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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024422

Songkran set to become Thailand’s 4th intangible cultural heritage

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2023

Songkran, Thailand’s renowned water festival, is set to be inscribed as intangible cultural heritage (ICH) now that it has been included in Unesco’s tentative list of nominees.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) included “Songkran in Thailand, a traditional Thai New Year festival” in its list of nominations for 2023.

If Songkran is successfully inscribed, it will become the fourth ICH from Thailand on the prestigious Unesco list after Khon (Thai masked dance) in 2018, Nuad Thai (traditional Thai massage) in 2019 and Nora (dance drama in South of Thailand) in 2021.

Tom yam kung, Thailand’s famous spicy prawn soup, has been on the list of nominees since 2022, the Unesco website shows.

Thailand plans to seek ICH status for other Thai cultural heritage including Muay Thai, Phi Ta Khon (ghost mask festival in the Northeast), khao niao mamuang (mango and sticky rice), and khao kaeng (curry and rice).

Intangible cultural heritage refers to a practice, representation, expression, knowledge or skill considered by Unesco to be part of a place’s cultural heritage.

There are seven branches of intangible cultural heritage –
performing arts, handicrafts, traditional literature, traditional sports, old customs, folk wisdom and language.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024421

Tourist Police warn Erawan Shrine vendors against overcharging pilgrims

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2023

Police have warned vendors near Bangkok’s Brahma Shrine against overpricing, after a video showing a group of Chinese tourists spending more than 13,000 baht to buy offerings went viral.

Tourist Police deputy commander Maj-General Apichart Suribunya said he had instructed police officers responsible for the religious site, also known as the Erawan Shrine, to prevent vendors from overcharging pilgrims.

Apichart, who is also spokesman for the Tourist Police, said that no further complaints had been received from tourists after police warned vendors they could face legal action for overpricing.

Vendors at the shrine have been told to always tell prospective customers the prices of their goods in advance, Apichart said.

Vendors outside the shrine tend to sell garlands and other offerings at higher prices than those inside the shrine’s compound, he said, adding: “This is normal.”
 

The famous place of worship – often visited by locals and foreign tourists from Asia – is located in front of the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel at Ratchaprasong intersection.

A woman who admitted that she was the vendor in the viral video clip said that during celebrations for the Lunar New Year, a group of about 10 Chinese tourists bought six sets of offerings from her – two sets for 1,200 baht each, two for 900 baht each, and two for 600 baht each.

Four of the tourists also bought 16 doves from a nearby outlet for 500 baht apiece, she said.

The combined cost was 13,400 baht.

The vendor said she showed the tourists a price list before they decided to buy.

“Throughout my 30 years of business here, I have never taken advantage of tourists. I always notify them of the prices,” she said.

She said that while talking with the group of Chinese tourists, she saw a Thai man making a video of their interaction. When she asked him why he did not respond.

She realised the reason after the video was posted on social media, she said.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024418

Over 80% of Thais have ‘hybrid immunity’ against Covid-19: virologist

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2023

More than 80% of the Thai population has developed “hybrid immunity” to the Covid-19 virus from a combination of vaccination and infection, Professor Yong Poovorawan said on Saturday.

More than 70% of the Thai population, or over 50 million people, were infected with Covid-19, while at least 80% of the population has been fully vaccinated (with at least two doses), the virologist wrote in a Facebook post.

“So, most of the population – over 80% – have developed hybrid immunity, which helps lessen the severity of disease, covering new mutations like XBB.1.5, which is expected to arrive soon,” the virologist wrote.

Hybrid immunity can protect against Covid-19 better than vaccination or past infection alone, he added.

Prof Yong leads the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine.

New Covid-19 variants tend to be less severe than in the past, he said, explaining that it was the nature of viruses to become less severe as they evolve because they have to rely on living carriers for their survival.

He said that after a series of mutations, new Covid-19 variants have constantly caused less severe symptoms. Globally, the fatality rate of Covid-19 has fallen from 3-5% at the outset of the pandemic to less than 1% now.

In Thailand, the fatality rate has dropped from 1% when it became an epidemic here, to less than 0.1% now, Yong said, adding that for healthy people, catching Covid-19 was now no different from getting the flu.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024412

Top cop calls for transparent probe into claim police extorted cash from Taiwanese actress

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2023

The national police chief on Saturday called for a thorough investigation of allegations made by a Taiwanese actress that she and her friends were detained, humiliated and extorted for cash by Thai police while vacationing in Bangkok early this month.

“National Police Chief General Damrongsak Kittiprapas has ordered a thorough investigation into the case,” police spokesperson Maj-General Archayon Kraithong said on Saturday.

Damrongsak also instructed Metropolitan Police Bureau chief Lt-General Thiti Saengsawang to send a team from its Investigation, Detection and Management Branch to collect additional evidence from where the incident took place, said Archayon.

The explosive allegations were first made by actress An Yu-Qing, also known as Charlene An, in Taiwanese media on January 7, shortly after returning from a vacation in Bangkok. The explosive allegations were first reported in Thai media earlier this week. They are now the subject of graphic reports in media throughout the region.

