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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40019881

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THU, SEPTEMBER 08, 2022

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) On Thursday Warned Bangkokians To Be Prepared For Heavy Rains Until Monday, Which Could Aggravate Floods In Several Districts.

BMA deputy governor Wissanu Supsomphol held an urgent press conference at 1.30pm with BMA deputy clerk Narong Ruangsri.

Wissanu said rains would continue from Thursday afternoon until Monday and the rainwater would aggravate the situation in Bang Khen, Lak Si, and Lat Krabang districts as well as the Rangsit area in Pathum Thani province, which were already hit by flooding.

Wissanu urged Bangkok residents to monitor announcements from the BMA. He said the city administration would issue warnings three hours in advance to warn residents about possible flooding.

He said if Bangkok roads were flooded, the city administration would provide vehicles of the BMA and would coordinate with the Royal Thai Army to provide trucks to transport commuters at major Skytrain stations.

The deputy governor said the BMA could handle the rising water on the Chao Phraya because the existing flood embankments along the river are over three metres high, while the water in the river was about 1.85 metres above sea level.

He added that the BMA has only four mobile water pumps, which are not enough to tackle the flooding, so it has to borrow some pumps from the Royal Irrigation Department.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40019880

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THU, SEPTEMBER 08, 2022

An Old Woman Who Was Partially Buried In A Landslide After Two Days Of Torrential Rains That Triggered Flash Floods In Koh Chang In Trat Province Was Safely Rescued, Officials Said.

Dusit Samutrakapong, chief of the Koh Chang National Park, said on Thursday the tourist-destination island had been hit by heavy rains for two days.

More than 200mm of rains have been received since Wednesday night, Dusit said, adding that the heavy rains had caused runoffs from Than Mayom Waterfall and Klong Plue Waterfall to inundate nearby roads.

Around 7.30am, rescuers from the Sawang Boon Chuay Lua Foundation were alerted that a rented room near Klong Prao Beach was hit by a landside so they rushed to provide help.

They found an old woman stuck inside the room that was partially buried after earth from a mountain behind the room slid down because of the rains. The rescuers took about half an hour to free the woman and rushed her to a hospital.

Tirasak Sruamcheepmasua, deputy mayor of Koh Chang Municipality, said the Ban Klong Son-Ban Had Sai Khao Road had subsided for a distance of about 30 metres and one of the two lanes was impassable in the morning.

He said workers have repaired the road, but trucks were advised to avoid that section of the road.

Officials said runoffs flooded several main roads near popular beaches of the island at 5am, including Ban Had Sai Khao, Ban Chaiyachet and Ban Klong Son.

The road at Ban Had Sai Khao was in about 80cm-deep water for about a kilometre in length but the water levels had subsided late in the morning.

At Bang Klong Son, the swelling canal burst the banks and flooded several houses, officials added.

Officials also warned operators of the Koh Chang ferry service to be careful because the sea had turned rough following the heavy rains.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40019879

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THU, SEPTEMBER 08, 2022

A Heavy Downpour On Wednesday Night Prompted An Emirates Airline Airbus A380 To Divert To Don Mueang International Airport – The First Time The World’s Largest Passenger Jet Was Forced To Land At Bangkok’s Secondary Airport.

The Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (Aero Thai) on Thursday explained the “extraordinary” landing of Flight EK363, saying it made a safe touchdown on Don Mueang’s western 21R runway at 9.40pm.

The plane was subsequently refuelled and flew to Suvarnabhumi Airport at 1.08am on Thursday.

Aero Thai said the flight originated from Guangzhou and was scheduled to land at Suvarnabhumi. But a heavy shower kept the plane from landing and it had to circle over Suvarnabhumi for more than 50 minutes, after which the pilot requested permission to touch down at Don Mueang instead.

According to Aero Thai, Don Mueang International Airport has runways that can accommodate the Airbus A380, however the parking area and passenger terminal building make the airport unsuitable for the giant plane in normal situations.

