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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013109

The Interior Ministry has chosen Sunday May 29 as the date for the Bangkok governor and Pattaya mayor elections, an informed source said on Monday. The date will be presented to the Cabinet meeting for approval on Tuesday.

The election for members of Bangkok Metropolitan Council and Pattaya council will be held on the same date. Bangkokians will elect 50 council members while Pattaya residents will elect 24 council members.

If approved by Cabinet on Tuesday, the resolution will be sent to the Election Commission (EC) by Friday this week.

Then, between March 21 and 31, the EC will announce the dates of the Bangkok governor and Pattaya mayor elections before opening candidate registration five days later.

Constituency arrangements made by local election commissions in Bangkok and Pattaya’s Chonburi have already been submitted to the national Election Commission and published in the Royal Gazette.

The upcoming vote will be the first time a Bangkok governor has been elected since 2013, after which the 2014 coup put a freeze on all local and national elections. Current governor Aswin Kwanmuang took office on October 18, 2016 after being appointed by the National Council for Peace and Order.

Although the normal term in office for a Bangkok governor is four years, the election has been pushed back several times by authorities, who blamed the Covid-19 situation and political rallies in Bangkok.

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Published : March 07, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013102

Ministry of Public Health reported on Monday (March 7) morning that in the past 24 hours there are 21,162 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, 102 of whom have arrived in Thailand from abroad.

Death toll increased by 65, while 23,159 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals.

Cumulative cases in the country since January 1, 2022 are at 824,422.
 

The country’s total caseload from Covid-19 stands at 3,047,857 – 2,794,098 of whom have recovered, 230,459 are still in hospitals and 23,300 have died.

Separately, another 20,882 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, 6,597 their second shot and 54,999 a booster, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered nationwide to 124,916,084.

According to Worldometer, confirmed cases globally had risen to 446.72 million on Monday, 379.87 million of whom have recovered, 60.83 million are active cases (71,228 in severe condition) and 6.02 million have died (up by 4,120).

Thailand ranks 33rd in the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 80.92 million, followed by India with 42.97 million, Brazil with 29.05 million, France with 23.06 million and the UK with 19.12 million.

Published : March 07, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013101

The Public Health Ministry reckons the Covid-19 situation will improve enough to be considered an endemic disease by early July, the government spokesman said on Sunday.

Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said that in its latest report to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, the ministry said the pandemic situation is continuing to improve so its status should be changed to endemic by mid this year.

The spokesman also quoted Prayut as saying that the pandemic situation in Thailand has stabilised thanks to the government’s vaccine rollout and good public healthcare. He said the premier also thanked the public for having faith in his government, adding that though the number of new cases is still high, it has started slowing down.

On Sunday, Thailand logged 21,881 new Covid-19 cases over the past 24 hours, which had dipped from 22,818 new cases reported on Saturday morning, though the number of deaths has risen to 59 from 52 on Saturday.

Earlier, Dr Sumanee Watcharasin, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration assistant spokesperson, said Spain, India and China along with the state of California in the US are getting ready to treat Covid-19 as an endemic disease.

Once declared an endemic, people can return to leading their lives as normal, she said.

Before announcing it as an endemic disease, the Public Health Ministry has joined universities and other government agencies to study eight areas that were Covid hotspots and 44 other areas where there were fewer infections. The goal of the study was to see if the country is ready to deal with the disease being declared endemic.

Sumanee said the study came up with the following conclusion:

• Thailand has successfully dealt with the pandemic due to good leadership, good management, good human resources, a good supply of medicines and medical facilities, a good supply of vaccines, good operations and good participation of all sectors.

• Several countries, including Thailand, believe the pandemic is ending because new variants are less dangerous. Also, the rate of infection in Thailand is slowing down and should improve enough to enter the endemic stage by July.

• Thailand’s medical services, disease control measures, medical personnel, medications and hospital beds are ready for patients with severe symptoms. Covid-19 patients with mild or no symptoms are now being treated as outpatients who can recover at home.

• Apart from ensuring a sufficient supply of medication and vaccines, the government is also supporting the local production of medication and vaccines for future pandemics.

• The government should speed up PR campaigns via social media to reach all groups so they can learn to protect themselves once Covid-19 is named an endemic disease.

Published : March 06, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013098

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered all government agencies to ready emergency relief measures to cope with storms set to hit the country from today until Tuesday (March 6-8).

Prayut is concerned for the safety of people in the lower Northeast, Central Region and East, government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said.

