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Cabinet okays price-guarantee scheme for rice farmers

NationalNov 10. 2020

By The Nation

In response to concerns over the drop in the price of jasmine rice due to export slowdown and limited tourism owing to the Covid-19 crisis, the Cabinet has given the go-ahead to a rice-guarantee scheme for farmers who will harvest their rice crop at the end of the rainy season.

Ratchada Dhnadirek, deputy government spokesperson, said on Tuesday that under the scheme, the price per tonne of rice will be guaranteed at Bt15,000 for jasmine, Bt14,000 for off-season jasmine, Bt10,000 for ordinary rice, Bt11,000 for Pathum Thani rice and Bt12,000 for sticky rice.

The Cabinet has also okayed schemes to motivate farmers, cooperatives, farming institutions as well as rice traders to stock up on rice to stabilise market prices.

The target is to stock up 7 million tonnes via projects such as:

• Delaying the sale of rice by paying a deposit of Bt1,500 per tonne with the target of 1.5 million tonnes.

• Getting farmers cooperatives to pay 1 per cent of loan interest to stock up rice. The aim is to collect 1.5 million tonnes.

• Compensating rice merchants 3 per cent of interest with the target of stocking 4 million tonnes.

Thai rice export in 2021

The Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry expects more rice to be produced this year thanks to a sufficient supply of water. This may bring the domestic price of rice down, after it has been high for the past year or two due to drought.

This reduction in price will also make it more competitive in the world market, and should result in higher exports next year. It is expected that bigger orders will come from Australia and African countries.

Ratchada also said the Rice Policy and Management Committee has approved the government’s 2021-2025 strategy, which focuses on the production of rice in line with the market demand. Thai rice is grouped into seven types based on the needs of three markets:

• Premium market, which consumes jasmine and Thai fragrant rice;

• The general market that consumes soft white, hard white and parboiled rice; and

• Specialised markets that consumes glutinous rice, coloured rice or rice with special features.

The committee said it wants to develop varieties that can compete with competitors in the world market so farmers earn more.

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Guns, drugs found in home of man who ‘shot at’ Sia Po

NationalNov 10. 2020

By The Nation

Police on Tuesday found weapons and drugs in the home of a man who allegedly shot at well-known gambler Apirak “Sia Po” Chat-arnon in a dispute at a massage parlour.

In a raid on the home of Thanabodee Imjai, 32, police found four guns and bullets, while his aide Warat Wongpetkhiew, 21, was arrested for allegedly possessing ketamine.

On October 28, Apirak was accused of shooting two people at a massage parlour in Bangkok’s Phasi Charoen district after a quarrel at a bar.

Apirak said his brother Khemtat had a row with some people in a bar at around 10.30 on October 28, and that more than 20 members of the group followed him and his brother to a sauna. He claimed the group “fired at us more than 60 times”, which is why he shot back.

No signs of “illegal activity” were found in the three-storey house occupied by Apirak, which is also used as a fabric factory that employs some 10 people.

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Thailand has relaxed issue of tourist visas, says TAT

NationalNov 10. 2020

By THE NATION

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has relaxed issue of visas to foreigners, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said.

TAT executive director for tourism products Thapanee Kiatphaibool said that the tourism situation in Thailand was recovering after the government allowed more foreigners to visit the country.

She added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had relaxed issue of visas related to tourism, especially tourism visa which allows foreigners to stay in Thailand for up to 60 days, and up to 90 days in case of extension.

As of November 5, the ministry had issued certificates of entry to 1,465 foreigners. The top three visas the organisation had granted included retirement visa, special tourism visa and privilege entry visa.

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Royalist demanding PM ‘shut down’ Thailand not such an angel

NationalNov 10. 2020

By The Nation

Pro-monarchist Krit Yiemmethakorn, who called on the premier to “shut down” the country if conflicts remain unsolved, has caught the attention of the media.

Krit, as secretary-general of the People’s Network for Protection of the Monarchy, delivered a letter to assistant to the PM’s Office Minister Suporn Attawong on Monday in which he called on the pro-democracy group Ratsadon to not undermine the monarchy.

When speaking to the media later, he burst into tears claiming that he loved the monarchy too much to bear seeing people demand its reform.

His dramatic reaction caught the attention of the pro-democracy group, who decided to find out more about the royalist.

Sombat Boonngamanong, an anti-coup activist, said in a Facebook post that this man once had a single mother put in jail out of his so-called love for the monarchy.

