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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40014811

A consignment of 200,000 doses of the India-made Covovax vaccine was handed to Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Thursday under the Quad Vaccine Partnership.

Present at the handover ceremony were Indian Ambassador Suchitra Durai, Australian Ambassador Allan McKinnon, Japan Ambassador Nashida Kazuya and the United States Chargé d’Affaires James Wayman.

This is the second consignment of vaccines India has provided under the Quad partnership after delivering its first one to Cambodia on April 12.

The vaccines have been supplied in line with Indian PM Narendra Modi’s promise to donate 500,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines to countries in the Indo-Pacific region.

Modi made the commitment at the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Washington on September 24, 2021.

The vaccine partnership was announced by the Quad leaders at their first summit on March 12, 2021, to leverage collective strength to ensure equitable access to safe and effective vaccines.

Quad countries, namely Australia, Japan, India and United States, have provided Thailand with 4.5 million Covid-19 vaccine doses so far. They have also provided last-mile delivery assistance and monetary support to ensure the doses are translated into jabs.

Australia is helping Thailand deliver vaccines safely and effectively by strengthening data systems and developing communication strategies with a focus on migrant populations.

India has been providing oxygen concentrators and essential medicines.

Japan has also provided oxygen concentrators as well as high-quality equipment for vaccine storage and transport through “Last One Mile Support”.

The US has helped with surveillance and contact tracing, case investigation, training health care workers, and data management.

Published : April 22, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40014810

The Army commander has named a new chief to oversee emergency situations at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports.

Supreme Commander General Chalermphol Srisawat signed the order on Wednesday appointing General Narong Prueksaroongruang as situation commander for the two airports. The order was published in the Royal Gazette the following day.

The order states that General Narong, a military specialist attached to the Supreme Command, will oversee all emergency operations at the two airports in case an emergency situation occurs.

The commander also appointed General Benjapol Rangsiphanuwat, an adviser to the Supreme Command, and Lt-General Saengsak Lamungthong, a military specialist attached to the Supreme Command, as Narong’s deputies.

The three officers will be in charge of emergency situations at the two international airports and will carry out operations assigned to them by the prime minister and the Cabinet, the order added.

The appointments go into effect retroactively from April 1.

Published : April 22, 2022

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40014808

A Bangkokian, whose beloved Scottish fold “Manee” had gone missing for three days, was snapped handing 300,000 baht in cash to the security guard who found it.

The lucky guard had been patrolling the village, believed to be Noble Tara Town in Town in Bangkok’s Wang Thonglang district, when he spotted the cat and called the owner.

The distraught owner had put up notices promising a fortune for her lost kitty.

When the two were reunited, the woman posted messages on social media thanking everybody for helping find her missing cat and also apologised to her neighbours.

Published : April 22, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40014807

The search for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in Thailand has surged by 357 per cent over the past year, Google Maps announced on Thursday.

The search engine published data on Thai users’ search topics that are environmentally friendly ahead of Earth Day, which is marked on April 22 every year.

The data shows that the search for forest hiking routes in Thailand rose by 132 per cent year on year, while the search for public parks also increased 49 per cent year on year.

The top five hiking routes searched on Google Maps between March 2021 and last month are Wat Pha Lat Hike (Monk’s Trail) in Chiang Mai, Pha Hua Sing in Phetchabun, Kew Mae Pan in Chiang Mai, Khunkorn Forest Park in Chiang Rai and Monkey Trail in Krabi’s Ao Nang.

Apart from public parks and nature trails, Thais are also interested in farmers’ markets, with searches on this topic rising 66 per cent year on year.

The five most popular farmers’ markets among Thai internet users are Chiang Mai’s Saturday Organic Market, Jin Jai Farmers Market and Kad Ban Ho, Pathum Thani’s New Si Mum Muang Market and Surin’s Sunday Green Market.

Thais have also shown interest in waste management, with the search for waste-management services rising by 67 per cent, while the hunt for second-hand shops and vendors of used and vintage clothes rose by 44, 57 and 153 per cent respectively.

Published : April 22, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40014805

Schools have been ordered to put all Covid-19 prevention measures in place before reopening for the 2022 academic year on May 16, government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said on Thursday.

“Schools planning to hold classes onsite or using a mixture of online and onsite learning must implement Covid-19 preventive measures as suggested by the Public Health Ministry,” he said. “The Education Ministry is also tasked with monitoring the situation closely to prevent cluster cases on campus.”

Thanakorn added that schools allowing onsite classes should first pass the Thai Stop Covid+ standard and implement the DMHT-RC practices, which are distancing, mask-wearing, handwashing, temperature checking, reducing crowds and cleaning regularly.

The Thai Stop Covid+ standard for schools stipulates that at least 85 per cent of teachers, staffers and students must be fully vaccinated. All personnel are also advised to take antigen tests regularly.

“Students can only work in small groups, while all airconditioned classrooms must be aired every two hours by opening windows,” Thanakorn said. “Schools are also required to prepare sealed routes for students to travel to the campus with as little exposure to crowded places as possible.

“Parents should also teach their children the importance of keeping their face mask on at all times and maintaining a distance from others while in school to protect themselves from Covid-19,” he added.

Published : April 22, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40014803

Ministry of Public Health reported on Friday (April 22) morning that in the past 24 hours there are 21,808 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, 91 of whom have arrived in Thailand from abroad.

Death toll increased by 128, while 19,826 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals.

Cumulative cases in the country since January 1, 2022 are at 1,904,603.
 

