#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40018216

The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission said it has already made several achievements in a mere three months since taking office.

At a press conference on Tuesday, NBTC chairman Sarana Boonbaichaiyapruck said the telecom watchdog had supported telemedicine with 5G wireless broadband technology, sped up the burying of untidy telecom cables, and improved bidding regulations for satellite orbits, among other successes.

As for telemedicine and telehealth support, Sarana said, the NBTC had provided broadband internet connection – via cables or satellite connection – under the so-called Universal Service Obligation (USO) for medical personnel in remote areas to handily connect with provincial hospitals.

Sarana said the USO connection allows doctors and nurses to monitor the condition of patients in remote areas and prescribe drugs for them. Technology is helping medical staff take better care of bedridden patients, he noted.

The NBTC also plans to complete an ambitious project to bury untidy telecom cables across 2,800 kilometres this year – 800km in Bangkok and 2,000km in the provinces, the chairman said.

In Bangkok, 16 districts with dense populations will be given priority, he added.

Thanaphan Raicharoen, an NBTC commissioner, said he has been in charge of reviving regulations to provide permission for the use of satellite obits over Thailand to promote more competition.

Another commissioner, Prof Dr Pirongrong Ramasoota, said she had during the past three months pushed for measures to prevent the public from falling prey to scammers using SMS or call centres to target innocent people.

Receivers have also been warned that calls from overseas with the prefix +698 might be made by none other than call-centre gangs.

Commissioner Dr Supat Supachalasai meanwhile said he had pushed the NBTC office to gain more international IT knowledge by setting up an academic division.

And Torpong Selanon, another NBTC commissioner, said he had been advocating for upgrading telecom and broadcasting services to be more easily accessible to the disabled under the “Digital Inclusion” policy.

Published : July 27, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40018214

The fourth Covid-19 jabs of AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna vaccines offer similar protection against Omicron, a study by the Department of Disease Control on Chiang Mai residents showed.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the department said the fourth AstraZeneca jab gives 73 per cent protection, while the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccine jabs offer 71 per cent protection against Omicron.

The department said the third Covid-19 vaccine jab gives 96 per cent protection against risk of developing severe symptoms and death among people aged between 18 and 59.

The third jab gives 97 per cent protection to vulnerable patients, including the elderly aged 60 and above, pregnant women, and people with chronic diseases like cancer and diabetes, the department added.

Thailand recorded 2,747 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 34 deaths on Wednesday.

Published : July 27, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40018213

Thai Airways International (THAI) will operate four flights a week from Bangkok to Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah from August 19.

The airline’s acting CEO, Suwatana Sibunruang, said on Tuesday that the reintroduction of commercial flights after 32 years of suspension is an opportunity to strengthen economic, trade and tourism relations between the two countries.

It would also encourage Thai Muslims to embark on pilgrimage, he said, adding that the airline had organised flights since 2005 to enable Thais to go on Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, the airline’s chief commercial officer, Nond Kalinta, said flights from Bangkok to Jeddah would help Southeast Asian passengers travel to countries in the Middle East.

THAI will offer special privileges to passengers from August 19 to December 31, such as additional baggage allowance of 35kg for economy class passengers and 40kg for business class, Nond said.

The airline will operate its Bangkok-Jeddah flights every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

Here are some details:

• TG 503 will depart from Bangkok at 6.45pm and arrive in Jeddah at 10.40pm (local time)

• TG 504 departs from Jeddah at 0.40am (local time) and arrives in Bangkok at 1.10pm.

For more information, visit thaiairways.com, call the THAI Contact Centre via 0-2356-1111 (24 hours) or email contact@service.thaiairways.com.

Published : July 27, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40018208

Thai prosecutors and Interpol officers on Wednesday took custody of a Taiwanese man, suspected to be a deputy leader of a call-centre gang, who was extradited from Albania.

Prayuth Phetkhun, deputy spokesman of the Office of Attorney-General (OAG), said the suspect, Tzu Yuan Kuo, reached Suvarnabhumi Airport on Wednesday in a smooth extradition operation.

