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Baht could touch 30.20 to the dollar by year-end (nationthailand.com)

Baht could touch 30.20 to the dollar by year-end

NationalNov 24. 2020

By THE NATION

The baht opened at 30.34 to the US dollar on Tuesday, weakening from 30.28 at close on Monday.

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 Monday night, the S&P 500 index rose by 0.6 per cent, due to positive reports on development of a Covid-19 vaccine.

Meanwhile, WTI crude oil price increased by 1.1 per cent to the highest point since late September. Gold price shrank by 1.9 per cent.

In Europe, the Stoxx 600 index fell by 0.2 per cent, as investors are wary of investing in the region in the post-coronavirus era.

In the financial markets, the dollar strengthened by 0.2 per cent, compared to the other main currencies.

The US Ten-Year Treasury increased by 3 basis points to 0.85 per cent.

In Thailand, the baht weakened due the present dollar situation. Jitipol predicted that the baht at the end of this year would strengthen to 30.20 to the US dollar, supported mainly by capital inflows.

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Efforts on to distribute and manufacture medical robots in EEC (nationthailand.com)

Efforts on to distribute and manufacture medical robots in EEC

NationalNov 24. 2020

By THE NATION

The Office of the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) has been working with the Institute of Field Robotics (FIBO) at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi to manufacture and distribute “Mod Borirak” (Caregiver Ants) medical robots to hospitals in EEC areas in a bid to help medical professionals in the treatment of Covid-19 patients.

“In the pilot phase, Chonburi, Phutthasothorn, Rayong and Bang La Mung hospitals will receive three robots each,” said office secretary-general Kanit Sangsubhan. “They include the “SOFA” robot, which provides remote patient diagnosis via video conferencing system, the “CARVER” robot that transports drugs and foods to patient rooms, and a service robot that provides a lot of medical assistance and is controlled from the hospital’s central control room. The 12 robots to be distributed cost over Bt8 million.”

Kanit added that under the cooperation with FIBO, the EEC office has invited over 200 companies in the robotics industry to participate in technology transfer to develop and manufacture medical robots for commercial purpose.

“FIBO has the innovation and technology, but they still lack manufacturing facilities and investment,” he added. “The project has been well-received, and even hospitals overseas, such as the United States, France and Singapore have expressed their interest in buying the Mod Borirak robots. However, we aim to produce them for domestic hospitals first in order to help minimise the risk of medical professionals contracting diseases from patients.

“Currently there are many private investors, most of which are industrial estate developers, expressing their interest in building hospitals in EEC areas, which will help improve the area’s medical service capability without relying on government budget,” added Kanit.

“New hospitals will also attract future investment in medical technology, such as medical robotics, genomics study and manufacturing of drugs and advanced medical equipment.”

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GHB offers cash gift to borrowers with good repayment history (nationthailand.com)

GHB offers cash gift to borrowers with good repayment history

NationalNov 24. 2020

By THE NATIONThe Government Housing Bank (GHB) is offering up to Bt1,000 cash back to customers with good repayment records as a new year gift, bank president Chatchai Sirilai said.

“We have earmarked Bt100 million for this campaign, which aims to give cash back to customers so they can spend during the year-end until early 2021 and help boost the economy.

“Customers who repaid their loans either at the bank’s branches or via GHB All mobile application would be eligible for the cash back,” he said.

GHB has divided customers eligible to receive the cash into two groups. The first group consists of borrowers with less than Bt1 million loan and a good repayment record of at least 48 consecutive months. This group will receive Bt1,000 cash.

“Good repayment record means customers paid on time and at higher than minimum amount,” Chatchai explained.

The second group, which is limited to the first 100,000 customers, comprises those whose debt amount and repayment record does not qualify to be in the first group. They will receive Bt500 cash.

“Eligible customers for both groups must have their account status listed as ‘normal’ and must not have undergone debt restructuring,” added Chatchai.

He added that the GHB board had recently approved an additional budget of Bt35 billion to issue the second batch of GHB’s “Kled Dao” saving bonds, after the first batch of Bt15 billion received a warm welcome from the public.

“We have already sold about Bt10 billion worth of Kled Dao bonds, and expect that the balance Bt5 billion will be sold out by December 16.”

The two-year bond offers 0.4 per cent interest and each unit is priced at Bt5,000.

For more information, contact 0-2645-9000 or visit www.ghbank.co.th

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FTI wants car-exchange scheme to be restricted to locally made autos (nationthailand.com)

FTI wants car-exchange scheme to be restricted to locally made autos

NationalNov 24. 2020

By THE NATION

The government’s car-exchange scheme should be limited to domestically produced cars in order to truly boost the domestic economy, the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) suggested.

“The private sector agrees that this scheme will help boost the country’s economy, but only if there are criteria stipulating that cars under the scheme must be domestically produced,” said Surapong Paisitpatnapong, vice president and spokesman of the FTI’s Automotive Industry Club.

