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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012573

Ministry of Public Health reported on Monday (February 21) morning that in the past 24 hours there are 18,883 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, 162 of whom have arrived in Thailand from abroad.

Death toll increased by 32, while 14,914 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals.

Cumulative cases in the country since January 1, 2022 are at 507,763.
 

The country’s total caseload from Covid-19 stands at 2,731,198 – 2,542,145 of whom have recovered, 166,397 are still in hospitals and 22,656 have died.

Separately, another 26,544 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, 13,130 their second shot and 101,987 a booster, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered nationwide to 121,725,326.

According to Worldometer, confirmed cases globally had risen to 424.99 million on Monday, 350.51 million of whom have recovered, 68.58 million are active cases (81,525 in severe condition) and 5.90 million have died (up by 5,278).

Thailand ranks 32nd in the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 80.08 million, followed by India with 42.83 million, Brazil with 28.20 million, France with 22.28 million and the UK with 18.60 million.

Published : February 21, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012564

The Royal Thai Police insisted it was working on human trafficking suppression in line with laws on Sunday, after coming under fire during Friday’s special debate in Parliament.

Police spokesman Pol Maj Gen Yingyot Thepchamnong issued the statement after opposition MPs highlighted the 2015 Rohingya trafficking case in Songkhla.

The case led to several police and military officers being sentenced for corruption and trafficking after the bodies of over 30 trafficked Rohingya were discovered in shallow graves on the southern border.

On Saturday, the senior police officer who led the investigation said threats from influential people forced him to flee to Australia before he could catch more “big fish” in the case.

Police spokesman Yingyot said the Rohingya trafficking case was considered an offence outside the Kingdom under Section 20 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

He said that the attorney general had set up an investigation team of police officers and attorneys before deciding to charge suspects with human trafficking, transnational crime, and other offences.

“The investigation team had asked the court to issue arrest warrants against 155 suspects, of whom 120 were arrested, two eventually died and 33 are still missing,” he said.

He added that the Criminal and Appeal Courts had ordered the detention of many suspects, whose cases are currently under the Supreme Court’s consideration.

Yingyot said the police force was working on a human trafficking suppression policy under the supervision of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan and National Police chief Pol Gen Suwat Jangyodsuk.

He said police had prosecuted 182 cases in 2021 and 11 cases in 2022, adding that people who had evidence of human trafficking should contact a police station or ring 191 or 1599 anytime.

Last year, Thailand was downgraded to the Tier 2 Watchlist in the US Trafficking in Persons Report.

Published : February 20, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012563

Governors of every province in Thailand have been ordered to prepare emergency plans to contain the spread of Covid-19 and suppress illegal trafficking. The order was issued by the Interior Ministry on Sunday and signed by permanent secretary Suttipong Juljarern.

The move came as the Covid-19 infection rate rose rapidly in many areas, driven by the super-infectious Omicron variant.

The country recorded 18,953 Covid-19 cases and 30 deaths on Sunday, bringing the total to 2,712,315 and deaths to 22,624.

Bangkok and provincial governors were urged to boost public awareness of the Covid-19 situation, cooperate with every sector to contain the viral spread, ensure strict compliance with prevention measures, and prepare emergency plans for the worsening crisis.

They were also ordered to clamp down on illegal trafficking. Governors were told to beef up border police patrols, inspections of communities and venues, public awareness and law enforcement against human traffickers and employers who allow immigrants to sneak into Thailand.

Published : February 20, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012562

A pedestrian-friendly facelift for the capital’s Ratchaprasong and Pathumwan shopping hubs will be finished in March, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) said on Sunday.

Landscaping work to improve pedestrian safety on the stretch of Rama I Road between Ratchaprasong and Pathumwan intersections is 57 per cent complete, it added.

Launched by the BMA’s Department of Works on October 1 last year, the project is removing the tangle of overhead wires that blights the skyline and burying them underground.

Meanwhile, signposts, lighting poles and strips planted with flowers are aimed at beautifying the road for walkers.