She said police stopped a taxi she was sharing with friends at a checkpoint near the Chinese Embassy on Ratchadaphisek Road on the night of January 4.

Police detained them for two hours before eventually releasing them after receiving a payment of 27,000 baht, she told several news outlets in Taiwan. An also posted messages about the incident on her numerous social media pages, which have several hundred thousand followers each.

The police must make sure that the investigation is transparent and based on solid and thorough evidence, Archayon said. “If any officers involved are found to be guilty, they will face absolute disciplinary and legal action,” Archayon quoted the police chief as saying.

Metropolitan Police Bureau deputy chief Maj-General Samroeng Suanthong replied to An’s allegations on Thursday, after interviewing six officers who were manning the checkpoint where she and her friends were stopped on January 4.

Samroeng rebutted An’s claim of extortion. He said she was detained because she could not produce a passport and appeared drunk. Police officers eventually decided to release her and her friends because they were not dangerous, he added.

On Friday An wrote on her Instagram page that she would raise the issue with the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol).

“I was threatened,” she said, challenging police to release all CCTV footage taken near the checkpoint at the time of the incident. Previously, she said police had humiliated her and her friends.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024411

Bangkok deputy governor visits Drop In points in bid to get to the root of homelessness

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2023

Deputy Bangkok governor Sanon Wangsrangboon recently visited the capital’s coordination centre for homeless people, known colloquially as the “Drop In” point, under Somdet Phra Pinklao Bridge in Phra Nakhon district.

“Today’s activity saw agencies and partners who have been working together to tackle the problem of homelessness at its root,” he said. “Homelessness is an indicator that the welfare system is not working. This problem cannot be solved by simply providing homes or limiting homeless people to a specific zone. We must fix the welfare system, which is at the root of the problem.”

Sanon said the number of homeless people in the post Covid-19 era has been growing. There are also many who have a home but cannot find a job due to the fallout of the pandemic.

“Coordination centres have been providing jobs to the homeless and unemployed in a bid to tackle the problem at its roots,” he said. “In the past month, more than 100 homeless people have applied for jobs via Drop In points and some are now employed.”

The city has also been instructing people wishing to donate food, water and necessities for the homeless to do so only at two designated points: Under the Somdet Phra Pinklao Bridge and at Trok Sake alley on Atsadang Road.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has set up Drop In points across Bangkok to provide food and necessities to the homeless. These Drop In points can be reached via the 1330 hotline.

Related Stories

Bangkok to move forward with reorganising hawkers and vending stands

BMA sets up new film fest in hopes to creatively present Bangkok

BMA to issue street performer IDs to facilitate shows in Bangkok

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024410

Bangkok coordinates with neighbouring provinces to control air pollution, urges companies to allow working from home

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2023

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) expects PM2.5 levels to rise during the weekend of January 27-28 due to high-air pressure and low-altitude winds, governor Chadchart Sittipunt said on Friday.

“However, dust levels should return to normal on Saturday or Sunday,” he added.

PM2.5 is particulate matter that is 2.5 micrometres in diameter and can be harmful for people with chronic lung disease.

The governor said that BMA has been urging neighbouring provinces to monitor pollution sources, including factories and construction sites as well as control the burning of garbage by homeless people in city areas, which is contributing to the rising level of fine dust particles in the air.

“We have urged more than 30 private companies to implement the work-from-home approach to help reduce pollution from workplaces and traffic,” Chadchart added. “All parties should work together to bring down the dust, as well as prepare for a spike due to changes in weather conditions.”

Separately, the governor said the city’s public health system is ready for foreign tourists who have been pouring into Thailand since the start of the year.

“Covid-19 infections in Bangkok are low and we should have no shortage of hospital beds. Besides, most foreign tourists have insurance for Covid-19 treatment at private hospitals or hospitals in other provinces,” Chadchart added.

As for the lack of parking space at tourist attractions due to a surge in tour buses, he said the BMA will provide shuttle or feeder buses to cover tourists and commuters during peak hours.

“The city has also made improvements in congested areas, such as Sanam Luang, where an underground tunnel for pedestrians has been built to reduce crowds on road surfaces,” Chadchart added.

Related Stories

Bangkok to move forward with reorganising hawkers and vending stands

BMA sets up new film fest in hopes to creatively present Bangkok

BMA to issue street performer IDs to facilitate shows in Bangkok

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024407

Wet, windy weekend forecast for South of Thailand

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2023

Heavy rain and surging tides are forecast for the weekend in the South of Thailand, with strong winds hitting the Gulf, the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) has said.

In a weather warning on Saturday, the department said a strong northeast monsoon is prevailing over the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea. This condition will bring heavy rain to the lower South on Saturday and Sunday.

Affected areas include Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, Trang and Satun. Strong winds will create 2 to 4-metre-high waves in the Gulf, which will become higher during thundershowers, while the Andaman Sea will also see 2-metre or higher waves.

People along the South’s east coast have been advised to beware of surging tides and small boats in the Gulf have been urged to stay ashore until Sunday.

Meanwhile, a strong high-pressure system is covering upper Thailand and the South China Sea, bringing cooler weather and strong winds in the upper half of the country during the weekend, the TMD said.