Then the case of Krit’s victim, Sasiwimon, who was thrown behind the bars on August 7, 2015 for 28 years for allegedly violating the lese majeste law was dug up.

She was a single mother of two who worked at a hotel beverage counter to raise her children. Now, the job is being done by her mother, who once worked as a cleaner.

Sasiwimon is just one of the many people who were arrested as part of the military junta’s witch hunt for people who allegedly undermine the monarchy.

Krit justified his action against Sasiwimon by saying he did it out of anger after she posted a message on Facebook about the Royal Family.

“Our king was a living angel. Thai people can feel it. In the last 5,000 years, there was no greater king than the Thai monarch,” he told BBC Thai.

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Bangkok-based Hungarian diplomat among four new Covid-19 cases

NationalNov 10. 2020

By The Nation

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) reported four new cases in state quarantine facilities over a 24-hour period on Tuesday.

A 53-year-old Hungarian male diplomat, who lives in Thailand, tested positive on November 9. He had a history of contact with a patient on November 3, considered a local transmission case.

 50-year-old American male manager of a private company arrived on October 31 after taking a connecting flight from Dubai. He tested positive at an alternative state quarantine hotel in Bangkok on November 4.

A 38-year-old Indian male hotel staffer arrived on November 7 and tested positive on the same day in an alternative state quarantine hotel in Bangkok after reporting high fever.

A 27-year-old Thai female cleaning staffer travelled from Sweden and Qatar (connecting flight) on November 8. She tested positive at a Bangkok alternative state quarantine hotel the same day.

Meanwhile, nine patients have recovered and been discharged.

The total number of confirmed cases in Thailand increased to 3,844 (887 in state quarantine), 114 are in hospital, 3,670 have recovered and been discharged and 60 have died.

According to Worldometer, as of 10am on Tuesday, the total number of confirmed cases had increased to 51.23 million (up by 482,114), 36.05 million have recovered, 13.92 million are active cases (93,641 in severe condition) and 1.26 million have died (up by 6,770).

Thailand ranks 149th for most cases in the world, while the US has the most number with 10.42 million, followed by India 8.59 million, Brazil 5.67 million, France 1.8 million and Russia 1.79 million.

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No Covid-19 cases in first two groups of special tourist visa travellers

NationalNov 10. 2020Sopon Iamsirithaworn 

By THE NATION

There have been no cases of Covid-19 among the first groups of travellers who arrived in Thailand on the Special Tourist Visa (STV) on October 20 and 24, the Department of Disease Control (DDC) said on Monday.

Sopon Iamsirithaworn, the director of DDC bureau of general communicable diseases, said that the first group of STV tourists arrived on October 20 and completed their quarantine period on November 2, while another group ended their quarantine on November 6. No one was found infected with Covid-19.

The third group of tourists with STV are currently in quarantine, which ends on Tuesday. 

Sopon added that tourists visiting Thailand are required to have a certificate showing they were not infected 72 hours before commencement of journey

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Baht could strengthen on news of imminent Covid-19 vaccine

NationalNov 10. 2020

By THE NATION

The baht opened at 30.52 to the US dollar on Tuesday, unchanged from Monday’s close.

The Thai currency is likely to move between 30.40 and 30.60, said Jitipol Puksamatanan, senior director of the chief investment office at SCB Securities.

On Monday night, the markets were in a positive mood with the S&P 500 rising by 1.2 per cent, and the Stoxx 600 by 4 per cent. However, the Nasdaq fell by 1.5 per cent.

The financial markets were completely in a risk-on state. The US and German Ten-Year Treasury yields rose by 10 basis points to 0.92 and minus 0.51 per cent, respectively. 

WTI crude oil at the same time increased by 7.7 per cent, touching $40 per barrel, while gold price decreased by 4.4 per cent to $1,865 (Bt56,778) per ounce.

The dollar strengthened by 0.4 per cent, compared to other main currencies. The Japanese yen weakened by 2 per cent. The Australian dollar rose by 0.3 per cent.

In Thailand, the senior director forecast that investors will still see the baht in a positive light after good news on a Covid-19 vaccine was announced, because the launch of a vaccine will enable tourists to return to Thailand.

