People invited to attend unveiling of the statue of King Rama IX by Their Majesties
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2022
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has invited people to welcome the King and Queen at King Rama IX Memorial Park in Bangkok’s Dust district at 5pm on Thursday.
Their Majesties King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana are scheduled to attend a ceremony to unveil the statue of HM the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej there.
Deputy government spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek said a free bus ride to Covid-19 screening checkpoints near the memorial park will be available on four routes:
– Royal Thai Army Club-Victory Monument-Department of Highway
– Supachalasai Stadium-Social Development and Human Security Ministry-Department of Highways
– Wongwian Yai-Rajavinit Mathayom School
– Sanam Luang-Rajavinit Mathayom School
“People who take rapid antigen test at the Department of Highways checkpoint can take another free ride to the park, while those at Rajavinit Mathayom School can walk to the park directly,” she said.
She added that vehicles can be parked at three areas — Royal Thai Army Club, Social Development and Human Security, and Supachalasai Stadium.
Rachada said officials at four checkpoints around the memorial park will take visitors’ picture, measure their body temperature and check their belongings before allowing them to enter the venue.
“People will be asked to wear face mask, refrain from taking sharp items to the park, and show their ID card or passport to the officials,” she said.
She urged people who plan to enter the memorial park with their children to make a tag with the officials before the entry.
She added that many facilities would be available at the park, including food and beverage, first-aid teams and mobile toilets.
Avid readers queue for hours on first day of book fair
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2022
The Book Expo Thailand opened a new chapter at Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre on Wednesday, which had reopened after a two-year renovation.
Several book lovers queued up from 6am as they eagerly waited for the 10am opening.
The most popular booths feature comics and novels, with some being sold as limited edition items as readers would have to pay higher for the resold books outside.
Meanwhile, Thipsuda Sinchawarnwat, president of The Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand, expected around 300 million baht in revenue from book sales at the event.
Book Expo Thailand 2022 will be held until October 23 at Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre.
Step up crackdown on drugs, illegal firearms possession, Prayut tells agencies
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2022
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha held a special meeting on Wednesday to draft measures against drugs and control ownership of firearms to prevent a repeat of the horrific Nong Bua Lamphu mass slayings.
Prayut, who leads a new committee to steer efforts in tackling narcotics, held the meeting at Phakdee Bodin building inside the Government House compound.
Attending the meeting were Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Interior Minister General Anupong Paochinda, Justice Minister Somsak Thepsutin, Education Minister Treenuch Thienthong, Social Development and Human Security Minister Juti Krairiksh, Defence Ministry permanent secretary General Sanitchanok Sangkachan, Police Commissioner-General Pol General Damrongsak Kittiprapas, and representatives from other government agencies.
Before the meeting, Prayut was seen talking with Prawit in a reception room for about 15 minutes before they walked into the meeting room together.
During a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Prayut said narcotics played a significant role in the events leading up to the Nong Bua Lamphu massacre committed by sacked police sergeant Panya Khamrab.
Panya killed 36, including 24 children, before taking his own life.
He was arrested in January for drug abuse and suspended from duty until he was officially fired in June. He attended a court hearing on drug charges before heading out on the rampage.
During Wednesday’s meeting, Prayut noted that the violence at the nursery in Nong Bua Lamphu’s Na Klang district shocked the public, while the incident prompted all Thais and the government to become concerned about drug and gun possession problems.
Prayut said he would like to thank the Interior Ministry and the Royal Thai Police for promptly holding a joint meeting to discuss urgent measures for fast and tangible results.
The police and the Interior Ministry would coordinate with other government agencies to protect people’s lives and assets and bring back public confidence, he said.
The Interior Ministry and the police have proposed measures for gun control while the Justice Ministry’s drug suppression agencies proposed cooperation with the Public Health Ministry to cure and rehabilitate drug addicts, the prime minister said.
