#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012637

The Department of Highways has been instructed to take immediate steps to prevent the new barrier-free toll collection system from bringing traffic to a near standstill at tollgates.

The new M-Flow system was expected to speed up traffic at the four gateways of Motorway 9 after it was launched on February 15. Instead, it resulted in long lines of vehicles as motorists scrambled to shift to cash-paying gates or gates using the M-Pass and Easy-Pass system when they arrived at the Thanyaburi 1 and 2 and Thap Chang 1 and 2 gateways.

Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob said on Tuesday that he has instructed the Highways Department to tackle the issue urgently and launch an awareness campaign for motorists to register for the new M-Flow system.

Sarawut Songsiwilai, director-general of the Highways Department, said motorists’ grievances were not being ignored and that the department has deployed officials to work with traffic police and rescue volunteers to mitigate traffic congestion at the four gateways.

Apologising for the confusion and congestion, he said the department was taking the following measures:

• Re-adjusting the number of cash-collection, M-Pass and Easy Pass tollgates at the four expressway gateways based on demand.

• Installing signs so motorists can be directed to drive into the correct gates. For instance, those who have registered for the M-Flow system can use the rightmost barrier-free lane, M-Pass and Easy Pass users can take the middle lanes, while cash-paying motorists can use the leftmost ones.

• Traffic barriers and traffic cones will be put up at least one kilometre ahead to prevent motorists from shifting lanes right in front of the tollgates.

• More officials will be deployed to collect tolls at the cash-collection gates to speed up traffic.

• Campaigns will be launched to encourage motorists to register for the M-Flow system with flyers distributed at tollgates and 7-Eleven convenience stores.

Published : February 22, 2022

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012635

The 41st Cobra Gold military exercises are underway in Thailand, with a return to “heavy-year” drills after 2020 and 2021 saw the war games downgraded due to Covid-19.

This year, 3,460 soldiers from 20 countries are participating in the training.

Thailand has sent the highest number of troops at 1,953 soldiers, followed by the US with 1,296.

Focusing on humanitarian relief drills, the Cobra Gold exercises run from February 20 to March 5.

Published : February 22, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012633

Thailand’s space agency has endorsed the world’s first mission to send Thai food into space. The tongue-in-cheek effort to stir Thai students’ enthusiasm for space tech and exploration was led by Chris Parker, a Canadian YouTuber, via his channel “Retired working for you” (RW4U).

The Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) on Saturday began boosting a video of the mission on its Facebook page.

The video clip shows spicy pad kaprao launching into the stratosphere attached to a high-altitude balloon.

The launchpad was Bueng Boraphet football pitch in Nakhon Sawan, where the mission to test the effects of stratospheric conditions on Thailand’s famous holy basil-flavoured dish blasted off on February 10.

Chris Parker

Parker, taking the role of mission control in the clip, said he believed that “the future of Thailand is amazing”.

He added that all Thai people should be proud of their homeland, before encouraging Thai children to have big ambitions.

“I want the students here today to understand that you should dream about your future, because you can do anything that you want,” he told the audience of schoolchildren.

Two dishes of pad kaprao topped with a fried egg – one on a plate and the other in a plastic box – were then mounted beneath a high-altitude balloon and launched to an altitude of between 30 and 35 kilometres.

The balloon fell to earth in a rice field in Nakhon Sawan’s Banphot Phisai district one day after the launch. The plated pad kaprao had disappeared completely but the serving in the plastic box survived its space adventure intact.

“Apart from encouraging Thai students to develop space technologies for the country, this activity also creates a guide for experiments that schools and universities can conduct and improve ways to recover their devices faster,” GISTDA said.

The agency also praised Parker’s YouTube channel and congratulated the team on their successful mission.

Published : February 22, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012630

The Thai Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday called on the government to cancel the requirement for foreign tourists to undergo the second RT-PCR test in hotels to help boost the tourism atmosphere.

The chairman of the chamber, Sanan Angubolkul, said many countries no longer required foreign tourists to undergo expensive RT-PCR tests once they arrived to make it more convenient for them to travel.

He was speaking at a press conference upon returning from leading a delegation from the chamber to Dubai to explore more trade, investment and tourism possibilities.

He said Thailand requires foreign tourists to have three RT-PCR tests – one 72 hours before departure by air and two more in the Kingdom – on the first day and the fifth day.

But many other countries, including Greece, the United Arab Emirates, France, Germany, Austria and the United States, required only one PCR-Test 72 hours before they depart, Sanan said.