Several other flights also requested permission to divert to either Don Mueng or U-tapao International Airport on Wednesday night, Aero Thai added.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40019878

THU, SEPTEMBER 08, 2022

The Government’s Energy Policy And Planning Office (EPPO) Has Endorsed Proposed Measures Aimed At Curbing The Prices Of Cooking Gas, Diesel Oil And Electricity.

Energy Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow said on Thursday that the agency has resolved to freeze the price of LPG cooking gas at 408 baht per 15kg cylinder until the end of October.

The move was aimed at lessening the impact of rising energy prices on the public, he said.

The price of cooking gas has been raised every month since April and the latest increase — to 408 baht per 15kg cylinder — took effect on September 1.

The EPPO also resolved to request oil companies to retain their marketing price for diesel oil at not higher than 1.40 baht per litre, according to Supattanapong, who also doubles as deputy prime minister.

At its meeting, the agency also decided to aid households that do not use more than 500 units per month from September to December.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40019876

THU, SEPTEMBER 08, 2022

The Fact That One Of Its Executives Was Sentenced To Imprisonment May Pose A Legal Issue For Italian-Thai Development Group (ITD) In Its Contest To Operate The Orange Line Mass Transit Project, According To An Expert.

Democrat Party deputy leader and former Bangkok governor Samart Ratchapolsitte noted that bidders for the government project must have to comply with the Public-Private Partnership Act.

The law bans the participation of any legal entity whose directors or authorised executives have been convicted and sentenced to prison, except for negligence or a petty offence.

Samart asked if the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) carefully looked into this matter before announcing that ITD had sailed through the technical qualification requirements along with another bidder, Bangkok Expressway and Metro (BEM).

“Did the MRTA really not know that on the day ITD submitted its proposal, one of its directors had been sentenced to imprisonment?” he said on his Facebook post on Wednesday.

Samart was referring to ITD’s former president Premchai Karnasuta. In December last year, the construction tycoon was sentenced to three years and two months in jail for hunting in Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary.

He is one of the company’s nine directors as of September 7, according to the Department of Business Development database.

A source familiar with the matter said the Premchai issue was raised during a recent meeting of the MRTA’s bidder selection committee. However, the panel finally voted to approve the proposals regarding technical qualifications.

In the second round, bidders are required to submit two envelopes – one with technical proposals and another with the pricing. The price quotation would be considered only if the bid passes screening of their technical proposals.

BEM and ITD are the only two bidders. Skytrain operator Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTSC), which participated in the first round, did not take part in the bidding.

BTSC filed a lawsuit against the cancellation of the first round of bidding and won the case. It also filed a lawsuit against the second round, but the Administrative Court has yet to make a ruling. The court recently rejected BTSC’s request for an injunction to suspend the second round.

The 35.9km-long Orange Line is divided into eastern and western sections. Construction of the 22.5km-long eastern section from the Thailand Cultural Centre to Minburi, with 10 underground stations and seven elevated stations, is 90 per cent complete.

The western section stretches from the Thai Cultural Centre to Bang Khunnon – a length of 13.4km, with 11 underground stations.

The bid winner would be required to sign a private-public partnership contract to operate the entire route after building the western section.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40019875

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THU, SEPTEMBER 08, 2022

The Military And Police Have Joined Hands To Prioritise Helping People Affected By Floods, While Still Being Positive That This Year Will Not See A Repeat Of The Major Flood In 2011.

After an executive meeting at the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters on Thursday, spokesman Lt-General Theeraphong Patthamasingh said the armed forces and police chiefs agreed on the urgent agenda for all military and police units across Thailand to help citizens affected by floods.

“The armed forces believe the flood situation will not be as bad as in 2011, but we will remain prepared nonetheless,” he said.

“We will continue to monitor the situation closely and coordinate with related agencies in disaster prevention and providing aid to affected communities.”

Theeraphong said military units would use their communication network to issue flood warnings to the public, while military vehicles will be dispatched to transport water pumps, flood prevention equipment and necessities for victims.