Drug addicts must receive both physical and mental rehabilitation under a careful programme so that they are successfully cured, he went on to say.
Prayut also said the drug issue is a national agenda, so he wants more measures to be drafted to tackle the problem.
The prime minister instructed all drug suppression agencies to step up efforts to tackle trafficking and frequently check villages and communities for drug pushers.
Largest goods shipment by rail from Map Ta Phut to China’s Chongqing
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2022
The largest consignment of goods carried to date by rail from Thailand’s Map Ta Phut made its way to China’s Chongqing Railway Station this week.
The train transported 25 forty-foot containers carrying thermoplastic granules, shipped via the Laos-Thailand and Laos-China railways through Thanaleng Dry Port in Vientiane, where the two railways link up.
Through this new route, cargo that is in transit from Asean could subsequently reach Europe through Chongqing Dry Port and the China-Europe rail network.
The freight train, the fifth of its kind, departed Map Ta Phut in Rayong on October 6.
The shipment arrived a day later at Na Tha Railway Station in Nong Khai province, where the containers were sealed. On the same day, the shipment entered Thanaleng Dry Port near the first Laos-Thailand Mekong Friendship Bridge, where a cross-border declaration of the shipment was issued and the containers were X-rayed.
They were then loaded onto waiting Laos-China Railway bogies headed for Vientiane Tai Railway Station before travelling onwards and reaching Boten Railway Station on October 9.
A day later, the shipment crossed the Laos-China border to the Mohan Railway Station, where customs procedures were carried out before the containers were delivered to their final destination.
Thanaleng Dry Port, which opened for service on December 4, 2021, has played a pivotal role in facilitating cross-border trade and transport.
A considerable amount of freight has been transported through the newly built Laos-China Railway since then.
Several Thai businesses have shipped their goods to China via this route, as the preferred alternative to overland transport.
Laos’ first-ever established integrated dry port is an important gateway between Southeast Asian countries and China.
This new multimodal transport node serves as a major link between various logistics centres in the region, facilitating cross-border and transit services between Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore and China.
In the first nine months of the year, as many as 41,000 containers (import, export and transit) passed through Thanaleng Dry Port.
Suspect in ex-wife’s murder kills himself after being surrounded in Phatthalung
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2022
The suspect in the murder of a 47-year-old woman in Bangkok’s Huai Khwang district turned the gun on himself after being surrounded by police at his house in Phatthalung province on Tuesday.
Khrongkamol Suksawas’ murder was reported at 2am on Monday after she was shot with a 9mm handgun at a parking lot of a condominium in Huai Khwang.
Police reviewed CCTV footage and tracked down the suspect, Sathaporn Khaophueak, 60, who was Khrongkamol’s ex-husband. Sathaporn reportedly took a bus from Bangkok to his hometown in Phatthalung after allegedly committing the crime.
At around 10.30pm on Tuesday, police officers surrounded the suspect’s house in Pa Phayom district and sent in a relative of Sathaporn to negotiate with him. When the relative came out he said Sathaporn needed 10 minutes to prepare himself, but shortly after a gunshot was heard. The police special unit charged into the house, only to find Sathaporn’s body on the floor with gunshot wound to his head and a 9mm handgun in his hand.
The daughter of Sathaporn and Krongkamol was also in the room.
The daughter reportedly said her father went to Bangkok earlier in August to beg her mother to come live together with them in Phatthalung, but her mother refused.
She also said Sathaporn often physically abused his ex-wife before they split up.
He had been charged with carrying firearms without a permit and false imprisonment, but was later bailed out.
This case comes on the heels of another incident of gun violence in the country – the mass shooting last week in Nong Bua Lamphu province that claimed 36 innocent lives, among them 23 children – in which this shooter, too, turned the gun on himself.
In the incident last Thursday, sacked police officer Panya Khamrab, 34, shot 36 people in a deadly rampage that began in a nursery, where the young ones were taking a midday nap. The horrifying incident ended when Panya shot himself to death.