Back in May, the FTI had proposed to the government a car-exchange measure under which vehicles 20 years or older could be handed over when a new car is bought, and buyers could be given a Bt100,000 discount. The authorities are working on the details and the criteria should be announced soon.

“Other criteria must also be considered carefully, such as the types of vehicles to be exchanged [cars, pickup trucks], as well as the fuel types [gas, electric, hybrid],” he added. “We need to consider which types of vehicles need to be promoted in the domestic market, and whether or not the exchange of vehicles of different types will be allowed.

“Limiting the scheme to only domestically produced cars would help not only local manufacturers, but also those in related industries and the supply chain,” added Surapong.

“We expect this campaign to help create more than 1 million jobs, most of which are in tier 3 automotive parts manufacturers, which are mostly small and medium-sized enterprises.”

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Temperature drops in upper Thailand but South braces for another wet spell (nationthailand.com)

Temperature drops in upper Thailand but South braces for another wet spell

NationalNov 24. 2020

By THE NATION

The Thailand Meteorological Department forecast on Monday that a moderate high-pressure system from China covers upper Thailand and the South China Sea.

The upper North and Northeast will have cool weather and a slight drop in temperature. The easterly winds bring humidity from the South China Sea into the lower Northeast, the East, the Central and the lower North, causing thundershowers and gusty winds in some areas. Farmers in the North and the Northeast should beware of damage to crop, the department said. The northeast monsoon in the South and the Gulf will strengthen and bring isolated heavy rain. People in the South should beware of the severe conditions, the department said.

The weather forecast for the next 24 hours:

North: Cool weather in the morning with thundershowers in 20 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 16-23 degrees Celsius, highs of 31-35°C; temperature on hilltops are likely to drop to 7-16°C.

Northeast: Cool weather in the morning; temperature lows of 20-23°C, highs of 32-34°C. Temperature on hilltops are likely to drop to 10-17°C.

Central: Mostly cloudy and strong winds with thundershowers in 20 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 23-24°C, highs of 32-35°C.

East: Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 10 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 23-25°C, highs of 32-34°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 rain; temperature lows of 23-24°C, highs of 30-33°C; waves 1-2 metres high and over two metres during thundershowers.

South (west coast): Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 60 per cent of the areas and isolated heavy rain; temperature lows of 22-24°C, highs of 30-33°C; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.

Bangkok and surrounding areas: Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 10 per cent of the area; temperature lows of 24-25°C, highs of 33-35°C.

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Bad Medical Students’ call for reform in hospitals (nationthailand.com)

Bad Medical Students’ call for reform in hospitals

NationalNov 24. 2020

By THE NATION

Calls for education reform spread to the world of medicine on Monday, when medical students and doctors turned “#BadMedicalStudent” (#นักเรียนแพทย์เลว) into a top-trending hashtag.

The phenomenon followed a Facebook post on Sunday by Dr Manoch Chockjamsai, a lecturer at Chiang Mai University’s Faculty of Medicine. “I want to hear the voice of ‘bad medical students’, saying what the faculty does not want to hear,” stated Dr Manoch, in a post plainly inspired by the “Bad Student” group’s call for education reform.

By Monday, Manoch’s post had been shared more than 4,100 times and attracted over 700 comments. Most complained of authoritarianism under the rigid staff hierarchy in hospitals. Another frequent complaint was the amount of overtime that doctors and trainee medics must work.

Manoch’s post came a day after Bad Student supporters rallied in Bangkok to demand changes to the education system – their contribution to the nationwide pro-democracy movement.

Netizens proposed that others could expose rottenness in their own professions by posting under hashtags like “#bad teacher” or “#bad civil servant”.

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BTS warns of huge fare hike unless Green Line concession extended (nationthailand.com)

BTS warns of huge fare hike unless Green Line concession extended

NationalNov 24. 2020

Surapong Laoha-Unya

By The Nation

Skytrain operator Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTSC) has defended the bid to extend its Green Line concession, after criticism that the Blue Line is much cheaper by comparison. 

The Cabinet last week withheld approval for a 30-year extension of the concession from 2029 to 2059 after the Transport Ministry objected to the Bt65 top fare. The ministry pointed out that the MRT’s Blue Line only charges a maximum Bt48. 

Surapong Laoha-Unya, chief operating officer of BTSC, explained that the Green Line and Blue Line had different costs. He said that under the contract, BTS must share Bt200 billion annual revenue from the Green Line with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.

He added that the Green Line charged higher fares because it was longer and had more stations than the Blue Line.   

“If we compare the fares with distances on the BTS Green Line and MRT Blue Line, the fare average is similar,” he added. “The Green Line is 68 kilometres long with 59 stations and a maximum fare of Bt65, while the Blue Line is 48km with 38 stations and a maximum fare of Bt42.” 

However, while the Blue Line was constructed by the state, BTS had to pay Bt60 billion to build the Green Line, Surapong said.

