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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017712

The police will send traffic tickets to vehicle owners by mail in case officers cannot place the tickets on the windshields of vehicles that have violated the traffic law.

Each ticket will be sent in 30 days of the traffic violation and will be considered as “received” by the vehicle owner 15 days after the ticket has been sent.

The Royal Gazette website on Wednesday published the new regulation issued by the Royal Thai Police Headquarters under the Land Traffic Act of 1979, which added the 15-day clause to the existing regulation.

Earlier, Metropolitan Police Bureau deputy chief Pol Maj-General Jirasan Kaewsaeng-ek said the added clause would help people pay their traffic fines on time and therefore reduce repeat violations.

“A warning letter will be issued if the vehicle owner fails to pay the fine within 30 days after they receive the ticket. After that, a police summons will be issued twice. If the fine is still not settled, the police will ask the court to issue a warrant,” he said.

Delayed fine payment will incur a 1,000 baht “late fee” and the annual extension of the vehicle’s registration will be suspended until the fine is paid.

Published : July 14, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017706

At least 10,000 locals and tourists witnessed a spectacular candle procession to mark the beginning of Buddhist Lent on Wednesday night at Wat Si Ubon Rattanaram in Ubon Ratchathani’s Muang district.

The procession commenced on Upparat Road in Nai Muang subdistrict at 7pm and featured a parade of giant wax sculptures of Buddha images and Hindu mythological creatures, with a traditional dance performance and light and sound acrobatic show by more than 2,000 performers.

Candle processions are held by Buddhist communities across Thailand to mark the beginning of Lent, or the rainy season retreat for monks. Lent Day comes immediately after Asanha Bucha Day, which takes place during the full moon of the eighth lunar month, celebrating the day when the Buddha preached his first sermon to his first five disciples after his enlightenment.

Every Lent Day, people have carried giant wax candles to temples to present them to monks so they can remain lit throughout the three-month-period in which the monks cannot leave their temple grounds but have to focus entirely on studying the scriptures. Over time, the candles have grown more elaborate, being carved into different creatures and decorated with flowers, sparking competitions of wax sculptures and floral parades in many provinces.

Ubon Ratchathani has held its grand candle procession for 121 years and it has become a tourist attraction for both Thai and foreigners.

Governor Phongrat Phiromrat said on Wednesday cultural ambassadors from Vietnam, Laos, India and Japan attended this year’s event. They will also get cultural inputs from their Thai counterparts.

Published : July 14, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017701

Chulalongkorn University is inviting candidates to take a fourth jab of its Covid-19 mRNA vaccine starting next Monday (July 18) to study the efficiency of the vaccine.

The study is supervised by the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at the university’s Faculty of Medicine.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Dr Yong Poovorawan, expert virologist and chief of the centre, said the study would administer half a dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, and will compare the immunity level of candidates before the vaccination and one month after.

To be eligible, candidates must be over 18 years old and healthy, have no chronic health problem, never been infected with Covid-19, and have received three doses of Covid-19 vaccine in one of the following patterns:

– Sinovac + Sinovac + AstraZeneca

– Sinovac + Sinovac + Pfizer

– Sinovac + Sinovac + Moderna

– Sinovac + AstraZeneca + AstraZeneca

– Sinovac + AstraZeneca + Pfizer

– Sinovac + AstraZeneca + Moderna

– AstraZeneca + AstraZeneca + AstraZeneca.

The study will start administering jabs from July 18 at the Faculty of Medicine.

To take part, fill out the form at this link

Published : July 14, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017698

The Public Health Ministry reported on Thursday (July 14) that over the past 24 hours, 2,257 Covid-19 patients have been admitted to hospitals, one of whom has arrived in Thailand from abroad.

The death toll has risen by 28, while 2,120 patients have recovered and discharged from hospitals. 

The number of cumulative cases in the country since January 1, 2022, stands at 2,329,746.
 

The country’s total caseload from Covid-19 stands at 4,553,181 – 4,498,055 of whom have recovered, 24,191 are still in hospitals and 30,935 have died.

Separately, another 6,143 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, 12,422 their second shot and 56,971 a booster, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered nationwide to 140,620,319.