Saudi Crown Prince will attend Apec Summit, Don confirms
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2022
THE NATION
The newly appointed Saudi Arabian Prime Minister, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is scheduled to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Bangkok on November 18 and 19 as a guest, Foreign Affairs Minister Don Pramudwinai said on Tuesday.
Don confirmed the information circulating via news channels that the Crown Prince would arrive in Thailand with about 800 followers after attending the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia.
“Crown Prince Salman’s visit is a follow up on the state visit made by Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha to Saudi Arabia in January this year,” said Don, who doubles as a Deputy Prime Minister.
“During that visit both parties had discussed a road map to resume Thai-Saudi relations. The Crown Prince’s visit aims to make all cooperation under this road map official,” he said.
“The Crown Prince will visit Thailand as a guest of the government. We will hold a press conference regarding the visit once details are finalised,” Don said.
Regarding rumours that several leaders of Apec nations will not attend the meeting in Bangkok, Don said he currently cannot say who will attend or when would they arrive, but there is not a single country that said it would not take part.
He added that if any leader is not able to attend the meeting, they would normally send a delegate or representative instead of the country skipping the event entirely.
“I insist that every member of Apec will attend, either by a leader or a delegate,” said Don.
Separately, the deputy prime minister said he was ready to submit his list of assets to the National Anti-Corruption Commission again should the commission require the list after the Constitutional Court ruled last month that Prayut’s premiership started in April 2017 when the current Constitution was promulgated.
Don and five other ministers had submitted their asset reports to the commission before the date when they were part of the cabinet appointed by the Prayut-led National Council for Peace and Order after the 2014 military coup.
Thai massacre victims ‘sent to heaven’ in mass cremation
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2022
Flames burned from rows of makeshift furnaces on Tuesday evening at cremation ceremonies for the young children and other victims of last week’s mass killings at a day care centre in Thailand’s rural northeast, marking an end to three days of Buddhist funeral rites.
Crowds gathered around the normally sleepy town of Uthai Sawan to lay flowers and join queues of mourners paying their last respects to those slain in a three-hour gun and knife attack by a former Bangkok police sergeant, which marked the worst massacre in Thailand’s recent history.
Nineteen of the victims were sent off in a ceremony at Uthai Sawan’s Rat Samakee temple. Last Thursday’s attack saw 36 killed, including 22 children.
White coffins were carried by relatives and police officers one by one to the site of the cremation along a route lined with mourners. Family members lead the procession carrying portraits of the dead – a teacher and 18 children aged between two and five.
“Our intention is to send the children and their teacher off to heaven. The teacher will take the lead and the 18 children will follow her steps to heaven, according to our beliefs and the desires of their parents and everyone here to send them off,” said the temple’s abbot, Prakru Adisai Kijjanuwat, as the ceremony began.
The coffins were placed on pyres newly built from bricks and dressed with flowers and black and white decorative cloth.
Atop the caskets were pictures of those killed, some accompanied by stuffed toys.
Police identified the attacker as a former Bangkok police sergeant who was discharged in January after being in possession of methamphetamines.
His killing spree ended at his home when he turned his weapon on himself, after killing his partner and her child.
Looming ‘Great Resignation’ wave fizzles out in Southeast Asia as job security takes priority: survey
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2022
The great majority of professionals in Thailand and Southeast Asia were inclined to retain their current jobs, after a resignation wave had loomed over the region last year, according to the report by British recruitment company Robert Walters.
Nearly 50 per cent of professionals in Thailand, who had thought of resigning in the past year, did not leave their jobs — the highest percentage in Southeast Asia.
