and respect the “Asean way”, according to government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri.
Prayut told the meeting that Thailand was proud to see Asean grow to become a strong community with its economic size the fifth largest in the world.
To strengthen the grouping’s present status, the Thai PM said that in addition to ongoing cooperation in many areas, including public health and human security, Asean should deepen economic integration and partnership among member countries.
He congratulated the grouping for the recent establishment of the Asean Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases in Thailand.

Prayut suggested that Asean countries work together towards the future with a focus on ensuring a sustainable future in line with its vision for 2025.
He pointed to constant global changes that are external factors and pose challenges for Asean. He called on member countries to encourage more innovations to help economic and social development in a balanced and sustainable way.
The Thai leader said that Asean has existed for 55 years and grown to become a community due to the member countries’ common respect for the “Asean way”. Continued respect for this principle would help the grouping grow even stronger, he said.
He committed to Thailand’s cooperation with Asean institutions and organisations to further improve their efficiency so that the regional grouping can cope with obstacles and challenges.

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40021975

Avoid calls from numbers with +698/+697 prefix: NBTC

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2022

People are being advised to reject calls from numbers with the prefixes +698 and +697 as they are possibly from call centres.

The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) explained that the +698 prefix indicates a Thai telephone number on roaming, while +697 indicates a voice call over internet protocol from overseas.

NBTC said it has told mobile operators to add the +698 prefix on roaming numbers, so people can identify calls from call-centre gangs.

The commission said direct overseas calls will show the country code, and “people can reject calls from overseas if they do not have relatives or acquaintances there”.

NBTC has also urged people to observe the number of incoming calls before answering, as criminals have developed new tricks to deceive people.

“We urge people to be careful, not panic and not provide any personal information or passwords to criminals,” NBTC said, adding that they should not be fooled into transferring cash to strangers.

NBTC also advises people to ask for a number they can call back for verification if the caller claims to be from government agencies, financial institutions or transport companies.

“No government agency will perform legal action via telephone or video calls,” NBTC said.

Related stories:

• NBTC’s must-have rule ‘a hurdle for market mechanism in securing broadcast rights’
• NBTC approves THB600 million from its fund for acquiring World Cup broadcast rights
• University prof wants NBTC adviser to be investigated over True-Dtac merger

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40021974

Apec Summit venue off-limits for protests, police chief warns

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2022

The Apec Summit venue and its surrounding area will be off-limits to protesters next week, the National Police chief said on Friday.

Pol General Damrongsak Kittipraphat also called for cooperation from activist groups that are planning demonstrations during the Bangkok meeting to avoid creating chaos.
“They have the right to express their opinions but that should be done in accordance with the law. This is an international conference, so I would like to ask everyone to help prevent chaos. If any disorder occurs, police will enforce the law strictly,” he said.
Damrongsak was speaking to reporters at the meeting venue, Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (QSNCC).

He was on hand there as Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan, who is in charge of security affairs, inspected the police’s preparations to provide security to leaders from 21 member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum attending the meeting on November 18-19.
Damrongsak maintained that the police’s security preparations were “100 per cent ready”, adding that all personnel involved have been stationed and prepared for operations.
The police chief said protest organisers are required by the Public Assembly Act to seek permission from the police before holding demonstrations, adding that their application would be considered on a case-by-case basis.
“But the area in and around the convention centre will be closed to unauthorised people. No protesters will be allowed to enter the area,” Damrongsak said.
He suggested that protesters gather at the Lan Kon Muang square outside the City Hall, which has been designated by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration for demonstrations.
The anti-establishment group, Rassadon, has announced its plan to stage a protest during the summit.
On Friday morning, four activists from Greenpeace Thailand staged a demonstration by floating in the vast pond in front of the QSNCC, holding yellow placards. Their banners read: “To climate polluters: Pay up for loss and damage” and “Apec, stop greenwashing”.
When asked if the protest pointed to lax security, the police chief told reporters that full-scale security measures would be in force from next Monday [Nov 14]. “I can confirm that an incident like this will not happen during the meeting,” he said.