The pavement has also been rebuilt to international standards, smoothing the way to safety for elderly pedestrians and those with disabilities.

The project is the fruit of collaboration between public and private agencies.

Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang said the same pedestrian-focused model will be rolled out across other areas of the capital.

Published : February 20, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012561

Fake news about the government’s efforts to tackle the Covid-19 crisis is drawing attention and causing panic among people, the Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry said on Sunday.

DES spokesperson Noppawan Huajaiman said the ministry’s Anti-Fake News Centre identified 107 fraudulent reports between February 11 and 17 and found 34 of them related to Covid-19.

The centre also found that misinformation about government moves relating to the pandemic was being shared widely and causing public panic, she said

“Fake news in this group includes a sound clip of a Public Health Ministry meeting to make it sound as if the government is concealing information related to Covid-19 vaccines, and Food and Drug Administration documents related to vaccine consideration,” the spokesperson added.

“Some fake news also exploited Covid-19 fears to cause panic, such as [a fraudulent report] that the Public Health Ministry had warned people not to travel and or undertake other public activities as the influenza situation is worrisome.”

She also asked people to be cautious when consuming news from online sources.

People can get tips and warnings about fake news at the Anti-Fake News Centre’s website, www.antifakenewscenter.com, Line account @antifakenewscenter and Twitter account twitter.com/AFNCThailand. To report fake news items, call the Government Contact Centre (GCC) hotline on 1111 ext 87.

Published : February 20, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012560

The government will import migrant workers to eight Thai provinces under an agreement to tackle illegal trafficking and a labour shortage estimated at 800,000 workers.

The move is being made under measures to contain the spread of Covid-19, the government-run Thai Khu Fah Facebook page said on Sunday.

The Labour Ministry is accelerating guidelines to bring in Cambodian migrants to Si Sa Ket, Surin, Sa Kaew and Trat and also ferry Myanmar workers across the border to Chiang Rai, Tak, Kanchanaburi and Ranong.

“The guidelines will be similar to those that allow Cambodia workers to work in Chanthaburi province, the page said.

A total of 17 quarantine facilities will support 1,368 migrant workers – 11 facilities in Si Sa Ket, Surin, Sa Kaew and Trat for 1,038 workers and six facilities in Chiang Rai, Tak, Kanchanaburi and Ranong for 330 workers.

Disease control checkpoints will screen the Covid-19 test results and vaccination certificates of migrant workers, who will be handed a certificate of entry plus three months health insurance.

Immigration checkpoints will check border passes and other documents allowing immigrants to stay in Thailand for 30 days.

Vaccinated migrant workers will then face seven days in quarantine and two RT-PCR tests. Employers will be responsible for treatment expenses if any worker tests positive for Covid-19.

The migrant workers will be issued 3-month work permits by provincial employment offices.

Thailand is facing a shortage of 800,000 migrant workers needed for the manufacturing, tourism and service sectors, according to the Federation of Thai Industries.

Published : February 20, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/blogs/in-focus/40012559

Tests on fish from a Rayong market found with a black substance clogging their gills did not reveal unsafe levels of carcinogenic crude-oil compounds, according to health officials.

Rayong Fisheries Research and Development Centre was alerted on Wednesday that fish with black plaque on their gills were on sale at Rayong’s Pak Nam Market. Department officials sent samples of the tainted fish to the Department of Medical Sciences for tests to discover whether they were contaminated after two recent oil spills off Rayong.

The department’s lab analysed the fish samples for mercury, lead, cadmium, inorganic arsenic and benzo(a)pyrene, all of which are found in crude oil.

The analysis revealed the fish contained very small amounts of the heavy metals but no Benzo(a)pyrene.

However, consumers should observe the characteristics and all parts of the fish before consumption, advised Supakit Sirilak, director-general of the Department of Medical Sciences.

Fish should be discarded immediately if any unusual objects, smells or colours are detected, he added.

Published : February 20, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40012558

The Omicron BA.2 subvariant is driving the surge of new Covid-19 infections in Thailand, top virologist Dr Yong Poovorawan said on Sunday.