A survey of professionals and companies across six Southeast Asian countries showed that:
● four out of five (80 per cent) wanted to resign in 2021, but 42 per cent of them were still in their current jobs;
● 86 per cent had reassessed their relationship with work during 2021, with inspirational colleagues and work culture among the top priorities;
● 40 per cent of professionals saw no change in how their current companies are retaining them
The survey results in Thailand were along similar lines:
● 80 per cent considered resigning in 2021, the joint highest in the region with Singapore, behind Malaysia, but, 56 per cent were uncomfortable to quit without a new job;
● Up to 56 per cent of employers in Thailand said they had taken measures to retain staff, but 36 per cent of professionals were not aware of these efforts;
● A mix of salary increments, promotions, and changed job responsibilities remain key to retaining top talent.
The survey results are proof that the “Great Resignation” wave may not be a total reality in Southeast Asia, based on the latest survey from specialist professional recruitment firm Robert Walters.
The survey suggests that professionals are valuing job security during uncertain times, with more than half (59 per cent) indicating that they are uncomfortable quitting without a new job in hand, and 81 per cent of those who have thought of resigning willing to change their minds if conditions are right.
Hiring new talent, however is expected to remain challenging in Southeast Asia, including in Thailand. Nearly 76 per cent of companies found difficulty in doing so in the past year. The survey also pointed to a perception gap on retention efforts, as 40 per cent of professionals in the region claimed they were not aware of “changes” by their employers to engage and bridge their concerns.
The “Robert Walters Great Resignation Reality Check” report surveyed over 2,600 professionals and more than 1,100 companies. The survey aimed to understand attitudes towards resignations, the reasons behind staff turnover, and to unlock retention motivators. Conducted in June 2022, the research covered six Southeast Asian countries — Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
While 79 per cent of professionals surveyed in the region expressed their intention to resign in 2021, more than 4 out of 10 (42 per cent) had yet to do so. Malaysia saw the most professionals (82 per cent) who had thought of resigning in the past year, followed by Singapore and Thailand (both 80 per cent).
Gerrit Bouckaert, managing director at Robert Walters Southeast Asia, believes employers will experience even greater hiring movement in the remainder of 2022 and 2023.
“Rather than a ‘Great Resignation’, businesses can expect an accelerated hiring market across Southeast Asia in the coming year. Professionals are not quitting on a whim, but rather looking to move between jobs. In the face of a possible recession, we expect professionals to act with caution, and only move jobs when they have an offer in hand,” he said.
The situation in Thailand is very similar, the survey showed.
While 80 per cent of professionals in Thailand had considered resigning over the past year, 50 per cent of them had yet to resign (the highest in SEA). The top reasons why they have continued in their current jobs are: not finding the most suitable job yet (58 per cent), lack of opportunity in chosen field (32 per cent), and concerns over job security in a new company (24 per cent). This suggests that while employees in Thailand have been ready to make a move, most are still in the midst of planning it for the near future.
However, with more than four out of five surveyed in Thailand saying they would stay in a job if the conditions are right, it is good news for employers. Salaries continue to play a pivotal role in reversing this decision, with professionals flagging that a holistic package of salary increments (38 per cent), promotions (30 per cent), and a change in job responsibilities (27 per cent) will best retain them.
Colleagues, and a culture that inspires employees to do their best, are what professionals in Thailand value most in an employer (42 per cent). This ranked just above compensation and benefits (41 per cent), as well as flexible work arrangements (35 per cent).
Staff turnover in Thailand has increased in the past year, according to 72 per cent of companies surveyed. To retain staff, employers have taken significant measures, including matching or increasing salaries (56 per cent), providing training and upskilling opportunities (50 per cent), and offering greater flexibility and remote/hybrid work arrangements (45 per cent). However, 36 per cent of the professionals interviewed said they were not aware of changes made by their employers, pointing to a perception gap.
Other findings for Thailand include:
● Overly high salary and benefit expectations pose the biggest challenges to employers (68 per cent), high competition for candidates (41 per cent), and lack of technical qualifications (40 per cent).
● More than 4 out of 5 employees (83 per cent) have reassessed their relationship with work over the past year. Key areas include spending time with family and friends (67 per cent), their mental and physical well-being (58 per cent), and the meaning/fulfilment of their jobs (51 per cent).
