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Court approves warrant for man who allegedly shot protest volunteer guard (nationthailand.com)

Court approves warrant for man who allegedly shot protest volunteer guard

NationalNov 27. 2020

By The NationA former vocational college student, who is suspected of shooting a guard after a pro-democracy protest had ended on Thursday, faces arrest on multiple charges in a conflict between rival groups.

Also read: Two critically injured after shooting at rally site in front of SCB headquarters

The Criminal Court on Thursday approved an arrest warrant for Passapong Kunamonkan, 25, of Min Buri Polytechnic Technology College. Passaporn was caught and beaten up after he allegedly threw a ping-pong bomb and fired at a vocational guard group. Prachakorn Saksritao, 20, a former vocational student of Pathumthani Technical College, was shot and is being treated at Rama IX Hospital.

Passaporn was attacked by the rival group and later taken to St Louis Hospital.

Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner Pol Maj-General Jirapat Phumichit addressed a brief press conference on Thursday after inspecting the crime scene in front of Avenue Ratchayothin Department Store.

Jirapat said that since the clash had happened after the pro-democracy protest had ended, it would be considered a personal conflict.

Police are now checking gun registration records and finger prints.

The two rival groups are reportedly former students of the two institutions. They had joined the rally as guards but had a conflict in the past, which may be considered a personal issue, Jirapat said. One group allegedly threw a ping-pong bomb first and ran away. They were chased by the rival group when an armed guard fired at his foe, he said.

Jirapat said the exact cause of the clashes was being investigated.

He said no third party was involved and it was not linked to the pro-democracy protest as the rally had already ended.

The investigation officer of Phaholyothin Police Station had sought an arrest warrant approval for Passapong on charges of attempted murder, possession of firearms and ammunition without permission, and shooting in the city, villages or the public without reasonable grounds.

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Baht vulnerable to expected swings in stock markets (nationthailand.com)

Baht vulnerable to expected swings in stock markets

NationalNov 27. 2020

By THE NATION

The baht opened at 30.29 to the US dollar on Friday, unchanged from the previous day’s close.

The Thai currency is likely to move between 30.20 and 30.40, said Jitipol Puksamatanan, senior director of the chief investment office at SCB Securities.

On Thursday night, the US stock market closed, while the Stoxx 600 in the EU fell by 0.1 per cent, despite no important movement occurring in the market.

The price of WTI crude oil dropped by 1.6 per cent, after rising for four days.

Meanwhile, the price of bitcoin collapsed by 14 per cent, after reaching a new high this week. Gold price was at $1,815 (Bt54,976) per ounce.

In the financial markets, the dollar strengthened by 0.1 per cent.

Jitipol explained that the main issues in the market at this time were Brexit, the development of a Covid-19 vaccine, and economic recovery at the end of this year.

In Thailand, the baht moved in a narrow range. Foreign capital flowing into the country decreased on Thursday, which was Thanksgiving Day.

In the next phase, the senior director warned investors about changes in stock markets that would possibly affect risk assets and currencies in emerging markets.

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Plan to ban 10-wheel trucks from Bangkok streets shelved (nationthailand.com)

Plan to ban 10-wheel trucks from Bangkok streets shelved

NationalNov 27. 2020

By THE NATION

A proposal to prohibit trucks with more than 10 wheels from running in Bangkok areas, in a bid to reduce PM2.5 air pollution, will be postponed indefinitely to avoid causing an impact on the industrial and transportation sectors.

The Metropolitan Police Bureau had earlier proposed to implement the rule from December 1-28.

“The police have discussed with related agencies, including the Department of Industrial Promotion, Pollution Control Department, the Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Public Transport Association, and agreed to postpone the rule indefinitely,” Deputy National Police chief Pol General Damrongsak Kittipraphas said on Thursday.

“The members at the meeting were concerned that the rule could obstruct the operation of the industrial and transportation sectors that are starting to recover from the economic contraction,” he said. “Therefore, the related agencies promised to study the issue thoroughly as well as explore other options to prevent and reduce PM2.5 air pollution in Bangkok.”

Damrongsak added that from December 1, police nationwide would more stringently inspect and enforce the law against large vehicles that emit black smoke and are one of the causes of the air pollution problem.

“We will send officers to perform random checks at bus terminals and truck operation centres. The inspection will be recorded via video camera to ensure transparency of police work,” he added.