Published : April 22, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40014802

The level of Mekong River is expected to continue rising for a week as China’s Jing Hong Dam has been releasing water at 1,590 cubic metres per second on average since Monday due to heavy rains, the Office of National Water Resources said on Thursday.

The office’s deputy secretary-general Chayan Muangsong said that from Friday onwards, the level of Mekong River at the Chiang Saen Hydrology Station in Chiang Rai is expected to rise by about 2 metres.

“From the Chiang Khan Hydrology Station in Loei to Khong Jiam Hydrology Station in Ubon Ratchathani, the river’s level is expected to rise by half a metre during the said period,” he said. “However, the estimated level can change depending on the water management policy of Xayaburi Dam in Laos.”

The office has advised people living along the banks of the Mekong in Chiang Rai, Loei, Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Amnat Charoen and Ubon Ratchathani to monitor weather forecasts and hydrological updates closely and prepare for possible floods in the next seven days.

Published : April 22, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40014801

The Royal Thai Navy said on Thursday that it has postponed talks with submarine manufacturer China Shipbuilding & Offshore International Co (CSOC) to early May because of China’s strict Covid-19 restrictions on foreign arrivals.

The talks, scheduled to kick off this month, aim to address the problem of the submarine’s production coming to a halt in early March when Germany blocked the export of MTU396 diesel engine to China.

Navy spokesman Vice Admiral Pokkrong Monthatpalin said the exact date of the talks will be confirmed by CSOC.

“Commander-in-chief Admiral Somprasong Nilsamai insists the talks be held as soon as possible to ensure we receive the [Yuan-class S2-6T] submarine as per the specifications ordered,” he added.

“The talks will only discuss the submarine engine issue and will not cover other issues such as the purchase of second-hand submarines.”

Pokkrong also said that the delay has nothing to do with the upcoming no-confidence debate as some have speculated, as the exact date of the parliamentary debate has yet to be set.

The Navy signed a 13.5-billion baht deal in 2017 with CSOC for the purchase of an S26T submarine fitted with MTU396 diesel engines from Germany’s Motor and Turbine Union Company.

However, Germany blocked the export in line with a European Union arms embargo imposed on China after the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.

Published : April 22, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40014793

Despite opposition from its labour union, state-run bus operator Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) is going ahead with a plan to hire a private company to operate an electric-vehicle fleet of 400 buses.

BMTA chief executive Kittikan Chomdoung Charuworapolkul said on Thursday that as part of its rehabilitation plan, the agency would get a private company to procure 400 EV buses, as well as drivers and fare collectors, to serve passengers in line with the schedules set by all the eight bus terminals of the BMTA.

The budget for this plan comes from the BMTA’s revenue set aside for maintenance and petrol cost, as well as the state subsidy for public service obligation, according to the CEO.

He dismissed an allegation by the BMTA’s labour union that the executive board was spending too much on hiring a private company to operate the EV fleet — an average of over THB6,000 per bus per day.

Kittikan said the cost was the same as what the BMTA was incurring on its current fleet of normal red-and-beige buses, covering maintenance, petrol, wages for the drivers and fare collectors.

The BMTA’s rehabilitation plan, approved by its executive board recently, calls for 400 EV buses to be operated by a private concessionaire.

An auction is scheduled for May to select the concessionaire, and the winner is required to start procuring EV buses within October, which should comprise at least 30 per cent of the fleet within a year.

The loss-making state enterprise has cumulative debts totalling THB130 billion. Its average cost amounts to THB4 billion per year for maintenance, petrol and personnel.

It gets 500,000 to 600,000 passengers on weekdays and 300,000 to 400,000 on average on holidays, much lower than the 900,000 in 2019, before Covid-19 struck.

Published : April 21, 2022

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40014792

The Peninsula Plaza, a high-end shopping mall known for designer product outlets, jewellery shops and luxurious gourmet restaurants, is being torn down to make way for a new high-rise hotel with an investment of over 4.6 billion baht.

Located next to the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel on Rajdamri Road for 34 years, the luxury mall was once popular among Bangkok celebrities of the 1980s.

Peninsula Plaza was a landmark once known for its beautiful Christmas tree decorated with colourful lights during the festive season around the New Year.

Its French-style multi-storey building housed over 70 small boutiques for imported elite brands, such as Louis Vuitton, Versace and Gucci, as well as local designers like Kai Boutique and Duangjai Bis.

Well-known Thai jewellers also set up shops there, including Franks Jewelry and Blue River Diamonds, which later changed its name to Sincere Jewelry.

For over three decades, Peninsula Plaza housed Le Jardin, a much-loved restaurant that served Thai and Western cuisine. Le Jardin was among the first to bring boat noodles — a street food known for its thick and aromatic broth — to a luxury mall.

Peninsula Plaza was closed down on March 1 after its land lease with Vajiravudh College expired. Dismantling of the building is expected to take about eight months.

The land plot has now been leased to LH Mall & Hotel Co Ltd, an affiliate of the Land and Houses group of companies. A new 40-storey hotel — Grand Centre Point Ratchadamri 2 — will be built there with 509 rooms.

With an investment of over THB4.6 billion, construction of the new hotel is scheduled to start early next year and be completed in four years. The new hotel is expected to be operational within the third quarter of 2026.

LH Mall & Hotel is preparing an environmental impact assessment report on the project.

The existing Grand Centre Point Ratchadamri Hotel, located just behind the Peninsula Plaza building, will see its lease with Vajiravudh College expire in 15 years.

Published : April 21, 2022