He said Covid-19 cases had risen by 10 times in each of Thailand’s previous four waves, adding that this fifth Omicron wave could bring 100,000 cases per day.

“It will take time for Covid-19 cases in Asia to hit the peak before falling,” said Dr Yong, noting that infection rates in Europe and the US were already declining.

He said Thailand’s Covid-19 caseload is now rising by over 25,000 per day if you count results from both antigen (ATK) tests and RT-PCR tests, while the death rate would be about 1 in every 1,000 cases.

“With Covid-19 cases continuing to rise, everyone must do everything they can to prevent the disease from spreading,” he said, writing on Facebook.

He advised people who tested positive via ATK tests to isolate themselves immediately, adding that getting an RT-PCR test comes with expenses. The government would have to spend 100 million baht to conduct RT-PCR tests on 100,000 people, he explained.

He reiterated that most Omicron patients develop only mild symptoms, but vulnerable groups needed to verify infection and receive treatment quickly.

Published : February 20, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/blogs/in-focus/40012557

Thailand is entering an ageing society and a population recession, the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) has warned.

The population is forecast to shrink over the next 30 years as the birth rate drops lower than the death rate, said the national planning agency.

The NESDC states that Thailand’s population of around 70 million will decline at the rate of 0.2 per cent per year in the next three decades. By 2040, the Thai population is expected to number just 65.4 million people.

The council divides the population decline according to age group.

The number of children (0-14 years) will fall from 11.2 million (16.9 per cent of the population) in 2020 to 8.4 million (12.8 per cent) in 2040.

The number of senior citizens (60 plus) will increase from 12 million (18 per cent) to 20.42 million or 31.28 per cent of the population in 2040.

3. The working-age population (15-59 years) is forecast to decline from 43.26 million (65 per cent) to 36.5 million (56 per cent) in 2040, a drop of 6.7 million.

Meanwhile, the ratio of working-age to elderly people is also declining. The 2020 ratio of 3.6 working-age people per one senior citizen is forecast to drop to 1.8:1 in 2040.

The declining ratio means the government must plan to upskill the workforce and boost automation, said the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI).

Nonarit Bisonyabut, a senior research fellow at TDRI, said Thailand must focus on more productive workers and technology due to its ageing society. But the government should also look after those unable to adapt to technology, by increasing payments for the elderly and offering a new-born child subsidy, he added.

He urged the government to make three tax changes to prepare for population recession:

Raise the land and building tax and lower the ceiling, while preventing distortions such as registering city land as agricultural plots; introduce a wealth tax; and tax use of new technologies such as robots and drones.

Published : February 20, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/blogs/in-focus/40012552

The National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) on Sunday revealed the results of its public survey titled “Dissolve the House: when is the best time?”

NIDA surveyed asked 1,313 participants between February 14 and 17, asking them when they thought the prime minister would dissolve the House of Representatives.

The results were as follows:

– 68.09 per cent said the PM had no plan to dissolve Parliament and would stay on until his term ends in 2023.

– 8.91 per cent said before the no-confidence debate in late May 2022

– 8.23 per cent said after the Apec meeting hosted by Thailand in November

– 6.09 per cent said after two election laws are promulgated around July

– 4.95 per cent said after the budget bill is approved around August

– 3.73 per cent declined to answer or were not interested

Asked for their opinion on when the PM should dissolve the House:

– 58.79 per cent said as soon as possible

– 23.38 per cent said he should not dissolve the House and instead remain in office until the end of his term in 2023

– 5.18 per cent said after the Apec meeting hosted by Thailand in November

– 4.19 per cent said before the no-confidence debate in late May

– 3.81 per cent said after two election laws are promulgated around July

– 3.43 per cent said after the budget bill was approved around August

– 1.22 per cent declined to answer or were not interested

Finally, asked about the stability of General Prayut Chan-ocha’s government coalition:

– 43.11 per cent said there was no stability

– 33.05 per cent said it was not stable.

– 16.38 per cent said it was relatively stable.

– 7.46 per cent said it was very stable.

Published : February 20, 2022

By : THE NATION