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Cool mornings, strong winds forecast for upper Thailand, isolated heavy rain in South

NationalNov 27. 2020

By THE NATION

The Thailand Meteorological Department said on Friday that a moderate high-pressure system from China covers upper Thailand and the South China Sea. The Northeast, East and Central regions will have cool weather in the morning and strong winds.

The strong northeast monsoon prevails over the Gulf and the South, causing isolated heavy to very heavy rain in the lower South. People in the South should beware of severe conditions that may cause flash floods, the department said. Waves in the Gulf are likely to rise 2-3 metres high and above three metres during thundershowers. All ships should proceed with caution and keep off thundershowers, while small boats should keep ashore on November 27-28, the departnent said.

The weather forecast for the next 24 hours:

North: Cool weather in the morning; minimum temperature 17-21 degrees Celsius, maximum 31-34°C; temperature on hilltop likely to drop to 8-15°C.

Northeast: Cool weather in the morning and strong winds; minimum temperature 18-21°C, maximum 32-33°C; temperature on hilltops likely to drop to 10-17°C.

Central: Cool weather in the morning and strong winds; minimum temperature 22-24°C, maximum 32-34°C.

East: Cool weather and strong winds; minimum temperature 22-24°C, maximum 33-34°C; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres offshore.

South (east coast): Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 60 per cent of the areas and isolated heavy to very heavy rain; minimum temperature 23-24°C, maximum 29-33°C; waves 2-3 metres high and over three metres during thundershowers.

South (west coast): Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 40 per cent of the areas and isolated heavy rain; minimum temperature 22-24°C, maximum 31-33°C; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.

Bangkok and surrounding areas: Partly cloudy with strong winds; minimum temperature 23-24°C, maximum 33-35°C.

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Chula puts ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ on curriculum (nationthailand.com)

Chula puts ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ on curriculum

NationalNov 27. 2020

By THE NATIONChulalongkorn University has partnered with PacRim Education to introduce the “7 Habits of Highly Effective People for College Students” as part of its curriculum.

The seven habits are based on principles developed by US educator Stephen R Covey and will be offered in the “Learning & Embracing Life Skills” elective course from the second semester this year.

The new GenEd course will aid self-development and benefit students in their future careers, said the university.

According to Associate Professor Nuvee Prapasarakul, director of General Education, students on the course will learn about the proactive mindset, setting life goals, daily activity planning, listening skills, negotiation techniques, and the life-long learning approach.

Porntip Iyimapun, CEO of the PacRim Group consultancy, said the “7 Habits” are highly popular in both the corporate and education worlds. Their introduction by Chula would aid development of high-quality human resources for Thailand, she said.

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SRT signs 5 contracts for high-speed railway from Bangkok to Korat (nationthailand.com)

SRT signs 5 contracts for high-speed railway from Bangkok to Korat

NationalNov 27. 2020

By THE NATION

The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) on Thursday signed five contracts worth a total Bt40 billion for the high-speed rail project to link Thailand and China.

The contracts are for construction of the first phase of the railway, from Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima. The line will eventually stretch to Nong Khai and link with another railway constructed from China to Laos, as part of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.

The contracts were signed at the Transport Ministry by SRT governor Nirut Maneephan and contractors Nawarat Patanakarn, Thai Engineer Industry, Italian-Thai Development, SPTK Joint Venture, and Civil Engineering.

The five contracts cover 101.15 kilometres of the railway, with total investment budget of around Bt40.275 billion.

First-phase construction features a total of 14 contracts. Construction work under the first contract has been completed, while work under the second is ongoing. The land for construction sites will be delivered to the five new contractors by the beginning of 2021.

The remaining seven contracts will be signed over the next year, the SRT governor added.

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Deputy PM dismisses criticism that lese majeste charges damage monarchy (nationthailand.com)

Deputy PM dismisses criticism that lese majeste charges damage monarchy

NationalNov 27. 2020Wissanu Krea-ngam 

By The Nation

Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam on Thursday defended the use of the draconian lese majeste law (Section 112) against pro-democracy protesters, after criticism of the move by veteran social critic Sulak Sivaraksa.

Wissanu said the royal insult law had been used for years and would be applied according to current circumstances, adding that speeches of protesters had violated Section 112.

Section 112 carries punishment of up to 15 years in prison but had not been imposed for two years. Police this week summoned seven protest leaders to hear lese majeste charges.

Sulak, who joined anti-government protesters in front of Siam Commercial Bank (SCB)’s headquarters on Wednesday, said the law actually harmed the monarchy.

The social critic demanded that the government stop using it to prevent peaceful debate on the role of the monarchy.