According to Worldometer, confirmed cases globally had risen to 564.21 million on Thursday, 536.22 million of whom have recovered, 21.61 million are active cases (38,725 in severe condition) and 6.38 million have died (up by 1,542).

Thailand ranks 27th in the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 90.91 million, followed by India with 43.69 million, Brazil with 33.08 million, France with 32.68 million and Germany with 29.46 million.

Published : July 14, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017687

The Omicron BA.5 subvariant can spread faster than any other subvariants before it and can cause reinfections, Vichaiyut Hospital respiratory specialist Dr Manoon Leechawengongs warned on Wednesday.

In a Facebook post, Manoon posted a screenshot of an article headline from the Fortune website titled “Move over, measles: dominant Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 could be the most infectious viruses known to man”.

“The latest BA.5 subvariant is especially infectious and could be the most infectious virus to date,” Manoon said.

“A person who contracted the original Covid-19 virus found in Wuhan could spread it to an average of 3.3 persons, while Delta patients could spread Covid to 5.1 persons,” he pointed out.

“However, Omicron variants have taken the infection rate to another level, with the BA.1 subvariant being able to spread to 9.5 persons, and BA.5 to 18.6 persons,” he added.

Chickenpox has an average spreading rate of 12 persons and measles 18 persons.

“It is possible that the new Omicron subvariant could be even more infectious, such as BA.2.75, which has just been discovered in India and needs to be studied further,” Manoon warned.

“Luckily, the new subvariants do not cause more serious symptoms than their predecessors. However, people are advised to protect themselves from infection by wearing face masks, washing their hands regularly and maintaining a social distance,” he advised.

“Most importantly, go get a booster shot at suitable intervals to keep your immunity high,” he recommended.

Published : July 13, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017684

Teams of officials performed a large-scale operation to rescue an elephant calf that fell into a manhole in Nakhon Nayok on Wednesday morning.

The officials, led by Khao Yai National Park veterinarian Chananya Kanchanasakha, took hours to rescue the one-year-old calf before it was reunited with its distressed ten-year-old mother, who was tranquilised as the operation got underway.

The pair was successfully ushered back into the forest in Tambon Sarika in Muang district after the successful rescue.

Saksiri Siriboon, the head of Moo 9 village, had alerted the officials at 1am that the calf had fallen into the manhole of sewer pipes behind a resort. The manhole is about two metres deep, two metres wide and three metres long.

The rescue operation needed a special plan because the anxious mother had approached the manhole and wouldn’t leave. Officials feared it could attack the rescuers.

The mother and baby belong to a herd of some 20 to 30 elephants that had walked past the spot before the baby fell into the manhole.

Rescuers were divided into three groups. The first group was sent uphill to set up a temporary barrier to prevent the herd rushing down to help if the mother cried for help.

The second, led by Chananya, was divided into three teams – one to shoot tranquiliser darts, another to be on watch and the third to take care of the mother elephant after it was sedated.

The third group was to use a bulldozer to bring the calf back up to the surface once its mother was sedated.

Initially, the veterinarian expected the mother to be sedated and stand still while officials rescued its baby.

However, after three tranquiliser darts were fired at the mother, it collapsed into unconsciousness, its head and front portion hanging into the very manhole that had trapped the baby.

However, this allowed the trapped calf to feed from the mother’s breast after it had starved throughout the night and the early hours of Wednesday.

Officials then used a bulldozer to lift up the mother. The veterinarian and helpers had to perform CPR on it while rescuers pulled the calf out from the bottom of the manhole.

Once the baby elephant was freed, it rushed to breast-feed from its unconscious mother.

Fortunately, the veterinarian managed to bring the mother elephant back to consciousness. The two elephants, gently guided by the officials, then sauntered off into the forest, none the worse for wear.

Published : July 13, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017682

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt met with the Chinese ambassador to discuss assistance in developing Bangkok into a “smart” city.

Chadchart had a working dinner with Ambassador Han Zhiqiang on Tuesday to seek the Chinese Embassy’s cooperation with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.

Apart from Chadchart, his chief adviser Torsak Chotimongkol, deputy governor Sanon Wangsrangboon, adviser Nipat Thonglek and secretary Pimuk Simaroj took part in the meeting.

