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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017972

Akalarp Yimwilai, Chief Executive Officer (Thailand) and Co-Founder of Zipmex, made an urgent announcement around 7.30 PM (GMT+7) via Zipmex Thailand’s Facebook Page about the suspension of currency trading on Zipmex platform. Here is his LIVE clarification.

Sawasdee Krab. Due to the clarification of Zipmex that the withdrawal of baht and digital assets has been suspended, let me clarify that the company has problems with our ZipUp+ products.

ZipUp+ is a product deposited by customers in Thailand at Zipmex Global Singapore, where Zipmex Global partners have faced liquidity problems. Recently, it affects digital assets that are in ZipUp+ only. Liquidity problems, I would like to disclose… I want to be transparent with customers, namely the companies Babel Finance and Celsius. The amount of it, let me clarify later. 

Because of the liquidity problems, digital assets, especially Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDT, and USDC, have problems. But the digital assets and baht that are in the Trade Wallet are not a problem. Customers can still trade normally. They can withdraw money from the Trade Wallet. Everything is the same. But the products of ZipUp+ has been compromised, and that’s the problem already happening. 

What’s going to happen is that at 8 p.m., or an hour later, we will open the platform normally. However, the transfer of digital assets between ZipUp+, ah, between Z Wallet and Trade Wallet will be temporarily suspended. 

If the customer wants to deposit and withdraw between Z Wallet and Trade Wallet, they will still not be able to do so. This is what Zipmex is working on. Please allow me to reiterate that Trade Wallet is an account that customers use to trade digital assets. And the baht deposited in it is still safe. They can still deposit and withdraw as before. But Z Wallet has no baht in it. Therefore, if any customer has Thai baht at Zipmex, they can still withdraw as usual. The problem is with ZipUp+ products that happened with Zipmex Global.

Akalarp Yimwilai, Chief Executive Officer (Thailand) and Co-Founder of Zipmex in his 8-minute statement.

The first thing that Zipmex Thailand and what I would do as Chief Executive Officer of Zipmex is to file a lawsuit against Zipmex Global and partners such as Barbells or Celcius to get the digital assets back. Back to customers.

For the litigation, Zipmex Thailand is ready to file a lawsuit and ready to prosecute the group or in English called ‘Class Action Lawsuit’, which customers can join. Zipmex Thailand will issue all the legal fees here. To get our clients’ digital assets back, we have to take legal action – the legal action must be taken, and Zipmex will take care of the expenses.

The most important thing is customer money or digital assets of customers with Zipmex Thailand have to come first. We must do everything to get it back.

In addition, it has been planned. We have been in talks with investors and companies about buying Zipmex here for some time now, under which the discussion is ongoing. I still can’t reveal which company it is. But it’s a big company that is interested in buying this company. And the money that comes to buy this company will be returned to all customers.

Simply put, the local language is bail-out. It’s about buying a company to get money to pay customers in full. But if we get money from the partners on repaying the debt to us, we will return to customers as well.

So now to sum it up, Zipmex’s ZipUp+ products have a problem. We are suspending transfers between Z Wallet and Trade Wallet. All digital assets and baht that are in the Trade Wallet can still be deposited and withdrawn. It can still be used normally, and within the period of 8 PM we will open our Exchange platform back to normal. Clients who have digital assets in the Trade Wallet are able to deposit and withdraw normally.

I would like to ask permission to clarify that this is a big issue for myself and Zipmex and we will take full legal action. We have already clarified this to SEC (The Securities and Exchange Commission). We will always disclose information to SEC. At the same time, we will be transparent. We will always show transparency to customers in which I will issue a statement and announce news updates. If I can, I’ll do it every day during this period to fix the situation. Customers will be informed of the progress, and we will help each other to find a solution here in the end.

As I am the CEO of Zipmex Thailand, I have to apologize. And I sincerely apologize to all customers that we have caused disappointment. But I wouldn’t hesitate to get all the digital assets in the customer’s ZipUp+ back, either by the way of selling the company or getting money back, or taking a lawsuit. However, digital assets and customer funds always must come back first. I would like to make a clarification at this point.

I make a promise of an updated statement. If possible, it would be a daily statement to create transparency so that the situation can be tracked. Thank you.

Published : July 21, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017967

Up to 18 passengers were injured in a boat blaze out in the sea off Chumphon province on Wednesday afternoon.

The accident happened about 4-5 nautical miles off the coast, near Ka Island.

Police officers and related officials in the province deployed their vessels to rescue people on the boat before sending them to hospitals.

