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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017054

Birdwatchers at Thung Raya-Nasak Wildlife Sanctuary in Ranong’s Kra Buri district were amazed by the sight of a large flock of plain-pouched hornbills on Sunday.

The hornbills’ decision to make the wildlife sanctuary their new home proved that the area is fertile and safe, said its chief Patpong Monnimit.

He said that hornbills travel in search of fruit and mates, as well as to teach young hornbills about directions.

“If they do not face human interference, hornbills can sustain reproduction of chicks in the long term,” he said.

He added that sanctuary officials have been deployed to monitor the new arrivals’ behaviour and ensure their safety until they move on.

Thailand is home to 13 species of hornbill, named for the distinctive shape of their beaks. These are the great hornbill, oriental pied hornbill, wreathed hornbill, plain-pouched hornbill, rufous-necked hornbill, helmeted hornbill, black hornbill, bushy-crested hornbill, wrinkled hornbill, Tickell’s brown hornbill, Austen’s brown hornbill, rhinoceros hornbill and the white-crowned hornbill.

However, the hornbill population in Thailand is dwindling due to deforestation and hunting. They fetch a high price in the black market as these birds are seen as a “symbol of prestige”.

The birds are covered by the 1992 Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act and people caught possessing, buying or selling them face up to four years in prison and/or a fine of 40,000 baht.

Published : June 26, 2022

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017043

Public Health Ministry reported on Sunday (June 26) morning that in the past 24 hours there are 2,378 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, two of whom have arrived in Thailand from abroad.

Death toll increased by 17, while 1,834 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals.

Cumulative cases in the country since January 1, 2022 are at 2,290,720.

The country’s total caseload from Covid-19 stands at 4,514,155 – 4,460,250 of whom have recovered, 23,313 are still in hospitals and 30,592 have died.

Separately, another 14,100 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, 32,992 their second shot and 76,815 a booster, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered nationwide to 139,546,745.

According to Worldometer, confirmed cases globally had risen to 548.70 million on Sunday, 523.60 million of whom have recovered, 18.75 million are active cases (36,279 in severe condition) and 6.35 million have died.

Thailand ranks 26th in the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 88.77 million, followed by India with 43.39 million, Brazil with 32.06 million, France with 30.51 million and Germany with 27.77 million.

Published : June 26, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017041

Virologist Anan Jongkaewwattana pointed to “clearer symptoms” of Covid-19 cases infected with the new BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of the Omicron.

Thailand has so far recorded 181 cases of BA.4 and BA.5, the Department of Medical Sciences reported on Friday.

Anan said on Saturday that over 50 per cent of patients with BA.4 and BA.5 were found to have fatigue, coughing, fever, headache and runny nose.

“The symptoms are clearer than those found in the Omicron’s first subvariants,” he said in a Facebook post, citing data collected by public health units in France.

The French data were collected from two groups of Omicron cases — 281 patients with the BA.1 subvariant and 288 patients with BA.4 and BA.5, he added.

A comparison of both groups showed that more cases with BA.4 and BA.5 had symptoms like fatigue, coughing, fever, headache and runny nose.

For example, almost 80 per cent of patients with BA.4 and BA.5 showed signs of fatigue, compared to a little over 50 per cent for those with the BA.1 subvariant.

Meanwhile, more than 50 per cent of patients with BA.4 and BA.5 had a runny nose, compared to only 25 per cent of those with BA.1.

Of the 12 BA.4 and BA.5 cases who were sent to hospital, none became critically ill or died, Anan said.

“The good news is that BA.4 and BA.5 may not be a milder version of Omicron, but the immunity obtained from the vaccine is sufficient to prevent severe illness,” he wrote.

Anan is director of the Veterinary Health Innovation and Management Research Group at the National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (Biotec).

Published : June 25, 2022

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017038

Police arrested four people during a raid on an illegal online gambling operation in Samut Prakan province on Saturday.

The operation’s gambling website claims to have over 120,000 customers and a monthly turnover of more than 25 million baht, deputy national police chief Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapat said.

Four suspects — three men and a woman — were arrested after police broke into a rented house inside a community in Samut Prakan’s Phra Pradaeng district, also known as Bangkok’s “green lung”.

The suspects were charged with operating an illegal gambling site and handed to Phra Pradaeng police station for further interrogation.

Internet-crime police had traced the operation to the house via three gambling websites, according to deputy Metropolitan Police chief Pol Maj-Gen Trairong Piewphan. He said the house could not be reached by car so arresting officers had to walk into the community in a way that did not arouse suspicion from the gang’s lookouts.

Also confiscated during the police raid were three computers, eight monitors, a mobile phone, one router, a security camera, and computer accessories, altogether valued at over 140,000 baht.

Published : June 25, 2022

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017036

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has praised Thais for continuing to wear face masks voluntarily, government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said on Saturday.

The PM said that by wearing masks and following universal prevention measures, people will cut the risk of Covid-19 both for themselves and others, according to the spokesman.

The government scrapped the mask mandate on Friday, allowing people to choose whether cover their faces in public places. However, mask-wearing is still mandatory on trains, buses and other public transport, as well as in shopping malls.

In a recent survey by the Department of Health, an overwhelming majority of Thais said they would wear masks even after mandatory face-covering was scrapped.

Asked whether they would continue wearing face masks in public places after Friday, 93.3 per cent of respondents said yes while only 6.7 per cent said no.

Published : June 25, 2022

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017035

Thailand and Switzerland have signed the world’s first country-to-country cooperation pact on offsetting carbon emissions.

The pact was inked by Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa and his Swiss counterpart Simonetta Sommaruga in Bern on Friday. Varawut is visiting the Swiss capital on the first stop of his week-long European tour.

The cooperation pact under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement allows countries to voluntarily cooperate to achieve emission reduction targets set out in their nationally determined contribution (NDC).