Sanan pointed out that the tourism atmosphere in the UAE, in particular, was very active as 100 per cent of its citizens have received full vaccination against the Covid-19 virus and 40 per cent have received a third dose and the country has never been locked down.

The chairman said the chamber of commerce has received complaints and opinions from tourism and hospitality operators that Test & Go measures needed to be further eased urgently.

“For the country to have a chance to move forward and revive the economy, the Test & Go measures should be eased urgently,” Sanan said.

He said the second test in the country or on the fifth day of foreign tourists’ stay should be cancelled.

“It creates too much of a burden for foreign tourists to receive up to three RT-PCR tests,” Sanan said, also counting the test before they depart their countries for Thailand.

Sanan expressed confidence that the cancellation of the RT-PCR test on the fifth day would promote inbound tourism and would benefit the tourism and service sectors greatly.

He said he and dozens of members of his delegation who had returned from Dubai had personally experienced how inconvenient it was for them to receive RT-PCR tests in hotels on the fifth day of their return.

Sanan said that requiring a second RT-PCR test at hotels could also place the foreign tourists at risk of getting infected at the test sites.

He said figures from February showed that only a small fraction of new cases were foreign tourists. He said 869 out of 82,887 foreign tourists, who entered the Kingdom in February, tested positive, accounting for only for 1.05 per cent of all tourists under the Test & Go scheme in the month.

He said the measures should be eased before April, which would be a high season for foreign tourists and foreign businessmen.

“The Thai Chamber of Commerce would like to call on the government to consider easing the Test & Go measures to make it more attractive to foreign travellers,” Sanan reiterated.

Published : February 22, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012628

Minister of Tourism and Sports Pipat Ratchakitprakarn reiterated on Tuesday that Thailand will continue to charge every visitor a 300-baht landing fee (“Kha Yeap Pan Din”).

Pipat responded after the opposition parties discussed this matter during a two-day general debate on February 17-18.

He said the fee would be collected even though it was a policy implemented before he took the reins of the ministry.

Pipat said the fee would be used to buy insurance for foreign travellers while the leftover will be added to the tourism development fund, which will be managed by the permanent secretary of the Ministry Of Tourism and Sports and representatives from 10 organisations.

He promised to ensure the funds would be spent appropriately, and could be scrutinised.

Pipat explained that the landing fee was collected after the Erawan Shrine bombing incident in 2015, which left many foreign travellers injured and the Budget Bureau had to compensate them.

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In 2018, following a boat capsizing in Phuket, the ministry had to seek funds from the Budget Bureau.

However, the Budget Bureau informed the ministry in 2019 that it would not allocate funds for foreign travellers anymore, as a result the ministry had to collect the landing fee to have funds for cases where compensation had to be paid. The ministry had proposed this policy to the Cabinet in 2019.

Pipat added that the Ministry of Public Health had spent around 300 million baht from 2016 to 2018 to treat foreign travellers. If the ministry collects this fee to pay for the insurance, it would not have to seek a separate budget.

Published : February 22, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012627

Major manufacturers and distributors of liquor and beer have notified trade partners that they will raise prices of selected products from next week, said an informed source on Tuesday.

From next month, the price of rice whisky will rise by Bt120 per case of small bottles – from Bt1,242 to Bt1,362 – and by Bt54 per case of large bottles, from Bt1,158 to Bt1,212, said the source. “The price of beer will also go up by Bt2-4 per can, or Bt48 per case of large bottles [from Bt805 to Bt853],” the source added.

However, the Excise Department said on Tuesday that no manufacturers have notified the department of prices rises. The law requires that manufacturers give notice if they intend to raise the price by more than five per cent of the level suggested by the department.

The department insisted that the government had no policy to increase tax on alcoholic beverages, so any price hike must be due to other reasons.

Krungthep Turakij newspaper on Tuesday surveyed alcohol retailers in Chiang Mai’s Saraphi district and found that though prices were still the same, most shops anticipate rises after March 1.

“Small retailers will be severely affected as they don’t have enough money to stock up before the price hike,” said Kanpaphot Utcharoen, owner of a liquor shop in Chiang Mai. He said that after the price hike kicks, the shops would suffer from decreased sales as customers bought less alcohol.

He urged the government to reduce restrictions on the alcohol industry to allow the entry of new, smaller manufacturers, and promote competition with large manufacturers. “This would eventually result in more affordable prices for alcoholic drinks and generate income for local entrepreneurs,” he added.

The Cabinet is currently reviewing a draft liquor bill that would lower entry barriers for smaller brewers to an industry that has long been dominated by giant multinationals.