Officials believe the blaze began when the boat’s engine exploded. Passengers jumped off the boat into the sea, with some of them sustaining minor injuries.

No one died due to the accident, the officials added.

Published : July 20, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017965

As many as 76.2 per cent of respondents were uncertain about the Covid-19 situation due to the rising number of infections in schools, a poll survey by the Department of Health showed.

The poll was conducted from July 6-18, the department director-general, Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoenchai, said on Wednesday.

“When asked what the respondents were uncertain about, 69.7 per cent said if children get infected, the virus would spread among family members,” he said.

He added that 55 per cent said they were uncertain about children developing severe symptoms after infection, while 41.5 per cent said infections among children could affect their career, revenue and treatment.

On the risk of Covid-19 spreading in schools, 60 per cent of respondents said students talked or played with each other without face mask, followed by doing gathering activities without mask (45 per cent) and sharing foods and utensils during lunchtime (30.6 per cent), the survey showed.

“When asked which measures should be implemented to deal with Covid-19 in schools, 48.3 per cent said schools should close classrooms where Covid-19 patients are found for sanitising,” he said.

He added that 41 per cent said schools should conduct rapid antigen tests on teachers, students and staff before organising classes and 40.7 per cent said schools must strictly adhere to Covid-19 prevention measures.

Suwanchai also asked schools nationwide to stricty adhere to Covid-19 prevention measures, such as evaluating the schools’ safety via Thai Stop Covid Plus platform, organising activities in small groups, specifying sealed routes, and conducting drills in case of emergency.

Published : July 20, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017957

A Chulalongkorn University lecturer is worried that the actual number of new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours and announced on Wednesday is almost 100,000 even as the official report puts the figure at only 2,886.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Chulalongkorn University Assoc Professor Dr Thira Woratanarat wrote: “2,886 > estimated 96,200.”

In an earlier post, he said the number of deaths in the country on Tuesday was 14th in the world and fourth highest in Asia.

Thira said Covid-19 is spreading “heavily” in Thailand, so wearing face masks properly is necessary to reduce the risk of getting infected.

The doctor also touched on the intensifying topic of the BA 2.75 subvariant, which was detected in Thailand on Tuesday. He said it hasn’t spread widely to other countries as yet and most cases are in India.

Just being careful could reduce the risk of becoming infected from any variant, Thira advised.

He cited a study by University of Washington researcher John E Bowen and others titled “Omicron spike function and neutralising activity elicited by a comprehensive panel of vaccines”.

The study said three doses of vaccines are actually enough to prevent infection from Omicron subvariants BA.1, BA.2, BA.2.12.1 and BA.5.

Researchers used a sample from three doses of mRNA vaccines, two doses of Novavax along with one dose of mRNA vaccine, and two doses of Sinopharm with one dose of mRNA vaccine.

Thira said the study confirmed the significance of a booster dose to keep BA.5 at bay.

He also cited a study by King’s College London research associate Emma Rezel-Potts and others titled “Cardiometabolic outcomes up to 12 months after Covid-19 infection – a matched cohort study in the UK”.

The study mentioned that being infected with Covid-19 increases the risk of getting diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

It highlighted the importance of protecting oneself from being infected and how patients should treat themselves after contracting Covid to avoid these diseases.

Published : July 20, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017956

Thailand has been upgraded from the Tier 2 Watchlist to Tier 2 in the US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report this year, government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana announced on Wednesday.

The department had downgraded Thailand to the Tier 2 Watchlist on July 1, 2021, from Tier 2 in 2020.

Citing the latest report, Thanakorn said Thailand had made great strides in dealing with human trafficking by increasing investigations into the crime, implementing a national referral mechanism and setting up a centre to assist victims.

Thanakorn said the department had also chosen Apinya Tajit, deputy director of Thai seafarer welfare network Stella Maris, as part of six TIP heroes for her role in creating awareness about child labour trafficking and assisting victims this year.

Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is paying attention to dealing with human trafficking to protect the dignity of people in line with human rights principles, Thanakorn said.

“Thailand is ready to cooperate with various domestic and international sectors to eliminate all types of human trafficking,” he vowed.

The spokesman said Prayut had thanked related agencies for their efforts to tackle trafficking in persons, or modern-day slavery.

“The premier also asked the agencies to continue their work in order to wipe out human trafficking in Thailand,” Thanakorn added.

Published : July 20, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017955

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is planning to turn landfill sites in On Nut subdistrict, with a combined 103 rai (16.48 hectares), into green space with the help of private partners.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt on Wednesday met with representatives from PTT Global Chemical Plc (GC) and its affiliate Solution Creation Ltd to discuss the projects in which the companies will help Bangkok handle waste management, recycling and upcycling of the city’s garbage.