They talked about various cooperation, from providing computers to Bangkok schools and giving medical equipment to hospitals to developing the capital into a smart city through investment and trade.

Chadchart also suggested that the embassy provide Chinese films for Bangkok’s “Krung Thep Klang Plang” outdoor film festival. Han agreed, saying the embassy would first make subtitles for the films.

The governor also requested Chinese teachers for Bangkok schools so students would be able to learn the language from native teachers.

Chadchart mentioned that the ambassador was friendly and they “talked a lot” until 9pm.

Chadchart had met Russian Ambassador Evgeny Tomikhin earlier this month to mark 125 years of bilateral ties and the 25th anniversary of Bangkok and Moscow becoming twin cities.

Published : July 13, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017679

In a bid to reduce people’s cost of living, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has decided to postpone the implementation of new garbage collection fee at 80 baht per month to October 1, 2023.

The current fee at 20 baht per month for households with less than 20 litres of garbage per day is scheduled to expire on October 1, 2022.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sitthiphan said on Tuesday that the meeting of BMA executives has agreed to postpone the hike in collection fee to avoid increasing the people’s financial burden now that there is an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases.

“The new fee will help increase the city’s income by 2 billion baht per month, but will add a burden to households more than businesses, since businesses usually have better recycling and waste management system to reduce their garbage output,” said the Chadchart.

“Currently about 60 per cent of garbage collected in Bangkok come from households, so we decided to postpone the hike to avoid increasing people’s cost of living.”

Chadchart added that in the meantime, the BMA will consider the collection rate that helps promote garbage sorting and efficient waste management, as the current rate is based solely on the volume of the garbage.

Published : July 13, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017673

The Medical Council of Thailand has issued seven guidelines to doctors on prescribing cannabis and hemp for medical treatment after many people took ill from using the decriminalised plants.

The council said eight government agencies had signed a memorandum of understanding on May 27 on the transfer of knowledge to do with the medical use of ganja and hemp.

But after the two plants were removed from the Category 5 Narcotics List on June 9, many marijuana users sought urgent medical help because of illness, hallucination, or harming themselves or others, the council pointed out.

It said cases of marijuana abuse put unnecessary pressure on medical personnel at emergency wards while cannabis also impacts brain growth and development of youth in the long run.

The council also noted that cannabis cannot be used to cure a disease but only to mitigate certain symptoms.

As a result, it issued seven guidelines for doctors:

– Use only extracts with a known amount of cannabidiol and tetrahydrocannabinol for treatment as prescribed by doctors that have received training on how to use cannabis for medical treatment.

– Do not use cannabis extracts as a first option. Only use these if other medicines are not effective in curing or controlling disease symptoms.

– Do not use cannabis extracts for women who are pregnant or breast-feeding or for persons under 25 years as cannabis can inhibit brain development.

– Do not mix ganja or hemp ingredients into food or sweets.

– Do not use hemp or ganja for recreational purposes.

– Do not use marijuana flowers for medicinal purposes as they contain narcotic levels that are too high and can damage one’s health.

– Do not prescribe ganja or hemp to people who do not have any diseases.

The council also said it has teamed up with other professional organisations with head offices in Mahitaladhibesra Building, Pathumwan district, to declare the building free from ganja, hemp and other narcotics as well as cigarettes and e-cigarettes.

Published : July 13, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017672

The Expressway Authority of Thailand (Exat) will not charge motorists any toll fees for its three expressways on Wednesday and Thursday to encourage travel during the current five-day holiday.

Exat said the exemption was aimed at allowing motorists to return to their home provinces to make merit on Asanha Bucha Day on Wednesday and Buddhist Lent on Thursday.

Motorists can use the three expressways free of charge from 00.01am on Wednesday to midnight on Thursday.

The three are:

– Chalerm Maha Nakhon Expressway with 19 toll gates

– Sirat (Second Stage and Outer Ring Road) Expressway with 31 gates

– Udon Ratthaya (Bang Pa-in-Pak Kret) Expressway with 10 gates.

Exat said it would consider lifting tolls on other long holidays.

Published : July 13, 2022

By : THE NATION