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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017902

Bangkok has topped many lists before and its latest achievement is being named the best summer destination in a recent survey conducted by the online travel agency, Agoda.

Pattaya City in Chonburi won eighth place in the list of top 10 summer destinations. The other cities on the list are Jeju Island, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, Bali, Manila and Penang in that order.

Agoda said Bangkok topped the list thanks to the easing of travel restrictions and the reopening of entertainment venues and tourist attractions.

Bangkok has also been chosen as the top destination in Asia-Pacific by travellers from the US and the United Kingdom, followed by Manila and Tokyo.

“Thailand is also the top choice for travellers from India, Indonesia, Singapore, France and Switzerland,” Agoda said.

Agoda CEO Omri Morgenshtern said the travel industry is recovering gradually this year as many restrictions have been eased.

“This proves that after the past two years, people are looking forward to travelling again,” he said, adding that tourists will likely return to previously visited destinations this summer.

He also promised that Agoda will offer the best travel deals to help with Thailand’s tourism recovery.

Published : July 19, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017901

The Comptroller General’s Department (CGD) will launch a new Google Chrome-based payroll system for government agencies from August 1 onwards.

The move comes after Microsoft announced that it is shutting down its 26-year-old Internet Explorer browser on June 15. Though people will still be able to use the browser after June 15, Microsoft will not launch any updates and will encourage the use of its new Microsoft Edge browser instead.

Waree Wankaew, CGD’s deputy director and spokesperson, said the new e-payroll system will make it easier and safer to transfer salaries and other payments to government officials’ and workers’ bank accounts directly.

CGD will shut down its existing Internet Explorer-based payment system at 5pm on July 25, and shift to the new Google Chrome-based system at 8.30am on August 1.

“The e-Payroll software installation guidelines are ready,” she said, adding that government agencies can download the manual from the department’s website.

Published : July 19, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017900

The Public Health Ministry is considering allowing private clinics to order and sell the Covid-19 antiviral drug, Molnupiravir, as steps are underway to redesignate the disease as an endemic from a pandemic.


The ministry’s move would enable infected people to get treatment and the drug at any hospital or clinic.

Public Health permanent secretary Dr Kiattiphum Wongrajit said on Monday that currently not all Covid-19 patients will need antiviral drugs, as those with no or mild symptoms can take Fah Talai Jone capsules until they are cured.

“The FDA [Food and Drugs Administration] approved antiviral drugs, namely Favipiravir, Molnupiravir and Paxlovid, will be given to patients in the yellow group, or those with moderate symptoms, at the physician’s discretion,” he said.

“Doctors will also decide whether the patient should receive a Remdesivir injection and long-acting antibody vaccine based on symptoms and health conditions. At present, these drugs must be prescribed by medical professionals only and are not available at general drug stores.”

Kiattiphum said the ministry aims to make treatment and drugs for Covid-19 available more widely after it is officially declared an endemic, therefore it is planning to allow private clinics to order Molnupiravir drugs and sell to patients, expanding the availability from the current system where the ministry directly supplies the drug to private hospitals.

“The ministry, through the Department of Health Service Support, is discussing with private hospitals, clinics and the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation the setting up of a suitable timeframe for this move, which should be announced soon,” he added.

Kiattiphum added that the ministry may further expand the availability of Molnupiravir at general drug stores in the future.

Published : July 19, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017893

Thai Tourist Police won applause for a second time this week after they tracked down a wristwatch lost by a Qatari tourist.

At around 4.30pm on Sunday, Qatari national Mohammed Jaber Almarri, 38, called the police to say he had forgotten a bag carrying a Casio wristwatch in a taxi he had taken from CentralWorld shopping complex to Lang Suan Road.

In response, Tourist Police Division 1 chief Pol Colonel Piyarat Suparat ordered officers to track down the taxi. They eventually got in touch with the cabbie, Wichit Na Pang, and instructed him to drop the wristwatch off at the Pathumwan Police Station on Monday.

The watch was picked up by the delighted tourist, who wrote “I thank tourism police for what they did for me and to get my lost [stuff] back. Love Thailand” in the feedback form.

Earlier, Thai Tourist Police won a feather in their cap for tracking down the luggage two Saudi Arabian travellers had forgotten in the taxi they had taken from Suvarnabhumi Airport to their hotel in the early hours of Sunday.

Published : July 19, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017891

People can now ask for copies of CCTV footage in Bangkok via online channels instead of going in person to the CCTV centre.

In a bid to ease access, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has opened two channels for people to seek CCTV footage. The channels are the https://cctv.bangkok.go.th/ website and the @CCTVBANGKOK Line account.

“To seek footage, applicants must first file a police report at the district police station where the incident took place,” Deputy Governor Wissanu Sapsompol said on Monday. “Then attach the police report and a copy of your ID card to the request form along with the camera number, date and time of the required footage.”

He added that footage can be made available 24 hours after the incident, from a maximum of six cameras and for no more than three hours.

“If you want footage of more than three hours, then contact any of the 13 BMA CCTV centres. Their links are available on the above website,” he said.