Chadchart said the project’s top priority is to turn 103 rai of landfill sites in On Nut area into usable space where trees can be planted and serve as the city’s lung.

“Of the 103 rai landfills, about 48 rai are garbage mountains that need to be eliminated first, while the rest can be filled or bulldozed and start planting trees right away,” he said.

GC said the company is ready to help with land transformation and tree planting once the city surveys all the areas that can be turned into green space.

GC added that it would continue to work with the BMA in recycling PET bottles and other plastic wastes into personal protective equipment kits and working outfits for BMA’s cleaning staff in a bid to reduce waste and make the fullest use of resources.

The company promised to establish more drop points in highly populated areas to collect recyclable household waste on a larger scale.

“Bangkok has a serious garbage issue. The main problem is that most households do not separate their wastes, costing collection staff about half an hour per stop to separate them before loading them in the truck,” the governor said. “If households properly separate their waste before the garbage trucks come, it would greatly help speed up the collection process.”

Chadchart added that Bangkok has appointed selected districts as garbage separation pilot zones, where households are mandated to systematically separate their wastes. If proved to be successful, the project will be expanded throughout the city.

Published : July 20, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017952

Twenty-nine Miss Universe Thailand 2022 contestants descended on Dusit Thani Hua Hin for a variety of activities on the weekend, much to the delight of their audience.

The activities featured a swimsuit competition along a short stretch of the beach, a merry game of volleyball, a photoshoot and a party.

The preliminary Miss Universe Thailand competition will be held on July 27 and the final on July 30 at Icon Siam.

Published : July 20, 2022

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017951

The Central Administrative Court on Tuesday ordered Advanced Info Service (AIS) and True to charge fares by actual usage time and not by rounding up the seconds.

The court ordered the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) to oversee that True Move H Universal Communication and AIS charge fares based on actual use time by seconds.

The NBTC was also instructed to consider guidelines regulating mobile phone fares for 2100 MHz, 1,800 MHz, and 900 MHz spectrums within 60 days of the verdict.

In its ruling, the court said it saw that service providers could use seconds or minutes as charging units.

However, the NBTC should set a regulation or condition to prohibit service providers from rounding up seconds into a minute.

Foundation for Consumers lawyer Nattawadee Tengpanichakul said the verdict was beneficial to the public.

If a service provider uses seconds as a unit to base charges, it must charge fares by the second. If a provider uses minutes as a base, it must charge fares by a full minute or 60 seconds without rounding up charges.

Published : July 20, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017948

Ramathibodi Hospital’s Centre for Medical Genomics has discovered Thailand’s first BA 2.75 case.

The centre revealed on Tuesday night that it was found from a sample collected on June 28 in Trang.

The Medical Sciences Department completed the whole exome sequencing and uploaded the data to GISAID’s database on Monday. It is a mutation of the Wuhan variant.

The BA 2.75 subvariant emerged for the first time in India and has spread around the world. Scientists have since collected 338 samples for the whole exome sequencing.

They found BA 2.75 could likely evade immunity provided by earlier infection or vaccines. Patients are advised to use monoclonal antibodies according to the subvariant they have been infected with.

Most interestingly, BA 2.75 spread in India in June but it is expected to be overcome in a “short amount of time”.

Scientists assume it is because India had experienced BA.2 infections before so the immunity built up as a result might keep the disease from spreading.

Published : July 20, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017944

Two economic teams were set up by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Tuesday to tackle the economic crisis.

One, a special economic crisis management committee, was formed to implement guidelines for government agencies to tackle the crisis and alleviate people’s suffering as soon as possible.

The committee, chaired by Prayut, is also responsible for implementing a plan to cope with the economic crisis effectively in line with government policy.

Meanwhile, a subcommittee was also set up for monitoring and analysing impacts from the crisis.

The subcommittee, chaired by the Finance Ministry permanent secretary, is also responsible for proposing a plan to tackle the crisis and lessen the public’s financial burden to the special committee on economic crisis management.

Prayut Chan-o-cha

National Security Council secretary-general Supot Malaniyom said the two teams would be important tools for the government to tackle the economic crisis “effectively”, including rising product prices and inflation.

The subcommittee is preparing a proposal to tackle increasing fuel and product prices, as well as financial measures to prevent further damage to the economy, he said.

Supot expects the PM to hold a meeting with the two economic teams soon.

“One common way to solve this problem is energy saving, which will help both the country and ourselves,” he added.

Published : July 20, 2022

By : THE NATION