Swift action was taken to control the fire that broke out on the 33rd floor of a 36-storey building inside the Energy Ministry’s compound on Sunday afternoon, police said.
Police and the 199 Emergency Radio Centre were alerted at 12.45pm that a fire had broken out on the 33rd floor of Energy Complex Building A. Floors 6 and 19 to 36 of the building house the PTTEP Plc headquarters.
Firefighters and rescue officials from Sutthisan Fire Station rushed to the scene and managed to have the flames under control in 10 minutes. By 1pm the fire had been completely extinguished.
No casualties were reported. Police said the cause of the fire will be investigated.
Mothers and their children – adults or kids – can ride the BTS Skytrain for free next Sunday, which is National Mother’s Day, the operator said today.
BTSC confirmed in a statement that news circulating on social media about free rides on National Mother’s Day (August 12) was real, not fake.
The operator added that passengers who accompany their mothers on August 12 can also travel free of charge on the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system and the Gold Line monorail linking the BTS Silom line with Iconsiam shopping mall.
The free rides will be available from 6am to midnight, with the condition that children and their mothers get on and off at the same stations.
The free tickets will be available at ticket booths of the three public transportation services operated by BTSC.
Children up to the height of 90 centimetres will also ride for free.
The statement added that members of the public who suspect any information might be fake can check by calling BTSC at (02) 617 7300.
The Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry warned Thais against falling for investment schemes being offered on Facebook and Line.
In the ministry’s fake news weekly update on Sunday, spokesperson Noppawan Huajaiman said get-rich-quick schemes offered on the two social-media sites were among the top 10 fake news detected from July 29 to August 4.
The ministry’s anti-fake news centre monitored 11.78 million online posts and messages during the week and found 314 were spreading fake news on 151 topics, most of which were government policies.
The top 10 fake news items that captured public attention during that period are:
• Expired Moderna vaccines are being administered at the Grand Bang Sue railway station.
• People aged 19 and above can register for the 10,000 baht unemployment allowance from the government.
• People can get cancer in their hands if they touch food preservatives used on steamed mackerel.
• Krung Thai Bank is offering “street money” loans of 5,000 to 500,000 baht at a 2 per cent interest rate.
• The National Health Security Office has launched a new Line account called “check-sith” for people to check on their free medical rights.
• Facebook and Line are seeking investments, which are guaranteed by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
• The Social Security Office is providing loans of up to 500,000 baht to people affected by the Covid pandemic.
• PTT Plc is inviting investors to buy its shares in a start-up fund for as little as 1,000 baht.
• The Thai Meteorological Department has issued a warning that 37 provinces will be hit by heavy rain.
• The Sinlaku typhoon will unleash heavy rains in Thailand from July 30 to August 1.
The National Health Security Office (NHSO) will start distributing the Covid-19 antiviral drug Molnupiravir to people in vulnerable groups via the telemedicine app operator Clicknic Health Co Ltd.
The company, which runs the Clicknic app for NHSO’s “gold card” holders and civil servants, can now start distributing Molnupiravir capsules to Covid-19 patients, Clicknic Health CEO Neil Nilwichian said.
He said that since July 27, the telemedicine app has been used on Covid-19 patients with mild symptoms and those who fall under the vulnerable category. The vulnerable category covers patients who are at least 60 years old or suffer from any of eight underlying conditions.
Neil said doctors using the telemedicine system treat about 100 patients per day and the operator mails out the medicines prescribed using the national postal services.
He said of these 100 patients, 60 to 70 are from the vulnerable group, including people with comorbidities, obesity or the elderly. Neil added that the prompt delivery of Molnupiravir capsules to this group is necessary to protect them from developing severe symptoms.
“Hence, Clicknic sought permission from the NHSO to distribute Molnupiravir to high-risk patients in time,” Neil said.
He also dismissed concerns about the antiviral being misused or wrongly prescribed, saying patients will be diagnosed by the 40 or 50 doctors stationed to tend to patients via the app.
The NHSO has initially sent 288 courses of Molnupiravir to Clickin and promises to increase the supply if the number of patients who need the drug rises, Neil said.
He added that Clicknic will start sending Molnupiravir doses as prescribed on Monday and patients should have the drugs on the following day.
Clicknic is one of three telemedicine apps commissioned by the NHSO to treat Covid patients.
The two other apps are Good Doctor Technology and MorDee of True Digital Group, though these apps only accept “green” patients or those with mild conditions.
Dozens of pubs in Bangkok were temporarily closed on Saturday after fire-safety inspections ordered in the wake of a deadly blaze in Chonburi.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said he had ordered inspections of entertainment venues in every district of the capital.
Eighty-three of the 400 Bangkok venues inspected have been shuttered after inspectors found problems with fire exits and escape routes.
Chadchart, an engineer by profession, said escape routes should be obvious and clearly signposted to aid victims’ chance of survival in dangerous situations.
