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Skeleton of 3,000-year-old whale found west of Bangkok (nationthailand.com)

Skeleton of 3,000-year-old whale found west of Bangkok

NationalNov 25. 2020Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-Archa (in black cap) is updated on progress at the site of the whale skeleton excavation. 

By The Nation

The skeleton of a whale thought to have swum the seas more than 3,000 years ago has been discovered in Samut Sakhon, just west of Bangkok. Varawut Silpa-archa, Natural Resources and Environment minister, has visited the site of the discovery in Amphaeng, Ban Phaeo district, where the whale bones were excavated on November 6.

Archaeologists say the partially fossilised remains are 3,000-5,000 years old and resemble the Bryde’s whale, which still swims in Thai seas. The bones will now be carbon-dated to find their precise age.

The skeleton stretches about 12 metres, with a skull that measures 3 metres, 19 complete vertebrae, five ribs each, a shoulder blade, and left fins. Archaeologists estimate another 20 per cent of the skeleton is still to be excavated.

The partially fossilised whale was discovered on November 6.

The remains were found about 12 kilometres inland from the current coastline, providing important evidence of how sea levels have changed over thousands of years. The bones will also aid research on the evolution of whales and the biodiversity of marine life from ancient to modern times.

Nowadays, the upper Gulf of Thailand of Samut Sakhon’s coast is home to about 50 Bryde’s whales, along with Irrawaddy dolphins, Humpback dolphins, albino dolphins and the finless porpoise.

“The seas around Thailand have been abundant with life for thousands of years, as shown by fossils,” said Varawut.

He added that it was the duty of the current generation of Thais to preserve the ancient balance and sustainability of this richly fertile marine environment, he added.

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Royalists tell Parliament to keep its members in check (nationthailand.com)

Royalists tell Parliament to keep its members in check

NationalNov 25. 2020Photo by Korbphuk Phromrekha 

By The Nation

A group of royalists showed up at Parliament on Wednesday to hand in a letter demanding that the authorities check the behaviour of some MPs.

The group said all MPs should perform their duties sincerely for the benefit of the nation and its people, and must always comply with the Constitution, especially Chapter 2, which puts the King in a position of reverence.

They also insisted that no person can expose the King to any sort of accusation or action.

“We want to ask Parliament whether some of its members’ move to insult the monarchy during the anti-government protests violates their promise or not,” the group said.

The group performed a skit parodying former Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, before submitting the letter to Ramet Rattanachaweng, secretary to Parliament President Chuan Leekpai.

The group then went to the Royal Thai Police headquarters to hand over a letter of encouragement.

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Plasma extracted from Covid-19 patients can effectively fight new infections (nationthailand.com)

Plasma extracted from Covid-19 patients can effectively fight new infections

NationalNov 25. 2020

By The Nation

Thai Red Cross has converted more plasma taken from Covid-19 patients into more than 600 bottles of serum for the treatment of new patients.

Dr Yong Poovorawan, an expert virologist at Chulalongkorn University, told the press on Wednesday that the serum has proved to be very effective.

“About 10 days ago, the serum was used to treat a patient who tested positive in alternative state quarantine facility. The Swiss national had severe pneumonia and low oxygen levels. When the patient’s condition became severe, doctors decided to inject him with the serum twice a day. The patient rapidly started showing signs of improvement, so we believe the plasma is very effective,” said Dr Yong.

He added that Thai Red Cross has turned half of the stored plasma into more than 600 2cc bottles of concentrated serum that can be stored for up to three years, compared to normal plasma that can be stored for no more than one year.

“Plasma obtained from people who have recovered from the disease is packed with antibodies. However, it needs to be extracted when the patient has severe symptoms and the immune system has not taken over,” Dr Yong said.

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White-knuckle drivers brave smoggy northern road (nationthailand.com)

White-knuckle drivers brave smoggy northern road

NationalNov 25. 2020

By THE NATION

The road ahead disappeared under a thick smog for drivers in Uttaradit’s Muang district on Wednesday, as farmers in the northern province burned stubble in their fields.

Drivers complained that the dense smoke on Uttaradit-Wangkapee Road prevented them from seeing oncoming vehicles and could cause crashes.

They were also concerned about their health, due to high levels of PM2.5 fine dust in the smoky air.

The smog covered the road for five kilometres, as rice farmers prepared their fields for off-season planting. Burning the fields is popular since it is the cheapest way to clear them for the next crop.

By the time local authorities arrived at the scene, the burning was over. They informed locals that they were breaking the law by burning their fields.

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Thailand to sign vaccine procurement deal with AstraZeneca on Friday (nationthailand.com)

Thailand to sign vaccine procurement deal with AstraZeneca on Friday

NationalNov 25. 2020Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha 

By The Nation

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will oversee the signing of a reservation and procurement deal for Covid-19 vaccine between Thailand and AstraZeneca, a British–Swedish pharmaceutical company, on Friday, said deputy government’s spokesperson Traisuree Taisaranakul.

The signing ceremony will be held at Government House. This follows the Cabinet’s agreement to set aside more than Bt6 billion for the procurement of vaccines.

She added that Thailand expects to receive the vaccine mid next year.