Temperatures will fall by 2 to 4 degrees Celsius in the Northeast and by 1-3 degrees in the East and Central regions, including Greater Bangkok. People in upper Thailand have been advised to beware of fire due to dry air and strong winds.

Visit www.tmd.go.th or call the 1182 hotline for the latest.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024402

Prachin Buri plantations raided by 80 wild elephants looking for food

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2023

Local officials closed a road in Chachoengsao province on Friday in an attempt to prevent over 80 wild elephants from feeding on cash crops.

A section of Ban Na Yao Road was closed to traffic, as a large group of administrative officials and military officers attempted to chase the elephants back to the Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary, from where the animals had escaped.

Sapthawee Kulsaree, chief executive of the Tha Kradan Tambon Administrative Organisation in Chachoengsao, said that failure to push the elephants back would result in damage to plantations.

The wildlife sanctuary covers an area of 1,030 square kilometres spanning five provinces – Chachoengsao, Sa Kaeo, Rayong, Chanthaburi, and Chonburi.
 

About 40 elephants from the herd managed to cross into Kabin Buri district of Chachoengsao’s neighbouring Prachin Buri province, where they began feeding on sugarcane plantations.

A group of local officials and volunteers attempted to scare them away with firecrackers.

A volunteer who took part in the operation said that a large area of sugarcane plantations was destroyed by the wild elephants. He said that events like this had occurred frequently in recent months.

The volunteer said the wild elephants from the wildlife sanctuary seemed to have developed a taste for crops like sugarcane, bananas, cassava and fruits, which are abundant in the area.

“The foods here taste better and are easier to find than in the forest,” he said.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024401

Thai medical centre on alert over outbreak of ‘Disease X’ in Afghanistan

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2023

Thailand’s Centre for Medical Genomics is closely following an ongoing outbreak of a severe respiratory disease known as “Disease X”, which is being monitored by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The WHO is monitoring an outbreak of the respiratory disease in a village in Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan region, according to the Thai centre’s Facebook page.

It says 97 cases have been reported and that 17 resulted in death.

The centre, which operates under Mahidol University’s Faculty of Medicine, said on Friday that the WHO had yet to identify the pathogen or virus causing the disease.

A WHO team was sent to the remote village to investigate the disease amidst bad weather conditions and heavy snowfall, the centre reported.

The centre also said that it was conducting research on the DNA and RNA genetic sequences of the disease.

It said the WHO started preparing for an international epidemic of Disease X last October by launching a global scientific process to update its list of priority pathogens – agents that can cause outbreaks or pandemics.

Disease X was officially included in the latest update of the WHO’s list.

The WHO convened a meeting of over 300 scientists in November to consider 25 virus families and bacteria, as well as Disease X. It also recommended a list of pathogens to prioritise for further research.

The WHO’s list includes Disease X, along with Covid-19, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, Ebola, the Marburg virus, Lassa fever, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the nipah virus, Rift Valley fever, and the zika virus.

“Disease X” is a placeholder name that was adopted by the WHO in February 2018 on its shortlist of priority diseases to represent a hypothetical, unknown pathogen that could cause a future epidemic.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024400

Sweet taste of success as Thai-Hokkaido food firms match up at IconSiam

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2023

Nongluck Ajanapanya

Some 160 Thai businesses and 17 food manufacturers from Japan’s Hokkaido prefecture were brought together at the one-day “Hokkaido Premium Food Show” in Bangkok’s IconSiam on Friday.

The aim of the event was to introduce quality ingredients catering to Thais’ growing love for Japanese cuisine.

Participants tried new food and beverage, while exchanging business cards to expand their opportunities.

Ambassador Nishida Kazuya said Thailand is an important market for Japanese food, adding that between 2021 and 2022 as many as 915 new Japanese restaurants were opened in Thailand, bringing the total up to 5,325 – the highest ever.

This also demonstrates that the Covid-19 crisis has had no effect on Thai demand for Japanese food, he said.

Tsuchiya Shunsuke, Hokkaido’s vice governor, said he was delighted by the business-matching event, which is being held for the first time in three years.

Though business could be conducted via virtual contact during the Covid-19 crisis, it has always been preferable to meet in person and experience the true taste of Hokkaido, he said.

He added that the Hokkaido prefecture intends to hold similar business meetings to strengthen trade ties with Thailand and other countries.

Arada Fuangtong, deputy director-general of the Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), said Japan is Thailand’s third-largest trading partner, contributing to 10% of total exports worth 59.3-billion-baht last year.

Thailand too is a key export market for Japan, importing 343 million baht worth of food in 2021, up 41% from the previous year.

“Hokkaido is known for its food-production quality and today’s business matching event will offer Thai businesses a good opportunity to learn how food is processed in Hokkaido and turned into top value products that are acceptable worldwide,” Arada said.

Shunsuke, meanwhile, reckons the event will open more distribution channels for Hokkaido food to penetrate Thailand and the rest of Asean.

(from left) Takahashi Seiichiro, Nashida Kazuya,Tsuchiya Shunsuke, Arada Fuangtong