The pro-democracy protesters are demanding reforms to make the monarchy more accountable and transparent.

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Public Health Ministry hopes to cut salt, sugar consumption in Thailand by 30% within 2022 (nationthailand.com)

Public Health Ministry hopes to cut salt, sugar consumption in Thailand by 30% within 2022

NationalNov 26. 2020Dr Kiattiphum Wongrajit 

By The Nation

The Public Health Ministry’s steering committee on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases has launched the “Together Fight NCDs” campaign in a bid to cut sugar and salt consumption in Thailand by 30 per cent in the next couple of years.

Dr Kiattiphum Wongrajit, the ministry’s permanent secretary, told the press on Thursday that the aim is to reduce the number of hypertension and diabetes cases, as well as obesity, in the country.

The committee will start off by launching an app, which people can use to assess the health risks they face.

Health promotion campaigns will also be launched in the public and private sector in a bid to boost people’s health at the corporate level.

A survey conducted by the Department of Disease Control (DDC) in 2019 showed that 43.1 per cent of the respondents did not know they had diabetes, 2.7 per cent did not seek treatment, while 30.6 per cent who underwent treatment did little to control their blood sugar levels.

It also found that 44.7 per cent did not know they have hypertension, 6.1 per cent were not seeking treatment and 19.5 per cent who were undergoing treatment did not control their blood pressure.

A DDC report released in 2014 showed that 8.9 per cent or 4.8 million of the Thai population has diabetes, while 24.7 per cent or 13.3 million people suffer from hypertension.

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Thailand must overhaul sugar industry to solve WTO problem, TDRI warns (nationthailand.com)

Thailand must overhaul sugar industry to solve WTO problem, TDRI warns

NationalNov 26. 2020

By THE NATION

Planned changes to the Sugar Cane and Granulated Sugar Act will not solve Thailand’s problems at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) warned on Thursday.

The law is being amended after Brazil complained to the WTO in 2016 that Thailand’s subsidy measures had led to dumping of Thai sugar in foreign markets, violating WTO rules. The measures cited by Brazil include the sugarcane price guarantee scheme, soft loans to farmers, and the ethanol subsidy scheme, which uses molasses as a major ingredient.

Since 2018, Thailand’s Sugar Cane and Granulated Sugar Committee has issued five measures to regulate the sugar price, says Viroj Naranong, Health Economics and Agriculture Research director at TDRI.

“As a result, in almost three years, the price of sugar in domestic markets has drastically gone down, which has greatly affected the revenue of sugarcane farmers.”

A draft amendment proposed by government MPs to remove sugar subsidies would not solve Thailand’s dumping dispute at the WTO, warned Viroj. Nor would a proposal by opposition MPs and farmer associations to add molasses and other byproducts as factors in the sugarcane price calculation to increase domestic prices.

“These amendments may not solve the low sugar price problem as they do not focus on restructuring the sugar industry and profit-sharing scheme, which is the biggest challenge Thailand faces in trying to comply with WTO regulations.”

Instead, the domestic sugar price could be lifted by applying a price calculation formula that uses standardised criteria instead of different byproducts that might have no acceptable reference prices,” said Viroj.

“There should also be an independent fund for maintaining sugar price stability that has separate regulations and sources of money than the Sugar Cane and Granulated Sugar Fund.”

This should serve as emergency fund to compensate sugarcane farmers when necessary, he said. It could be supported by government budget or loans from state backed banks, he added.

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Probe conducted by protesters reveals Wednesday night shooters were royalists (nationthailand.com)

Probe conducted by protesters reveals Wednesday night shooters were royalists

NationalNov 26. 2020

By The Nation

While the police are putting Wednesday night’s shooting down to pro-democracy protesters, Thai netizens have connected the dots and found that the offenders were royalists.

Deputy Metropolitan Police Bureau commissioner Piya Tawichai issued a statement on Thursday blaming Ratsadon guards for the shooting and injuries at the protest site on Wednesday.

However, refusing to accept the claim, protesters collected footage at the scene until they found the faces of the offenders.

These offenders had allegedly taken photographs claiming they supported the pro-democracy movement, but netizens compared these faces and found they matched those of royalists.

Meanwhile, Thairath TV has apologised for blindly accepting the police statement and reporting it was the pro-democracy protesters who generated the violence.

Netizens have told media to be more careful when reporting, saying misinformation will only lead to unnecessary damage.

Separately, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered an investigation into the shooting, saying the government may be blamed for the attack as the authorities were only tasked with maintaining peace in the rally.