He ordered further inspections in a bid to weed out Bangkok entertainment venues that are operating illegally.
Chadchart said the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration will ensure thorough inspections across the city.
The move comes after a blaze at an unlicensed pub in Chonburi’s Sattahip district left 15 people dead and 37 injured in the early hours of Friday.
Authorities across the country have ordered inspections of nightspots.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has voiced concern after a survey found that more than 30 per cent of Thai school students caught Covid-19 in the first term this year, government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said on Saturday.
Results of the survey, conducted by the Department of Health, showed that 30.5 per cent of 49,242 students surveyed contracted the coronavirus since returning to class this year. The new school term began in May.
According to the survey results, most of the infected students contracted Covid-19 from family members. Only 5.6 per cent of those surveyed caught the virus at school while fewer than 0.4 per cent caused Covid-19 infections within their families.
Most of the cases showed mild symptoms, such as fever, coughing, runny nose, and muscle pain, according to the spokesman.
He said that PM Prayut had urged schools to continue practising preventive measures that have proven successful in curbing Covid-19. The measures include distancing, mask-wearing, hand washing, testing, and cleaning.
Schools have also been advised to hold activities in small groups, adopt a screening system and conduct isolation drills to prepare for new Covid infections.
The five most senior officers at a Chonburi police station have been suspended from duty following a deadly pub fire early on Friday.
Phlu Ta Luang police station’s superintendent, Pol Col Wuthipong Somjai, as well as his two deputies and two inspectors responsible for crime suppression and investigation, have been transferred to inactive posts at the Chonburi police headquarters.
Five senior police officers from across the province have been appointed as caretakers for the transferred officers.
Pol Maj-Gen Atthasit Kitjahan, commander of the Chonburi police, issued the transfer order, which was dated Friday.
The order mentioned the fire that broke out at Mountain B pub in Sattahip district just before 1am on Friday, adding that the transfers would take effect immediately to ensure the “orderly and effective” performance of provincial police.
The pub was within the jurisdiction of Phlu Ta Luang police station.
The blaze left 15 dead and about 40 others injured. Thirteen people died at the scene while two others succumbed to their injuries in hospital.
Among the dead was a 17-year-old male. The legal age limit to enter a pub in Thailand is 18. The pub was licensed as a restaurant but had been illegally operating as an entertainment venue, according to police.
Northern Thailand’s delicious coconut concoction “Khao Soi” was named the best soup in the world by TasteAtlas.com.
The interactive website, which highlights the best dishes in different countries, published its list of “50 Best Soups in the World” on Thursday.
Apart from Khao Soi, which topped the list with 4.9 points out of 5, the list also had Tom Yum Kung (spicy shrimp soup) and Tom Kha Gai (sour coconut chicken) in the 13th and 14th positions respectively.
The Finnish salmon soup came in second, followed by Scotland’s Cullen Skink and Japan’s traditional Ramen.
TasteAtlas describes Khao Soi as a “delicious coconut soup in which numerous regional influences were combined to create a truly spectacular dish. The base of the soup is a slightly spicy broth which combines coconut milk and red curry paste.
“The broth is served with flat egg noodles and a choice of meat, which usually includes chicken, beef, and pork. It is topped with a handful of crisp fried noodles and chopped cilantro. The dish is commonly served alongside a variety of condiments such as fresh lime, pickled cabbage, shallots, and chilis.”
The site also listed five restaurants where you can find the best Khao Soi in Thailand, however they are all in Chiang Mai’s Muang district. The restaurants are Khun Yai in Si Phum subdistrict, Lam Duan in Wat Ket subdistrict, Khao Soi Islam in Chang Moi subdistrict, Samer Jai in Fa Ham subdistrict and Lung Prakit Kaat Gorm in Hai Ya subdistrict.
Though Khao Soi is a traditional northern dish, it can be found in most parts of Thailand.
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has announced that all trains from Bangkok to Narathiwat’s Sungai Kolok will be rerouted to Yala until Sunday.
This is after an unknown number of Muslim insurgents opened fire on Bangkok-Sungai Kolok passenger train No 171 on Thursday. There were no casualties.
SRT public relations chief Ekkarat Sri-Arayanphong said on Friday that trains No 37/38 and 172/172 (Bangkok-Sungai Kolok-Bangkok) will be rerouted to Bangkok-Yala-Bangkok from Friday to Sunday.
Ticketholders can either travel to Yala station to catch their train or apply for a refund.
Meanwhile, cargo train No 985/986 (Bangkok-Sungai Kolok-Bangkok) will also be rerouted to Yala.
Ekkarat said the shooters had damaged the passenger train’s diesel engine, windshield and broiler, and it is stranded on the track waiting for a new engine.
He added that the investigators are looking into the incident.
Children up to the height of 90 centimetres will also ride for free.
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