Punyanuch Sirisawadwattana, country manager of Robert Walters Thailand, said: “Companies need to wake up to the new reality of a post-pandemic workplace, creating an environment that is suitable for the talent they want to attract. It’s a more competitive hiring market than it once was. I’d advise going beyond good remuneration and benefits, and finding new engagement channels to show appreciation for employees. Beyond this, employer branding needs to continue even when candidates become staff.”
British parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for International Trade, Minister for Exports is in Bangkok to promote education, trade and investment
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2022
British MP, The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for International Trade, Minister for Exports Marcus Fysh is here to cook salmon, in a promotional move to boost education investment and trade in Thailand. What makes British salmon so delicious? Stay tuned to The Nation.
18 young Nong Bua Lamphu victims dressed for dream jobs on their final journey
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2022
Members of a charity foundation dressed the bodies of 18 toddlers in the uniforms of their dream professions as they took their final journey on Tuesday.
A royal-sponsored mass cremation was held on Tuesday morning at Wat Rat Samakee for 19 of the 36 victims of the Nong Bua Lamphu massacre. Of those cremated on Tuesday, 18 were toddlers who had been slayed in their sleep at a nursery in the Northeast province’s Na Klang district.
The 19th victim cremated at the temple was an eight-month pregnant teacher from the Tambon Uthai Sawan Administration Organisation’s nursery where the massacre took place.
Volunteers from the Song Serm Dharma Udon Thani Foundation delivered 18 costumes for the young victims, including a tiny police officer’s uniform for the foetus.
According to Thai traditional beliefs, when a woman who is late into her pregnancy dies, the foetus is removed from the womb and cremated separately. This is so the mother can rest in peace and not return as an “angry soul”.
The costumes prepared for the young victims included uniforms of doctors, nurses, police officers, firefighters and even astronauts.
Some 40 volunteers from the foundation helped change the victims’ clothes before placing their bodies on the 19 makeshift pyres built on the temple grounds.
The Nangta Shop in Lampang, which was contacted by the foundation to prepare the costumes, decided to tailor them for free.
Pol Lt-Colonel Santichai Simai, who owns the shop, said he called on other tailors in Lampang to help so the uniforms could be prepared in time for the cremation. He added that the tiny police officer’s uniform for the foetus was the toughest to make.
Akkarit Muangmunkong, the foundation’s deputy chief, said when the bodies were being moved from Udon Thani after the autopsy on Monday, the parents told the foundation that they wanted their children to be dressed in uniforms of their dream professions.
He said the foundation then searched for a tailor and found that the Nangta Shop could make them. The costumes were delivered on Tuesday morning, just in time for the rites. He added that the father of the unborn child told the foundation that he wanted his baby to be dressed in a police uniform.
Foundation volunteers said dressing the toddlers for their cremation was the most emotionally harrowing experience, though they were thankful for all the help they got.
The 18 two- to five-year-olds were among the 23 toddlers killed by sacked police officer Panya Khamrab, 34, on Thursday. He murdered 36 people in a deadly rampage that began in the nursery where the youngsters were taking their midday nap.
He then killed several more people on his way home, where he slayed his wife and son before turning the gun on himself.
Panya killed 36, including 24 children, before taking his own life.
Prayut said he would like to thank the Interior Ministry and the Royal Thai Police for promptly holding a joint meeting to discuss urgent measures for fast and tangible results.
Drug addicts must receive both physical and mental rehabilitation under a careful programme so that they are successfully cured, he went on to say.
The costumes prepared for the young victims included uniforms of doctors, nurses, police officers, firefighters and even astronauts.
Akkarit Muangmunkong, the foundation’s deputy chief, said when the bodies were being moved from Udon Thani after the autopsy on Monday, the parents told the foundation that they wanted their children to be dressed in uniforms of their dream professions.
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