Prayuth said Kuo was arrested in Tirana, the capital of Albania, on September 27 last year and Albanian authorities alerted Thai authorities to initiate the extradition process.

The spokesman said Kuo’s gang allegedly operated from Dubai to make VOIP (voice-over-IP) or Internet-based calls to deceive victims in Thailand, Malaysia, and Japan.

Several Thais have fallen victim to the gang members, who masqueraded as court officials, post officials, police officers, Department of Special Investigation officials, anti-money laundering officials, drug suppression officers and central bank officials.

Prayut said the gang mainly deceived their victims by saying that their bank accounts were involved with drug money. The gangsters would then ask for personal data from the victims, such as names, ID card numbers, credit card numbers, bank account numbers and the number on the back of their credit cards.

The gangsters would also deceive their victims to make them transfer money.

Prayuth said the OAG had filed a criminal lawsuit against Kuo and alleged accomplices in absentia in 2018 before arrest warrants were issued against them by the Phra Khanong Court and the Interpol.

Published : July 27, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40018206

The Public Health Ministry wants the Royal Thai Police (RTP) to include legal action against cannabis law breakers high on its agenda.

After cannabis and hemp were declared legal from June 9, and with the public being allowed to grow the plants, there have been health problems and concerns.

The Public Health Ministry therefore asked the RTP in a letter on Tuesday to arrest and take legal action against offenders according to Section 4 of the Protection and Promotion of Knowledge on Thai Traditional Medicine Act.

According to the letter, four punishable offences are:

1. Those who do not seek permission to study cannabis.
2. People who don’t seek permission to export the plant.
3. Those who fail to seek permission to sell cannabis.
4. People who do not seek permission to process cannabis for commercial purposes.

Commenting on the letter, Senator Kamnoon Sidhisamarn said on Wednesday that it was better late than never as people “across the country were involved in illegal activities related to cannabis”.

He had suggested on June 17 that it should be controlled.

The senator said he is waiting to see the RTP and the Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine Department join hands to enforce the regulations.

Published : July 27, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40018204

Thailand’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday urged all parties in the Myanmar conflict to seek a “durable” political solution to prevent loss of life and maintain peace in the neighbouring country.

Despite international pleas for clemency, the junta took the extreme step of hanging a former National League for Democracy (NLD) lawmaker, a democracy activist and two men accused of violence.

The state-run Mirror Daily provided details of the executions on Monday, the first in Myanmar for nearly 50 years. The announcement immediately drew international condemnation.

Put to death were Phyo Zeya Thaw, a former lawmaker in ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s NLD party, Kyaw Min Yu, a 53-year-old democracy activist better known as Ko Jimmy, Hla Myo Aung and Aung Thura Zaw.

Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanee Sangrat said it deeply regrets the loss of four lives, which would only aggravate the vexing problems in Myanmar.

He said the ministry was profoundly concerned about this and other developments that could shut down all efforts towards achieving peace in that country.

Tanee also stressed that the use of force, cruelty and violence could never settle political differences.

“We call upon all parties to the conflict to seek, with all their might, a durable political resolution so no more lives are lost and Myanmar people’s right to live in peace is respected,” he said, while expressing condolences to the families and loved ones of the four executed.

Published : July 27, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40018203

Phuket’s Public Health Office on Wednesday asked people not to panic as it has to wait for up to two days to see whether a 40-year-old Thai man has monkeypox or not.

Provincial public health chief Kusak Kukiatkul explained that the man was sent from Thalang Hospital to Vachira Phuket Hospital on Tuesday after developing a fever and blisters.

He said the office has to wait for up to two days for the result after medical staff delivered samples taken from the man to Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine for a laboratory test.

The health chief also confirmed the patient hadn’t been in contact with a Nigerian man, who has become Thailand and Cambodia’s first monkeypox patient.

“Hence, we would like to ask people not to panic even though monkeypox can be transmitted by close contact,” he said.

The patient was transferred to Vachira Phuket Hospital as there was no bed available for the purpose at Thalang Hospital, Kusak said, adding that some beds at Thalang Hospital have been reserved for Covid-19 patients.