According to a Thai-Swiss memorandum signed in May, the pact will allow Switzerland to offset its carbon emissions via climate projects in Thailand.

In return, Thailand will receive Swiss knowledge and expertise to drive its quest for carbon neutrality and net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Varawut said the pact signing also celebrated the 90th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Thailand and Switzerland, which falls on Tuesday.

He said Thailand was now expected to be the first country to transfer carbon credits from clean energy and electric-vehicle support projects.

He added that this agreement will expand cooperation in tackling the climate crisis to the private and other sectors, bringing concrete results that would lead to sustainable development.

Thailand aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2065.

Published : June 25, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017034

Ayutthaya, Thailand’s ancient capital dating as far back as the 14th century, is getting ready to welcome two large groups of foreign dignitaries.

Some 60 participants of the Global Summit of Women, which wrapped up in Bangkok on Saturday, are scheduled to tour Ayutthaya before heading to Nakhon Ratchasima in the Northeast.

The trip runs from Sunday to Tuesday.

While in Ayutthaya, the guests are scheduled to visit historical sites and Buddhist temples, as well as watch a parade of elephants and Muay Thai shows.

The 32nd Global Summit of Women, an annual international business and economic forum for female leaders, was held in Bangkok from June 23-25 with more than 650 participants from 52 countries.

Separately, a large group of foreign diplomats based in Thailand is scheduled to visit Ayutthaya on August 11.

Provincial governor Weerachai Nakmas met Nattaphong Sitthichai, deputy director-general of the Foreign Ministry’s Department of Protocol, to discuss preparations for the visit.

An undisclosed number of ambassadors and consul generals, along with their spouses, are set to visit the Arts of the Kingdom Museum in Ayutthaya’s Bang Pa-in district.

Published : June 25, 2022

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017033

Thailand’s leading telecom operator Advanced Info Service Plc (AIS) on Friday lost its appeal against the penalty imposed on it by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC).

As per the Supreme Administrative Court, AIS is required to pay an administrative fine of 100,000 baht per day calculated from May 30, 2012, onwards.

NBTC first castigated AIS on May 15, 2012, for allegedly violating the 2006 Notification of the National Telecommunications Commission, which stops service providers from forcing users to use up talk-time within a specified period.

AIS had set up a promotion for pre-paid users in which a 50-baht top-up would last for five days, a 300-baht top-up for 30 days, a 500-baht top-up for 350 days and a 1,500-baht top-up for 365 days.

NBTC first wrote to AIS on May 15, 2012, demanding that the company adjust the campaign in line with the notification. When it did not get a response, NBTC sent another letter on May 30, 2012, saying the penalty had been increased to 100,000 baht per day.

AIS, however, called on the Supreme Administrative Court to get NBTC to revoke its order because it claimed the order contradicted the law.

However, the court upheld NBTC’s order, saying the 100,000 baht per day penalty did not contradict the law and that the AIS had earned a lot of money from the promotion.

Published : June 25, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017032

The majority of Thais believe “soft power” is key to Thailand’s economic recovery but say the government is not doing enough to promote it, according to the latest survey by Suan Dusit Poll.

The June 13-16 poll surveyed 1,066 respondents nationwide for their opinions on the government’s campaign to promote Thailand via culture, food, arts and traditions.

It found that 78.36 per cent of respondents believed soft power would help revive the country’s economy. Meanwhile 77.23 per cent said it would help promote the country’s image to the global audience and 54.94 per cent said it would spur cultural conservation in Thailand.

Asked which aspect of soft power the government should focus on, 93.79 per cent said tourism, Thai culture and traditions; 82.58 per cent said Thai foods and desserts; 73.63 per cent said fashion and fabrics; 71.75 per cent said Thai sports, especially Muay Thai; and 64.49 per cent said Thai medicine and massage.

Asked what was the strong point of Thai soft power, 68.23 per cent said uniqueness and diversity, 61.37 per cent said it reflects Thai people’s way of life, and 58.55 per cent said its popularity among foreign tourists.

However, asked about weak points in the soft-power campaign, 86.09 per cent identified lack of long-term support from government, 62.03 per cent said lack of planning and direction, and 60.15 per cent said lack of comprehensive public relations.

In the open-ended section, some respondents suggested that the government should coordinate with all parties to promote soft power, set a long-term strategy that focuses not only on conservation but also on what sets Thai culture apart from others, and harness the power of the creative economy.

Published : June 25, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017030

Women can flourish in the male-dominated world of science and technology if they have the expertise and capability, said chief of Amazon’s Space and Satellite Solutions at the Global Summit of Women 2022. 

One of the most interesting speakers at the Global Summit of Women 2022 was Mani Thiru, chief of Space and Satellite Solutions, Amazon Web Services (AWS). 

A big part of Thiru’s role is to understand the space ecosystem and connect expertise in different countries to help governments or companies launch satellites or go on space-exploration ventures.

Space science and technology have come a long way since the first man went into space in 1961. Yet, though the industry is rapidly growing, the number of women employed is still only about 20 per cent, the same as some 50 years ago, figures released by the UN show. 

However, with the space industry rapidly transforming, more women are entering the field, proving that they are just as capable as men when it comes to exploring new frontiers. 

Thiru said in her career, she realised that gender disparity is rife in the industry but added that her experience also proved that success comes from capability and expertise.

“If you are really good at what you do, no one can close the door on you,” she said. 

Her advice for women who want to move ahead in their careers is that they should never be afraid to have their voices heard and put themselves forward. 

Thiru said more women are needed in the field of science because more inventions are needed. She said diversity, whether it is age, gender or ethnicity, is what drives discovery forward because everyone sees things differently.

Published : June 25, 2022

By : THE NATION