When combined with various debts and new investment, renewing the Green Line concession would lift the BMTA’s annual cost burden to Bt300 billion, he added.

Meanwhile the BMA’s own market sounding had found no companies interested in taking over the concession in 2036, when it would become available if it was not extended, he said.

Surapong urged renewal of the concession, saying it would allow the opening of seven more BTS stations to complete the Green Line route connecting the provinces of Bangkok, Samut Prakan and Pathum Thani.

Failure to renew the concession would mean the Green Line reverted to the maximum fare of Bt158, rather than Bt65 under the proposed extension contract, he said.

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‘More money for more people’ in shopping scheme pipeline (nationthailand.com)

‘More money for more people’ in shopping scheme pipeline

NationalNov 23. 2020Krisda Chinavicharana 

By The Nation

PM Prayut Chan-o-cha wants the Finance Ministry to propose phase 2 of the “Khon La Khrueng” (Let’s Go Halves) shopping scheme and additional cash for state welfare card holders to the Centre for Economic Situation Administration (CESA) by the beginning of December.

The ministry is considering whether to raise the maximum limit on the Let’s Go Halves subsidy from Bt3,000 and extend the scheme to more people, permanent secretary Krisda Chinavicharana said on Monday.

“We plan to extend the privileges to 14 million-15 million people, but we have to check the number of registrants first, because people who pay over 10 per cent tax should register for ‘Shop Dee Mee Kuen’ (Shop and Payback) instead, to receive up to Bt30,000 [in tax deduction],” he said.

“Meanwhile, we will extend the shopping subsidies until February next year if we decide to increase the maximum limit.”

He said the ministry is also considering raising the Bt500 monthly payment to ease living costs for state welfare card holders.

“We expect to have enough government budget to apply these measures in order to stimulate the economy,” he said.

The ministry has also instructed state-owned financial institutions to launch measures as “New Year’s gifts” to help customers, especially those with good debt repayment records.

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Two Thai vaccine prototypes at human trial stage, 5 being tested on animals (nationthailand.com)

Two Thai vaccine prototypes at human trial stage, 5 being tested on animals

NationalNov 23. 2020

By The Nation

The National Vaccine Institute has given a progress report on Thailand’s seven main Covid-19 vaccine programmes.

Two of the seven vaccine candidates have been successfully tested on animals and are moving into human trials, said Dr Nakorn Premsri, director of the institute.

The two candidates entering Phase 2 trials on humans are the mRNA vaccine being developed by Chula Vaccine Research Centre (Chula VRC) and the DNA vaccine developed by BioNet-Asia.

The five other vaccine candidates are all currently being tested on animals.

The protein subunit vaccine developed by Baiya Phytofarm has passed tests for safety and efficacy in animals. It is now being tested on laboratory animals to find out whether it triggers an immune response.

The inactivated vaccine developed by the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) is in the early stage of testing for immunity in laboratory animals.

The viral-like particle (VLP) prototype developed by the Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj and the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), is at the preliminary stage of immunity tests in laboratory animals.

The viral vector vaccine prototype developed by NSTDA is in the early stages of testing for immunity in laboratory animals.

The live-attenuated pathogen developed by NSTDA is in the preliminary stage of immunity tests on laboratory animals.

Nakorn also reported details of progress on BioNet’s DNA vaccine prototype.

“BioNet has received a grant from the Australian government to conduct Phase I human trials in Australia.”

Phase 2 trials on humans are scheduled in Thailand early next year, he added.

Meanwhile Chula VRC expects its mRNA vaccine prototype will enter human trials around April 19 next year.

The mRNA prototype will first be tested on 72 volunteers – aged 18-55 and 36 aged over 55 – to find the appropriate dosage. This group will then be divided into groups of 12 for further testing.

If the tests succeed, the Chula prototype will enter second-phase human trials on 600 people in two age groups in June 2021. Volunteers will be able to register for the trial via Facebook or the Chula VRC website.

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Govt MPs slam woman who dressed as girl to protest sexual harassment in schools (nationthailand.com)

Govt MPs slam woman who dressed as girl to protest sexual harassment in schools

NationalNov 23. 2020

By The Nation

A Bad Student female demonstrator who dressed as a schoolgirl and held a sign protesting sexual harassment in schools is facing a fierce backlash from two government MPs.

While her online protest gained support from many members of the public, pro-monarchist netizens have slammed the woman.

PPRP MP Pareena Kraikupt said she had made a police complaint against the woman for dressing as a student, when in fact she was a model and influencer.

Fellow ruling party MP Sira Jenjaka said it was inappropriate that she had worn a school uniform to demonstrate the movement and that her action would disgrace Thai schools.

Office of Basic Education Commission (OBEC) statistics that record hundreds of cases of sexual harassment from 2013-2017 are being shared widely on the Internet again.

Thee Phawangkhanan, head of OBEC’s student protection task force centre, said in January that there were more than 700 reported cases of harassment, but some victims were still afraid to report the incidents.