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Published : February 22, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012625

The Office of the Attorney-General (OAG) on Tuesday laid nine charges against Pol Lance Corporal Norawit Buadok over the killing of a doctor on a Bangkok pedestrian crossing last month.

Norawit was charged with reckless driving causing death, speeding, and driving a vehicle without a registration plate.

The other six charges were not driving in the left lane, not complying with signs (to stop at a zebra crossing), not driving a properly maintained vehicle (no side mirror), driving without road tax, driving without insurance, and driving without due care for others’ safety.

The OAG said it would pass the case on to the Criminal Court.

It also asked the court to seize Norawit’s motorcycle and suspend his driving licence.

An OAG spokesperson said the prosecutor had informed the victim’s family that they could now sue for compensation in the Criminal Court having already sued in the Civil Court.

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Norawit was riding a red Ducati big bike when he slammed into ophthalmologist Waralak Supawat-Jariyakul as she walked across a pedestrian crossing in front of Bhumirajanagarindra Kidney Institute Hospital on Phya Thai Road on January 21. Waralak was thrown into the air by the impact of the collision and died of her injuries.

Published : February 22, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012623

Call-centre scammers have been driven so desperate by the government’s intensified crackdown that they are now trying to deceive police officers, the digital economy and society minister said on Tuesday.

Chaiwut Thanakhamanusorn said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has instructed all government agencies to join forces to suppress the call-centre gangs and protect the public from their scams.

The intensified crackdown has made it harder for scammers to find victims, so they have even begun calling police officers to try to deceive them, Chaiwut added.

The minister said government agencies are now taking proactive measures to combat the gangs, including seeking cooperation from neighbouring countries to eradicate their bases of operation.

He cited an anti-scamming memorandum of understanding that the Thai government is about to sign with Cambodia.

In another proactive measure, the government would amend the law to punish people who allow their names to be used to open accounts to receive transfers from the victims of call-centre scams, Chaiwut said.

He also thanked the media for publishing reports that raised public awareness of the scammers and how to avoid falling prey to them.

Published : February 22, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012620

The Eastern Economic Corridor Office (EECO) will allow CP Group, the contractor of the high-speed rail project linking three airports (Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi and U-Tapao), to adjust the contract terms due to the impact on estimated commuter numbers from the Covid-19 outbreak.

“The project estimates 80,000 passengers, but due to travel restrictions during the Covid-19 outbreak this number is unlikely to be achieved,” The EECO secretary-general, Kanit Sangsubhan, said on Monday. “Therefore, the office will discuss with CP Group adjustment to the contract terms by extending the period in which CP can collect commercial profits from the project. The extension will be considered while protecting the government’s benefits and being fair to the private partners.”

Kanit added that the high-speed rail project in the section between Suvarnabhumi and U-Tapao airports is progressing as planned. The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) had delivered over 3,400 rai (544 hectares) of land to CP Group to prepare for the construction.

“Currently there are about 20 rai of land that the current owners are not ready to move out of, but the SRT maintains that they will find them new residences and deliver the land before May,” he said.

The EECO has also established a new wholly owned subsidiary called EEC Airport Asset Development Ltd to handle the commercial benefit arrangement in the Aerotropolis project at U-Tapao Airport with private partners in the first 10 years. The office will also declare the Aerotropolis a special economic zone and will grant special visas and work permits at 5+5 years for investors and employees in the Aerotropolis in a bid to attract foreign investment.

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Published : February 22, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012619

Thailand will not impose a lockdown despite a level 4 Covid-19 alert nationwide, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Tuesday.

He said the level 4 alert was aimed at reminding people to maintain distance, work from home and avoid gatherings to contain the spread of the virus.

He assured that Thailand would not impose a lockdown, and asked people to calm down as the number of Covid-19 cases in many countries had risen as well.

“Thailand should seek the best solution to deal with the pandemic,” he said. “Even though people can be infected with Omicron easily, they can recover quickly too, while the infection symptoms are not severe compared to other variants.”

Anutin added that the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration would discuss immigration measures, on whether to continue with RT-PCR tests for tourists on the fifth day of their arrival in Thailand.

He said the fifth-day test was likely to be scrapped as most new Covid-19 patients were found among people in the country rather than among foreigners.

Anutin dubbed as untrue news of Covid-19 patients lying on pavements waiting for help. He said there are enough beds in hospitals to treat patients.

He also confirmed that Covid-19 patients who develop severe symptoms can receive free treatment under the Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients, but patients who are asymptomatic or have only mild symptoms should receive treatment at home so that the public health system is not overloaded.

Published : February 22, 2022

By : THE NATION