As for a long-term strategy, the armed forces will work with local agencies to dredge canals and waterways to maximise drainage capability and prevent future floods, he said.

Last week, the Meteorological Department dismissed speculation that Thailand would see a repeat of the great floods of 2011 due to weather conditions this year.

Department director-general Chompharee Chomphurat said the La Niña phenomenon, which occurred in 2011 and now in 2022, has resulted in rains arriving sooner than expected. However, unlike in 2011 when Thailand was hit by five storms, this year none has directly hit the country so far.

Several agencies have learned their lesson from the 2011 floods and are therefore better prepared this year, he said.

The measures that have been implemented include accelerating the release of water from dams into the Gulf of Thailand during low tide and unblocking waterways near flood-prone areas.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40019874

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THU, SEPTEMBER 08, 2022

The Constitutional Court On Thursday Ordered The House Secretariat To Send The Minutes Of A Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) Meeting To The Court And Scheduled Another Meeting On Wednesday In The Case Of The Prime Minister’s Tenure.

The court held a special meeting on Thursday to decide whether written statements submitted by three defence witnesses would be sufficient for deliberation of a petition submitted by opposition MPs.

The petition asked the court to rule whether General Prayut Chan-o-cha’s tenure as the prime minister expired on August 24. The court accepted the petition for review on August 24 and suspended Prayut from his duty as premier. It sought statements from Prayut, Meechai Ruchuphan, chairman of the now-defunct CDC, and Pakorn Nilprapun, former secretary of the CDC.

After the meeting at 10am, the court announced that it wanted the minutes of the CDC’s 501st meeting, which was held on September 11, 2018.

The court reasoned that it wanted to see the part which showed that the meeting ratified the minutes of the CDC’s 500th meeting that was held on September 7 that year.

The court demanded to see the minutes of the 501st CDC meeting because Meechai stated in writing to the court that his views expressed during the 500th meeting had been incompletely circulated by the side that argued Prayut’s term would end on August 24.

In Meechai’s statement to the court, he said the premiership of Prayut should be counted from April 6, 2017, when the current Constitution was promulgated.

Earlier, Prayut’s opponents circulated the minutes of the 500th meeting to quote Meechai as saying that Prayut’s premiership before the promulgation of the charter would be counted.

Meechai said in his statement to the court that the meeting’s 500th minutes have not yet been verified and endorsed by the CDC and his view in the 500th minutes was only summarised by the official who jotted down the minutes.

Meechai told the court the correct version of the 500th minutes would be stated in the 501st minutes after endorsement by the CDC.

The Constitutional Court on Thursday therefore ordered the Secretariat of the House of Representatives to submit the 501st minutes of the CDC meeting to the court by Tuesday so it could be considered during a court meeting on Wednesday, September 14.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40019873

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THU, SEPTEMBER 08, 2022

The National Astronomical Research Institute Of Thailand (NARIT) Is Seeking Thai Names For A Planet And A Star Confirmed By Thai Astronomers.

The contest is part of the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) “NameExoWorlds 2022” campaign to name planets and stars outside the solar system that have been discovered or confirmed so far this year.

NARIT’s exoplanet researcher Suphachai Awiphan said on Thursday that the institute is inviting people to submit Thai names for the star GJ 3470 and the planet GJ 3470b that orbits it.

Participants must explain the relation between both names in 3-4 sentences. Each name must be able to be transcribed in English in 4-16 characters.

Names can be submitted now until October 7 via https://bit.ly/NameExoWorldsThailand2022.

NARIT will select 10 pairs from participants, who must compete in the final round by presenting the concept behind their names. Then two sets will be picked for people to vote on online. The winning names will be submitted to the IAU, which will officially announce them in March 2023.

Suphachai said the star and planet were first discovered in 2012, but their status has been confirmed only this year by Thai astronomers via the transit method from the 2.4-metre-diameter telescope at the Thai National Observatory in Doi Inthanon National Park, Chiang Mai.