The PM wanted people to avoid open spaces, large trees, billboards and unstable structures during the storms, Thanakorn said. Prayut also warned farmers to defend their crops against storm damage, he added.

Government agencies were also ordered to issue warnings that give people time to protect themselves from the extreme weather.

Meanwhile local administrations were instructed to check and secure billboards, buildings and large trees ahead of the coming storms.

Separately, the prime minister was informed that Narathiwat was now free of floods and the situation had returned to normal, Thanakorn said.

He said officials in the southern province were speeding up efforts to survey damage, repair houses and clean up now that the floods have subsided.

Published : March 06, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013091

World-class DJs and full sensory immersion will power Thailand’s first metaverse concert, according to organiser A Plano Tech.

Planned for August 13 this year, the Hype Type Metaverse Concert will also feature non-fungible tokens (NFTs), cryptocurrency and virtual shops, CEO of A Plano Tech Kalyawee Chumphon na Ayutthaya said.

The concert’s metaverse platform has been built over the past year by Thai and international developers at a cost of over Bt235 million, she added. The company plans to sell copyright for the platform’s software to other entertainment companies worldwide.

Music fans can expect more than six hours of performance from international artists on August 13. Topping the bill are Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, DJ Wolfpack, DJ Makasi, DJ FRIDAYYY & AOORA, Botcash, YoungOhm and a “special guest from South Korea”.

“We expect 20 million people worldwide to participate in the concert,” Kalyawee said.

Metaverse technology will enable concertgoers to dress up and interact with others while feeling that artists are performing in front of them, said the company.

People can participate in the concert via VR headsets, smartphones or computers, it added.

Visit www.hypetype-concert.com for early-bird tickets starting at US$40/Bt1,200.

Published : March 06, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013084

Public Health Ministry reported on Sunday (March 6) morning that in the past 24 hours there are 21,881 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, 134 of whom are foreign travellers.

Death toll increased by 59, while 21,448 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals.

Cumulative cases in the country since January 1, 2022 are at 803,260.

The country’s total caseload from Covid-19 stands at 3,026,695 – 2,770,939 of whom have recovered, 232,521 are still in hospitals and 23,235 have died.

Separately, another 60,512 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, 18,078 their second shot and 105,304 a booster, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered nationwide to 124,833,606.

According to Worldometer, confirmed cases globally had risen to 445.42 million on Sunday, 378.29 million of whom have recovered, 61.12 million are active cases (72,020 in severe condition) and 6.01 million have died (up by 5,637).

Thailand ranks 18th in the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 80.91 million, followed by India with 42.96 million, Brazil with 29.03 million, France with 23.01 million and the UK with 19.11 million.

Published : March 06, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013078

PayPal, a major provider of online payment services, announced on Saturday that the limitation of accounts scheduled to go into effect from March 7 will not be implemented.

This means users in Thailand can continue making money transfers and shopping online using PayPal.

Businesses and sole proprietors who have opened PayPal accounts before March 7, 2021, can also continue using their existing accounts to send and receive payments.

“We will be engaging them shortly to provide our direct assistance, collect more information and offer support based on their circumstances,” PayPal said.

The move came after PayPal’s new policy caused much confusion and concern among online sellers in Thailand.

According to an earlier PayPal directive, people in Thailand with existing PayPal accounts would not be able to use their PayPal wallet to shop online from March 7 until further notice.

PayPal had encountered delays in complying with Thai laws and regulations requiring individual account holders to confirm and verify their identities in order to comply with the Anti-Money Laundering Office’s requirements.

The Bank of Thailand extended the deadline for PayPal to transfer its services to PayPal Thailand until the end of this year to prevent disruptions for existing customers.

In its statement, PayPal admitted that the proposed changes to its services led to confusion among customers — especially freelancers, casual sellers and sole proprietors.

“We sincerely apologise for this. We deeply regret the confusion and inconvenience caused to our customers and their businesses. We are committed to serving our customers in Thailand and will work hard to regain their trust,” it said.

“We have been working closely with the Thai authorities to address our customers’ concerns,” a PayPal spokesperson said.

The company also said it would continue updating its products and processes to ensure regulatory compliance in Thailand.

“This will include collecting the necessary identification data from natural persons for know your customer [KYC] verification in accordance with Thai laws. We will share more details about the process with our customers later this year,” it said.

Published : March 05, 2022

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013077

Another 61 Thai nationals returned home safely from war-ravaged Ukraine on Saturday. So far, 203 Thais have been brought back since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.