Related story: Thailand to launch vaccine production ‘in first half of 2021’

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Ministry allows use of some parts of hemp, cannabis plants, but recreational use still banned (nationthailand.com)

Ministry allows use of some parts of hemp, cannabis plants, but recreational use still banned

NationalNov 25. 2020

By THE NATION

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has finalised the regulation draft that will remove cannabis and hemp from Thailand’s list of narcotics, permanent secretary of the Public Health Ministry, Dr Kiattiphum Wongrajit said.

The draft will soon be presented to Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul for approval before being announced in the Royal Gazette.

As per the draft, the following parts and extracts of the two plants can be consumed:

• Bark, stem, stalks, fibre and root

• Leaves without flowers

• Extract that contains no more than 0.2 per cent of cannabidiol and tetrahydrocannabinol

• Hemp seeds and their oil extract

“Once the regulation is announced, these parts of cannabis and hemp used for medical and health care purposes will not go under category V narcotics and will therefore not be illegal,” he said. “Hemp fibre and oil extract will also be allowed to use in textile, food and cosmetic industries.

“However, the use of cannabis and hemp for recreational purposes is still prohibited,” he said.

“The ministry hopes that the removal of cannabis and hemp from narcotics list will help promote their cultivation as cash crops among local farmers as well as advance their applications in medical and healthcare industries,” he added.

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Soldier slammed for posting veiled threat to protesters on social media (nationthailand.com)

Soldier slammed for posting veiled threat to protesters on social media

NationalNov 25. 2020

By THE NATION

A soldier apologised after his clip of troops manoeuvring weapons with controversial captions gave rise to an uproar on social media.

The clip was posted on Tuesday captioned “for Bangkok tomorrow” and “for shooting protesters”, clearly referring to the pro-democracy protest scheduled to start on Wednesday afternoon.

There is a concern that the government will resort to violent means to control the protesters, and many netizens slammed the soldier for this “careless” post. 

One person warned the soldier that he may face sedition charges and that he had violated the Computer Crime Act, to which he responded: “I’m sorry for my carelessness. Next time I will be more careful.”

An image of the chat between the netizen and soldier was later shared online.

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Lecherous old man held for raping minor in Phitsanulok (nationthailand.com)

Lecherous old man held for raping minor in Phitsanulok

NationalNov 25. 2020

By THE NATION

A 70-year-old man was arrested in Phitsanulok’s Bang Rakam district on Tuesday for allegedly raping a 17-year-old mentally disabled relative.

Police said the girl’s father reported that Thongchai Tongsuae, the husband of his daughter’s cousin, had allegedly been raping the teenager since July 2019. 

The parents found out about this recently when they questioned the girl after finding her three months pregnant. The pregnancy has been aborted. 

Police told the press that Thongchai’s arrest warrant was issued on Tuesday and he was arrested later in the day.

“He initially denied the charge, but evidence and witnesses point to him,” police added. 

The suspect has reportedly confessed to raping the girl 16 times, 10 times in her house and six times outside the house. The man was charged for raping a minor.

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Four new Covid-19 cases in quarantine (nationthailand.com)

Four new Covid-19 cases in quarantine

NationalNov 25. 2020

By THE NATIONThe Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on Wednesday reported four new cases in quarantine over a 24-hour period.

The latest patients include three Thai nationals, aged 41, 32 and 55, from Mozambique, Philippines and Russia, and one Indian, aged 36. Most of them were asymptomatic, except for the Thai woman from Russia.

As of Wednesday, the number of confirmed cases in Thailand has increased to 3,926 (965 found in state quarantine). Of these, 86 are in hospital, 3,780 have recovered and been discharged and 60 have died. 

According to Worldometer, as of 10am local time on Wednesday the number of confirmed cases has increased to 60.09 million (up by 542,897 in 24 hours), 41.54 million have recovered, 18.55 million are active cases (103,451 in severe condition) and 1.41 million have died (an increase of 11,710).

Thailand ranks a safe 151st for most cases in the world.

The US has the most number, with 12.95 million, followed by India (9.22 million), Brazil (6.12 million), France (2.15 million) and Russia (2.13 million).

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Baht up amid weakened dollar, lower gold price (nationthailand.com)

Baht up amid weakened dollar, lower gold price

NationalNov 25. 2020

By THE NATION

The baht opened at 30.38 to the US dollar on Wednesday, weakening from 30.34 at close on Tuesday.

The Thai currency is likely to move between 30.25 and 30.45, said Jitipol Puksamatanan, senior director of the chief investment office at SCB Securities.

On Tuesday night, the financial market was in a risk-on state. The S&P 500 and Stoxx 600 rose by 1.6 and 0.9 per cent, respectively. Meanwhile the price of WTI crude oil increased by 4.2 per cent, while the gold price decreased by 1.7 per cent to $1,806 (Bt54,866) per ounce.

The dollar also weakened by 0.3 per cent, compared to other currencies. The Ten-Year Treasury yield rose to 0.87 per cent and the Thirty-Year Treasury yield to 1.6 per cent.

Jitipol said investors were more confident in a US economic recovery, with Joe Biden set to take over the presidency.

In Thailand, the baht was traded under the influences of a weakened dollar and gold.

Jitipol added that it was important for investors to monitor development and progress of a Covid-19 vaccine. He explained that this could support Asian currencies to the end of the year.