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Views and concerns of OTCC members who opposed CP takeover of Tesco to be made public

NationalNov 10. 2020Sakon Waranyuwattana (File Photo) 

By THE NATION

Representatives from Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group on Monday picked up the documents issued by the Office of Trade Competition Commission (OTCC) regarding its resolution by a majority vote allowing CP to acquire Tesco’s Thailand business from Ek-Chai Distribution System, OTCC chairman Sakon Waranyuwattana said.

The OTCC on November 6 gave the green light to the deal. A majority of commissioners agreed the merger would not lead to a monopoly, but acknowledged it would increase CP’s dominance in the consumer goods retail segment.

The commission also set conditions and remedial measures for the purchaser to mitigate possible market impacts post-merger.

“CP will have 60 days to appeal to the Administrative Court in case it disagrees with any part of the OTCC’s resolution or conditions, which is stipulated in the Trade Competition Act BE 2562,” he said.

“The verdict given by each of the OTCC commissioners in this case would be made public within the next two weeks.”

Sakon added that on Wednesday, the OTCC would hold a meeting to address concerns highlighted by a minority of the commissioners who voted against the acquisition as it could lead to a monopoly or unfair market dominance.

Santichai Sarathawanphaet, OTCC spokesman and minority leader, added that the commissioners who voted against the acquisition do not seek to oppose the majority vote after the decision was made. “However, we need to notify the public our reasons for not voting for the acquisition, including our consideration criteria, impacts of the acquisition as well as other related legal issues,” he said.

The meeting would be held at the OTCC on Wednesday at 10am, he said.

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Teen suffocates to death using adhesive tape in suspected suicide case

NationalNov 10. 2020

By THE NATION

In a suspected case of suicide, a 15-year-old boy was found dead with adhesive tape wrapped around his face in Nonthaburi province.

At 6pm on Monday, Bang Bua Thong Police Station were informed about a death at a residence in Muban Phreugsa 3 in Nonthaburi’s Bang Kurad subdistrict.

Police found the body of Nopphasit Jodnok, a Mattayom 4 student at a Nonthaburi school, lying on the floor of a bedroom on the second floor of a two-storey townhouse, with a roll of 8cm wide adhesive tape for packing nearby. There was no sign of violence or other injuries. Forensic staff believed the boy had suffocated to death and he had been dead for at least five hours.

Banjong Utha, aged 65 years, the deceased’s grandmother, reportedly said she found the boy with tape wrapped around his face when she called him to have dinner at around 5pm. She then used scissors to cut the tape and called a neighbour to help give him a CPR, but it was too late.

Police interviewed a classmate of Nopphasit who had an online chat with him earlier that day and found that the deceased had shown no sign of depression or reasons to commit suicide. “However, the classmate said the deceased loved to play mobile games several hours a day and often became angry when he lost,” police said. “We will inspect his mobile phone and question people known to him to find out the cause of the suicide.”

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Cool and windy in upper Thailand, isolated heavy rain in the South

NationalNov 10. 2020

By THE NATION

The strong high pressure system from China covers upper Thailand, bringing cool and windy weather with a 1-3 degrees Celsius drop in temperature, the Thailand Meteorological Department said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the strong northeast monsoon prevails over the Gulf and the South, bringing continuous rain and isolated heavy rain. Waves about two metres high are likely in the Gulf and above two metres high during thundershowers. All ships should proceed with caution and keep off thundershowers, the department said.

Tropical storm “Etau” over the middle South China Sea is expected to make landfall over lower Vietnam on Tuesday, then downgrade to tropical depression and low pressure over Cambodia, while bringing isolated rain to the Northeast and the East.

The weather forecast for the next 24 hours:

North: Cool weather with strong winds; minimum temperature 17-22°C, maximum 30-33°C; temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 9-14°C.

Northeast: Cool weather with strong winds; minimum temperature 16-19°C, maximum 28-30°C; temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 11-15°C.

Central: Cool weather with strong winds; minimum temperature 21-22°C, maximum 30-31°C.

East: Cool weather with strong winds; minimum temperature 19-22°C, maximum 31-33°C; waves 1-2 metres high and two metres offshore.

South (east coast): Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 60 per cent of the areas and isolated heavy rain; minimum temperature 23-24°C, maximum 30-31°C; waves two 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; minimum temperature 22-24°C, highs of 30-32°C; waves 1-2 metres high and two metres during thundershowers.

Bangkok and surrounding areas: Cool weather with strong winds; minimum temperature 22-23 degrees, maximum 31-33°C.