They are among the 256 Thai nationals living and working in Ukraine.

The Foreign Ministry said some 25 or 26 Thais have decided to continue living with their families in Ukraine.

However, the Thai embassy in neighbouring Poland has been in constant contact with them and are ready to facilitate their evacuation if they change their minds, said Naruchai Ninnad, director of the ministry’s Division for the Protection of Thai Nationals Abroad.

Three groups of Thai evacuees had arrived earlier this week, while the fourth and fifth groups landed in Suvarnabhumi Airport on Saturday.

Of the 61 Thais arriving on Saturday, 16 had begun their long journey from the Romanian capital of Bucharest before heading to Zurich and arriving in Bangkok shortly after 6am. The remaining 45 left Warsaw in the early hours of Saturday and arrived in Bangkok around noon.

Published : March 05, 2022

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013075

Four locally developed Covid-19 vaccines and an antibody-packed nasal spray should be registered with the Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) very soon, deputy government spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek said on Saturday.

The four vaccines – Chula-Cov19, HXP-GPOVac, Baiya SARS-CoV-2 Vax and Covigen – are undergoing human trials and should be ready for FDA registration once all three trial stages are completed, she said.

The spokesperson said more than 20 Covid-19 vaccines are being researched and developed by different Thai state agencies, universities and companies.

The vaccines are being developed with the use of several techniques, including viral vector, protein subunit, mRNA and virus-like particles, she said.

Among the agencies involved in the research and development are the National Vaccine Institute, Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO), National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (Biotec), Chulalongkorn University and Mahidol University.

Meanwhile, the nasal spray designed to neutralise the Covid-19 virus is expected to be registered with the FDA by June for commercial production in the third quarter of this year, Rachada said on Saturday.

The spray is jointly developed by the GPO, Chulalongkorn University, Silpakorn University, Health Systems Research Institute and Hibiocy Co Ltd.

Meanwhile, another Covid-19 vaccine in the form of nasal spray is being developed by Biotec. Called NASTVAC, the vaccine was tested on animals and is expected to be tested on humans in the second quarter of this year.

The spokesperson said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has lauded Thai researchers and agencies for their devotion and collaboration in developing Covid-19 vaccines.

“Thanks to them, Thailand’s progress with Covid-19 vaccine R&D is at the forefront in the region,” she quoted Prayut as saying.

Published : March 05, 2022

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40013074

The spike in fuel costs due to the Russia-Ukraine war is boosting inflation and pushing up the price of some 260 consumer goods.

The Commerce Ministry has ordered a freeze on increasing the price for 18 groups of goods and services despite repeated calls from manufacturers since late last year for prices to be adjusted in line with rising production costs.

Under the ministry’s decree, the price freeze applies to instant noodles, fresh food, canned food, bagged rice, seasoning sauce, cooking oil, carbonated drinks, milk and milk products, electrical appliances, washing products, fertiliser, pesticide, animal feed, iron, cement, paper, medicine and medical products.

However, the private sector, including the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Federation of Thai Industries, say price increase will be inevitable for as long as business entrepreneurs continue facing higher costs from the constant rise of petrol prices.

Wattanasak Sur-iam, Department of Internal Trade director-general, said the Commerce Ministry will allow prices to be raised on a case-by-case basis, along the lines of the principle that “consumers must not be too affected while producers can survive”.

The global price of crude oil has risen beyond US$110 per barrel as the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine worsens. Russia is a major supplier of oil and natural gas, while Ukraine is a major producer of agricultural products.

Thai consumers have been hit with rising prices for fresh food, including pork, chicken and eggs, as well as ready-made and freshly made food.

In February, Thailand saw a record inflation rate of 5.28 per cent – the highest in 13 years.

Meanwhile, Ronnarong Phoolpipat, director of the Commerce Ministry’s Trade Policy and Strategy Office, said inflation is spiking in Thailand due to the Russia-Ukraine war, not the state of the Thai economy or value of the baht.

“If the price of oil continues to stay above $110 per barrel, inflation will remain high,” he warned. “Inflation should stay within a manageable limit set by the Bank of Thailand. If necessary, the central back will certainly issue some measures.”

In February, some 260 items saw an increase in price, including electricity, tap water, fuel, pork, rice and curry, cooked food, cooking oil and eggs.

Meanwhile, the price of 65 items remained the same, including mobile phone and internet services, while 105 items became cheaper, such as oranges, ginger, chilli, banana and postage fees.

Published : March 05, 2022