Once the footage is ready, applicants will be contacted via e-mail or Line and then they can download it from the https://cctv.bangkok.go.th/ website. The footage will be kept for seven days and if the applicant fails to download it during that time, then an application will have to be filed again.

Published : July 19, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017890

Interprovincial bus operator Transport Co Ltd boasted on Monday that it delivered a total of 242,050 passengers to their destinations safely during the July 13-17 holiday. It also proudly pointed out that no accidents had taken place and no passengers had been left stranded.

The first two days of the holiday, July 13 and 14, were Asalha Bucha and the start of the Buddhist Lent. A third day, July 15, was added so including the weekend people would get five days off. The extra day was granted in a bid to boost domestic tourism.

Transport Co president Sanyalak Panyawatthanalikhit said some 2,600 buses brought more than 30,000 passengers back to Bangkok, while 25,859 buses travelled between the provinces over the five days.

“The company thanks all employees and related agencies for making travel during the long holidays smooth and safe, and meeting the company’s goal of providing high quality, safe and affordable transport to people,” he said.

Published : July 19, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017889

The Public Health Ministry reported on Tuesday (July 19) that over the past 24 hours, 2,125 Covid-19 patients have been admitted to hospitals.

The death toll has risen by 18, while 2,501 patients have recovered and discharged from hospitals. 

The number of cumulative cases in the country since January 1, 2022, stands at 2,339,533.
 

The country’s total caseload from Covid-19 stands at 4,562,968 – 4,509,596 of whom have recovered, 22,341 are still in hospitals and 31,031 have died.

Separately, another 1,186 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, 1,935 their second shot and 19,260 a booster, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered nationwide to 140,765,696.

According to Worldometer, confirmed cases globally had risen to 568.69 million on Tuesday, 539.92 million of whom have recovered, 22.38 million are active cases (39,129 in severe condition) and 6.39 million have died (up by 1,128).

Thailand ranks 27th in the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 91.43 million, followed by India with 43.78 million, Brazil with 33.34 million, France with 33.03 million and Germany with 29.85 million.

Published : July 19, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017883

A driver and passenger narrowly escaped death when an iron pillar fell 20 metres and struck their pickup truck on Rama II Road in Bangkok.

Adashcam video posted on Sunday shows the heavy iron pillar dropping from overhead construction work as the pickup drives beneath.

The video was posted by Twitter user “cutiePuddsy”, who identified herself as the daughter of the victims.

The pillar crashed onto the road directly in front of the vehicle, causing it to rear up and almost overturn before colliding with the barrier and coming to a stop. Fortunately, no one was injured or killed in the incident.

The poster said she received a phone call directly after the incident from her mother, who was crying and in shock. The daughter said she was furious about the carelessness that could have killed her parents.

Rama II Road has seen a spate of accidents in recent months as construction work impedes traffic and causes congestion. On June 2, a speeding truck crashed and caused an 11-vehicle pile-up on the road. Eight days later on June 10, the road was blocked again after a truck carrying pillars hit a construction beam, causing long tailbacks.

Published : July 18, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017881

Government digital lottery tickets for the August 1 draw sold out in just one day and seven hours on Monday – a new record.

Lawan Saengsanit, Government Lottery (GLO) board chairman, said all 7,167,500 tickets offered via the Paotang app were snapped up by 1pm on Monday after going on sale at 6am on Sunday.

Lawan said the new digital tickets sold out much faster than in the previous three draws despite an increase from the 5.1 million tickets offered last time.

He added that the number of digital lottery tickets would be increased by 1-2 million per draw to meet demand. The GLO aims to offer 20 million digital tickets per draw by the end of the year.

The digital version was introduced to combat overpricing that has plagued the lottery for years, with the 80-baht tickets typically offered for 100 baht or more by street vendors.

Vendors from Loei province responded by launching a two-day protest against the digital lottery outside Government House on Sunday.

Lawan also reiterated his warning to people seeking to profit by reselling digital tickets. He said the system records the names of the first buyers, who are the only ones eligible for prizes won. Ownership of digital lottery tickets cannot be transferred and prizes will either be transferred to the owners’ account or picked up in person at the GLO, he added.

Published : July 18, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017879

The Cabinet on Monday approved a proposal for cash-strapped public bus operator Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) to borrow 7.516 billion baht.

The BMTA has run up a debt of 132.565 billion baht as rising fuel costs take a toll on the operator.

The loan to boost cash flow will be guaranteed by the Finance Ministry, said government spokesperson Traisulee Traisoranakul.

According to the Transport Ministry, BMTA lacks cash flow due to insufficient compensation for the losses incurred in operating the capital’s public bus service.

Revenue from fares is currently lower than costs, which have been driven up by the high price of fuel. However, fares cannot be increased, so the BMTA’s debt and interest are rising.

Currently, the bus operator is reviewing a rehabilitation plan to deal with its debt.

The 7.516 billion baht loan will go to pay the fuel costs (2.25 billion baht), repair fees (1.422 billion baht), and increase financial liquidity (3.844 billion baht).

BMTA also expects the loan to cut its interest burden by 180.95 million baht.

Published : July 18, 2022

By : THE NATION