GJ 3470b is a hot Neptune-like planet orbiting an M dwarf star located in the constellation of Cancer, about 95.9 light years from the Solar system. GJ 3470b’s mass is 14 times that of the Earth and orbits around its GJ 3470 star in 3.3 days. Its atmosphere is blue in colour and comprises hydrogen, helium and water molecules.

Suphachai noted that this year is also a special occasion, as it is the 10th anniversary of the Thai National Observatory, which features the biggest telescope in Southeast Asia.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40019870

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THU, SEPTEMBER 08, 2022

The Excise Department Aims To “Drive The Economy In 2023” By Increasing The Tax On Products That Harm The Environment And Health.

Director-general Ekniti Nitithanprapas said on Wednesday that the department is considering raising tax on six products in fiscal 2023 – bio-jet-fuel, bioplastics, electric vehicle batteries, non-alcoholic booze and beer, electric cigarettes and carbon.

A decision on the tax rate must be taken in fiscal year 2023, but the Excise Department will decide when to implement it later, he said.

“The department has a strategy to drive the economy with excise tax under the environmental, social and governance [ESG] principle,” Ekniti said. “[Our] principle is to collect less tax or not collect any taxes for environmentally friendly products and services, while taxing products and services that are not in line with ESG principles.”

For example, the current tax rate on batteries could be reduced if they can be recycled, or made higher if they cannot, he said.

Another example is the tax rate on liquor and beer, with low tax for zero per cent alcohol but an increased tax if the alcohol by volume is higher, Ekniti said.

He explained that the department found most of the new-generation group drink alcohol “only to look good”.

Meanwhile, both the department and the private sector see this as a future trend, so the department will find a middle ground between normal beverages and alcoholic beverages.

Ekniti admitted that collecting less tax on ESG products might decrease revenue, but the department will collect more tax on products that are harmful to the environment and health.

The department has set a goal to collect 567 billion baht of taxes in fiscal 2023 and 500 billion baht this fiscal year, Ekniti said.

He added that the department has collected less tax this fiscal year after reducing the excise tax on diesel to help people affected by high energy prices.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40019857

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THU, SEPTEMBER 08, 2022

The Public Health Ministry Is Considering Downgrading Covid-19 From A “Dangerous Communicable Disease” To A “Communicable Disease Under Surveillance” From Next Month, Minister Anutin Charnvirakul Said On Wednesday.

After the downgrade is announced, people in the 608 group – which comprises the elderly aged 60 and over, people with chronic diseases, pregnant women, and those over 90kg – are still advised to get a booster shot and wear a face mask in public as currently almost 100 per cent of Covid-19 deaths are from this group, he said.

“People who test positive should follow doctor’s suggestions and refrain from getting anti-viral drugs from pharmacies unless you have a prescription, as not all Covid-19 cases require drug treatment,” advised Anutin.

On October 1 several departments under the ministry will have new executives, from director-general to deputy permanent-secretary levels, he said, insisting that the transition will not affect the department’s Covid-19 reclassification plan or any public health services.

The minister also said that from October 1 Pfizer will start delivering Covid-19 vaccines for children aged 6 months to under 5 years. The Department of Disease Control had ordered 3 million doses.

Pfizer’s vaccine for children under five must be administered at 10 micrograms per dose for the first two jabs three weeks apart. For a booster shot, the vaccine will be given at 3mcg per dose eight weeks after the second jab.

“As for the vaccine management plan for next year, the National Vaccine Institute’s Immunisation Subcommittee is finalising the details regarding target groups, the number of allocated booster shots, as well as the proposed budget,” he said.

On Thursday, Thailand recorded 1,587 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 19 deaths in the past 24 hours, while 1,969 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospital. The number of cumulative cases in the country since January 1, 2022, stands at 2,440,721 with 10,785 deaths.

As of September 6, Thailand administered 142.89 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines, with 57.27 million being the first jab, covering 82.3 per cent of the population, 53.74 million being second jabs (77.3 per cent), and 31.88 million third jabs (45.8 per cent).