Meanwhile, Vachira Phuket Hospital director Weerasak Lothongkum said the patient developed symptoms similar to chickenpox.

The man is under quarantine and his symptoms are being closely monitored, he added.

Published : July 27, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40018192

If you buy an electric vehicle between October 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025, you stand to gain up to 80 per cent in tax reduction.

The tax reduction was given the green light at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday. The cabinet also approved tax exemption for electric vehicles assembled or manufactured in a duty free zone.

To be eligible for tax exemption, electric vehicles must have less than 10 seats and should be manufactured/assembled in free zones announced by the Customs Department or the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand. The exemption will run until the end of 2025.

The moves aim to accelerate the use of electric vehicles in Thailand, which will help reduce carbon dioxide emissions and air pollution caused by particulate matter 2.5 micrometres or less in diameter (PM2.5), government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said on Tuesday.

The government expects to see a jump in electric vehicle usage by 123,000 units by 2025, but it will lose tax revenue to the tune of 3.5 billion baht.

“The estimated loss of revenue could be higher, depending on domestic demand,” Thanakorn added.

Published : July 27, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40018189

Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTSC) said it is on track to bid for the Orange Line train project again, but only if conditions are “lawful and just”.

“We are ready to participate in Orange Line bidding again, provided the conditions are lawful and just and the project prioritises the country’s benefits,” Keeree Kanjanapas, chairman of BTSC parent BTS Group Holdings (BTSG), made it clear on Tuesday.

The Mass Rapid Transit Authority (MRTA) is scheduled to announce the timeline of the bidding process for its Minburi-Bang Khun Non Orange Line on Wednesday (July 27) after cancelling the previous bidding on February 3 last year following corruption allegations.

In late 2019, BTSC – one of the bidders for the Orange Line – had filed a lawsuit with the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases against the MRTA, claiming the bid conditions were altered at the request of Italian-Thai Development, another bidder, despite BTSC opposition.

The ensuing legal dispute saw the bidding scrapped altogether on February 3, 2021, for the 13.4-kilometre-long, 128-billion-baht western train section project.

The Orange Line stretches 13.4km, from Thailand Cultural Centre to Bang Khun Non station. The project includes construction of the tracks, installation of the train system and train operations for a total distance of 35.9km, from Minburi to Bang Khun Non stations.

The Orange Line is scheduled to open for public use in the third quarter of 2027.

BTSC is also fighting a legal case with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) over debt the city owes the company for installation of the Green Line train operating system and operational fees since 2017 that have now accumulated to nearly 40 billion baht.

The BMA has asked the company to clarify contract details, which it is happy to comply with, Keeree said on Tuesday.

He added, however, that the company will not be able to disclose contract details to a third party as it would violate the conditions stipulated in the public-private joint venture contract.

“The talks with the BMA are progressing nicely. The company insists we will not stop train operations, which would only affect the people,” he said.

Published : July 27, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40018188

A package of marijuana weighing 5.3kg was seized by customs officials at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Tuesday.

The package was sent via express courier with the importer’s name listed as Julpaos Kresopon, while details of the type of parcel were left blank, said Customs Department director-general Pachara Anantasilp.

“Officials opened the package and found it contained marijuana buds, which cannot be imported into Thailand unless the importer presents a permit issued by Department of Agriculture to customs officials,” he said.

“The importer of this package therefore violated the Customs Act of 2017 and the Plant Quarantine Act of 1964.”

An investigation revealed the same importer had allegedly committed a similar offence twice. The department filed a police complaint to press charges against him, Pachara added.

Although Thailand has legalised marijuana and hemp since June 9 and allowed the former narcotic plants to be grown freely, the recreational use of the plants is still prohibited. Selling these to persons under 20 years old, pregnant or nursing women is also banned.

All extraction, processing, sales, import and export of marijuana needs to be approved by authorities, such as the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture. Furthermore, the concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in marijuana products must be lower than 0.2 per cent.

Published : July 27, 2022

By : THE NATION